The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-04-03
Havana.

1A'' lsIuuu VI OuOa nus havana as 1Gf
principal town. IT isGlaid But almost as
Regularly NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. it is
quite easy to find your way about
rather is it easy to find the direction III
which you wish to go, for if you start to
go on foot you find your progress by no
means rapid. for the apology for side
walk is only about 81 feet wide, SO that
one il constantly obliged to take to the
street, WHICH is oorrespondingly narrow.
There is one shining exception to the
ordinary thoroughfares. It is the Paseo
del isabel, q fine street about 2OU feet
wide, with drive on eaohsi of park
filled with treer, statuary and shrubbery
laid out i'll broud walks. It runs along
the site of the ancient Notifications of
the city, md the part of the town lying
on one sidelis still called the part Gin
tfamuros" and the other side sestramu-
ros, although the walls have long sincg
disappeared. There is also the Gale de
la Reina, running at right angles to the
Paseo del ISABEL out through the now
part of the CITY or the s'estramuros. -
The continuation Of the Gale dc. 10
Reinn, tho Paseo de Tacon, is now being
laid out. At present it shows oil the
uglness OF construction, but if the plans
are carried out it will some day make a
beautiful drive. The Gale de la Reina
passes the Campo de Marie, q large
square surrounded by high wooden
picket fence, each post Of which is
capped by u cannon-bail. Here are held
the military parades, and it seems s if
all the space would be needed, for the
number Of soldiers seen in the street is
bewildering. They are dressed in linen
uniforms and the corps is designated by
the color of the braid on the cuff. They
present anything but an imposing ap-
pearance, for they are small of stature
and their uniforms are usually quite
wrinkled.
The shops in Havana are quite differ
ent III construction from those In the
United States. There seems to be no
such thing as show-window to displuy
the goods; in fact, there are no windows.
The shops are lighted and aired by the
means OF wide doors, which occur at
frequent intervals i'll the front of the
block. This arrangement also faclli-'
tates the entrance Of dust, and as the
streets, although paved with square
blocks of stone, are quite dusty, the
goods inside get a liberal allowance.
The frequency of the doors and the
signs painted on the walls constitute the
only point of difference between the
business blocks and the dwelling houses.
Within tho city all seem to build on the
same plan; the wall rises directly from
the sidewalk. thus making more appar-.
ent the narrowness of the; e;sidewalk, as
you are constantly grazing the wall of
the building as you pass along. The
doors and windows occur with geomet-
rlcal regularity, and the only chance for
the display of individual taste is in the
painting, for the walls are all of stone
covered with mortar or plaster jand then
painted. Light colors prevail, yellow
and blue being the favorites; this with
the number Of church towers and domes
gives quite an oriental appearance to the
CITY as seen from tho harbor. The
number Of church buildings is astonish-
ing. AS you pass along the streets their
I'm mposing fronts of weather-worn stone
irresistlbly claim, your attention. They
are usually ornamental either with
sculptures son the corners and over the
doors. Or the whole front is covered with
elaboratelv carved representations of
some incident i'll religious history. Tis
a pity there is no portable and adequate
guide to, the city, which should give
such Information about the principal
churches as would enable the traveller
whose time is limited to nse his hours
to the best advantage, Bat time is not
valued highly in Spanish America. The
cathedral where the bones of Columbus
are said to rest, faces small square
from which you get the full effect of the
front. The necessityso of considering the
possible. eifectsof On earthquake seems
to have hampered the architect, for
there ID DO cornice to speak of and the
towers are stopped far short of where
they shonld have been to have carried
out the design symmetrioalIy. The in
terror is finished wholly IN veined marble
of various colors. = The."lofty vaulted
ceiling supported by huge marble pill
lars. the tessellated floor and the posi-
ton .pf the altar showed the skill and
taste 'of the architect, while the richer
adornments Of the altar and the shrines
on the sides bespeak abundant present
resources. AS we entered the mass was
being chanted by a full chorus of male
voices stationed behind the altar, and
the effect Of the strong sonorous voices
as they sounded through the church was
grand and solemn: an element of beauty
which enhanced the effect was the ac-
compartment on an exquisitely toned
organ placed high up, over the entrance
to the nave. Many Of the churches and
buildings designed for, ecolesiastical
purposes afe now serving other ends.
At the time of the expulsion of the
monks nearly all the monasteries were
confiaoata1 ond mt to other IIaaa Tho