The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1881-03-17
sp,s,., m.v... correspondence

/ huDhnh Ibfhuts Ouunt. 4
Feb. 20, IS5l.)
A trip 10 the Island Of Cub
Is no. quite so big thing as Granite circui
of the earth, and yet enough of incident ant
observation may be extracted from II to
least tickle the intellectual palate of tn
average "HERALD" reader. With this hop
will attempt some rough pen pictures o
observation along the track from Texas t.
Havana. and of the average Cuban and hil
characteristics, as / find him. Reaching thu
New Orleans railroad depot, we at once Sc
cured comfortable scat in ore of the ele
gent coaches OF that line, and in fifteer
minutes we were beng bourne away from
the Bayou city ct a good average Of speed
over very nice road-bed toward the
! Crescent city. The distance Of 1852 miles
| from Houston to New Orleans is accom-
plished in about 20 hours; taking ono mea
along the .route-at -Beaumont-wher they
set u meal before you that would do credit
to the very best of railroad dioner stations
of the most popular eastern line. Traveller
stick spjn here.
Arrived at New Orleahs lone hour later
found us--grip 10 hand, pacing the deck OF
the good Steam Ship Hutchinson, OF the
Morgan line steaming down the father "f
waters with He faint chime of bells, and tbs
recedipg forms behind, reminding us that
we were outing these hospitabe shores to
| test the taisman 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 to make few dots. This place
| derives its name from the fact Of n great
number of small Islands and reefs being
interpersed for many miles through the bay.
and extending way out into the Gulf OF
| Mexico. which breaks the surf and
affords inside land-locGed baroor,
from which circumstance the islands are
called KEYS, and tho city gsiDs its compound
appelation from the cedar forests, with
which the islands or keys abound. Hero is
i located TIE rnaDufactori s. of the celebrated
Faber and Eagle pencils, thai have world
wide celebrity, and Que of which we are
coveting right now, 10 supercede this
uretched "plurnA" of Spanish invention.
And hero flowing peacefully onward 70 the
sea, all unconscious Of the mighty changes OF
| .he past 80 years, that has robbed ii of the
enchantment it wuvo around the southern
heart, to the inspiration Of poetry and song,
is the Sewanee river. "Way down upon the
Sewanee river" has lost for US its sentiment
and affeciionAto appeal, and we realize that
''The old home ain't what it used 10 be,
since we awoke to the results of 'the late
unpleasantness Again we are on the bosom
Of the gulf, which, with its almost imper-
ceptjble and sluggish undulations, presents
the reflex of
| n m idsummer lake.
| Transparent with the enn therein,
| When waves no mnrmurs dare 10 make,
And heaven behOld- her fnce within.
But presto, in a few shor; hours the scene
changes, and s~e have seen tle mighty
ocean, like giant 10 his wrath" aud II did
blow "for fact" and we were SOON gazing
sorrowfullv over the side of the chip, and
felt like we'd lost our mother-inslaw or like
I some other awful dire calamity had overiaken
us. We'll. we were and are sick OF that
subject Next comes Key West, SO named
from being the westernmost key of the Flo
i ridisn islands or keys. This island is 10
miles long by II wide, and, contains hetercg,
eueous population, between 10000 and
1000 There is alwas a considerable floating
element 1t is Inainly touching point, as
coaler, for New York and European vessels
Gathering sponges and catering turtle con-
stitute quite IN industry here, and there are
some large cie.r manufactures. The city is
clean; the people seem thrifty; cocosputs ard
all the tropical fruits produce without any
Il eff,rt, the cocoanut ard bannrna forming
popular shade trees. There are some beau
tiful gsrdeos and some handsome residences
on the island. 1t is 80 miles from Key
West to Havana; 800 miles from Key West
to Cedar Keys, and $50 miles from Cedar
Keys to New Orleans: making $40 miles from
Nav Orleans to Havana, where If you have
time to follow us we will try and paint you
few fai!bful pictures under the tropics.
| have seen great deal in my life. but
the island # Cuba is aptly named the Queen
of the Antilles 1t were no fiatiery TO say
she is pre-. emneptly the diadem Of the
world. Pity she cannot be developed to the
propar standard OF her prolific capabilities.
If Everything on earth will grow in Texas, =
here you may say il is perfected by as magic,
with scarcely any labor, and in s. profusion
lthe, amounts 10 Wa te. Cotton and wheat
are not raised, the government laying an
embargo on these productions, amounting TO
absolute prohibition, because If permitted it
would invite and encourage home mannfac-
iure of the raw material, ard destroy the
main revenue Of tho Spanish crown. derived
from this province-ie., the excessive import
and export duties, The government knows
the island is rich in its resources cspsoe OF
buying anything and paying any price fof
it, and go Spain confines the industries OF
the island TO articles Of almost exclusive
export, aud thus by forcing them 10 buy
their fabrics and breadstuffs abroad "cuts
both wings" on the revenue, and makes
them pay tribute for everything they cat,
drink or wear. Thii is ore of the main
reasons why Cubs wsnts to be free; that is
the Cubsn element, per 50, the native born.
Theharbo, of Havana il one of The finest
In the world-perfectly land-locked and with
a ses wal extending slong the entrance.
The precipitous promontory on one side,
where for over one hundred years the dogs
Of var have Kept guard on the parapets Of
Moro castle; and on me Havana side El
fuerle de Is punt The strong or stragetic
point. FL cssteis principe maintains
ceaslt IS vigil for the foe that approaches
not, forms a sort OF narrow neck that would
be murderous gauntlet 10 run, under Ger
Tain conditions, and opens out int kind Of
wide pocket, capable OF securely sbnltering
almost the commerce. OF the world. Com
manding the inside of the bay is VI castelo
Csbanas and long lines Of impregusble f0rti-
fssiions for half mile or more. Though