Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1879-04-10
A DINNER AT VERA CRUZ.

A correspondent Of the Philadelphia Times
writes: There are two hotels in Vera Cruz,
and travellers need not be particular in choos-
ing between them, for one is in every respect
as bad as the other. In the one that went
to they must have mistaken me for family
travelling in disguise, for they gave me room
fully twenty feet square and twelve feet high,
containing three beds, three washstands, one
large table, nine rocking chairs and no soap.
They do not furnish soap in Mexican hotels,
and if they give more than one candle they
charge extra. j think they would feel CRATE
full if you would wet the wick to keep it from
burning fast. The first taste of Mexican
butter comes in here. 1t is almost as white
as lard, and contains no salt, but it is sweet
and good A large dish of snails is nearly al
ways on the table, and althoug h they look
bad they taste and smell fifteen hundred times
worse. Snails were made for examples of
slowness--not to be eaten. They have no
dessert here, and put no fruit on the table, al
though fruit grows on every bush; but they
insist upon your taking cheese, and give you
great quantities of it. The floors throughout
the house are made Of big bricks, about ten
inches square, in the upper as well as the low
er story. In the dining-room stone about
foot square has ring in it, and can be lifted
up, revealing sluice, into which dirty water
is thrown. Yellow fever rolls through these
bitches like grain through hopper. But if
they charge you weeks beard for single
meal, you can afford to smoke. I went up to
the "bar,"' at one end of the dining-room,
(where they sell matches, cigars and whisky,
and have small lottery and asked for
cigar, laying down Mexican reale, twelve
and a half cents The bar-keeper held out
box of cigars. Each one was about the size
of plump babys arm. 1t was good hours
smoke to say the least, and I was doubtful
about the silver coin being big enough to pay
for one Of them. But picked one out, and
the bartender still held the box on the coun.
ter. He looked at me as if he wanted me to
take another, which I did. He still held out
the box, and still had the wistful look,
Isl Senor," said he.
So I took another. That made three.
Isl senor," he said again, and still looked
at me. L took another, making four, with
half mind to reach for the box.
"Buena," said he, which is said to mean
"good," and my four big cigars for 12A cents
were almost equal to the Havana, and very
much cheaper.
Vera Cruz is called one of the hottest places
in the world, and it has solid claims to the dis
tinction, When Norther comes, and the
thermometer goes down to something like
living basis, the inhabitants 60 about wrapped
up in their cloaks, imagining themselves cold.
The wind in Norther blows around the cor
ners so that it is almost impossible to walk
against it. There are no sewers, and the drain
ing is done by cutters in the middle of the
streets The crosswalks at the corners are
always about half way up the street, so that
pedestrian, in walking three or four blocks,
describes course like the battlements of
castle. The streets are clean-much cleaner
than in New York-kept so by the cheapest
street cleaning department in the world-the
turkey buzzards. Dozens of these big black>
birds or crows, are always at work in every
block clearing away the filth. This would be
all very well if they would attend strictly to
business, and then 60 off to some secluded
place or die. But they choose the most prom
inent spots for roosting places. On the top
of the Cathedral, of course, is big cross,
and don't think ever saw that cross with
out a. turkey buzzard sitting on top of it.
There is fine Of FIVE dollars for killing one
Of them, ;5j nh -. %.