The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-03-13

IIoTxL BAN CARLos,)
HahsnA Ieltde, Cuba,
Feb. ~, lSsl.)
A trip 70 the Island Of Cuba
ID not quiteso big thing as Grants circuit
Of the earth, and yet enough Of incident and
observation may DO extracted from to at
least tickle the intellectual palate Of the
average "HxRALD" reader. With this hope
! will attempt some rough pen pictures Of
observation along tho track from Texas to
Havana. and Of the average Cuban and his
acteris.ics, as l find him. Reaching the
New Orleans railroad depot, we at once ae-
cured comfortable seat in ono Of the ee-
CANT coaches Of that line, and In fifteen
minutes we were beng bourne away from
the Bayou city al agood average Of speed,
over very nice roaa-bed toward the
Crescent city. The distance Of 362 miles
from Houston 10 New Orleans ia accom-
plished in about 20 hours; taking one mcal
along the .route-at-- Beaumont-where they
set meal before you that would do credit
70 the very best Of railroad dinner stations
Of the NEST popular eastern line. Traveller,
stick pin here.
Arrived at New Orleshs one hour later
found us--grip In hand, pacing tho deck OF
the good Steam Ship Hutchinson, Of the
Morgan line, steaming down tho father OF
watsrs with the faint chime of bells, and the
receding forms behind. reminding us that
we we're quitting these hoapitable shores TO
test the tslismen Of luck on foreign soil.
Two days sail brought us to Cedar Keys,
Florida, where we put in few hours dis
charging cargo, of which leisure We avail
ourselves 10 make few dots. This place
derives ito name from the fact Of a grea,
number of small islands md reefs being
interpersed for many miles through tho bay,
and extending way out into tho Gulf OF
Mexico, which brenka the surf and
affords inside q land-ocked harbor
from which circumstance the islands are
called keys, and tho city gains it's compound
appelation from tho cedar forests, with
which the islands or keys abound. Here !,
located the manufactures OF tho celebrated
Faber and Eagle pencils, that have n world
wide celebrity, and ono Of which we srt
covatlng right now, to supercede THU
wretched "plunA" Of Spanish invention
And here flowing peacefully onward TO tbt
sen, VII unconscious of tho mighty changes o
tho past 30 years, that has robbed II Of tn,
onchAntment IL wovo around tho southern
heart, to the Inspiration Ct poetry and song
Is the Sewanee river. "Wny down upon tn,
Sewanee river" has lost for us its sentmen
and affectionate appeal, and We realize tina
"The old homo amt what IL used 10 DO,
since we awoke to tho results Of "tho lat
unpleasantness" Again we are on the bosom
Of the gulf, which, with its almost imper
coptible and sluggish fluctuations, present
the reflex OF
" midsummer lake,
Transparent with the sun th0rctr,
When waves no murmurs dare to make,
And heaven beholds her face Within"
But presto, in a few short hours tho seen
chsngea, and two have soen the might
oceuil, like giant in bic WRATH" ard it di'
blow "ior fact" and we were soon gaia
HorrowfulIy over tho side of tho ship, an
felt like we'd lost our mothrr-in.law or llk
some other awful dire calamity had overtake
US, We'll, we wore md are sick OF thu
subject. Next comes Key West, so name
from being tho weslernmost koy of tho Flc
ridian islands or keys. This island Is ]
miles long by u wide, and contains hcterol
oncous population, botwoon 10000 Nm
1000 Thoreis alWss A considerable floetin
element. It's mainly touching point as
coalery for New York md Enropesn vessel
Gathering epopges ard catching turtle cor
stitute onits nm industry hero. and there NJ
some large cigar manufactures. Tho city
clean; tho people seem thrifty; cocoanuts AZ
oil Tim trnvxt,ul er,,tta v<rnI,,na xptth,,,t
effort, tho cocoanut aud banana formir
popular shade trees. There arc some bes,
tifil gardens and some handsome residence
on the island. It is 90 miles from X,
West to Havana; 800 miles from Key We
to Cedar Keys. and A5O miles from Cod
Keys TO New Orleans; making $40 miles fro
New Orleans 10 Havana, where II YOU IN,
time To follow us we will try md paint VIC
few faithful pictures under tho tropics,
have seen great deal in nv life. h,
the island Of Cuba Is aptly named the Quot
Of the Antilles. II were no flsttory to 81
she 10 preeminently tho diadem of Il
world. Pity she cannot be developed 10 Il
propar standard of her prolific cspsbilitir
II s'svorythipp on earth will grow In Texn,
here you may saw II Is perfected by as msci
with scarcely ANY labor, and in a prolUsiC
that amounts 10 wa TO. Cotton and whe
are moi raised, tho coyernmen, LAYING ,
embargo on those productions nmountin,
absolute prohibition. because if permi,,ca
would invite and encourage homo msnura,
tura of the raw material, and DESTROY Il
main revenue of the Spsnish crowo deriy,
ftom,hi, proyincs--ie., tho excessive impo
and export duties, Tho government kno,