Morning journal and courier., 1888-02-11

I
 the House Tops.
 HAVANA, Cuba, Feb. 6.
 To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 Though the parks and paseos of Havana are in themselves in nowise more interesting
 than those of many other noted cities, they
 become extremely engaging as the points
 from which so much that is characteristic in
 Cuba may be studied.
 HAvANA's PARKS.
 Down at the wharves by the old ruined
 Church of San Francisco is the abandoned
 plaza of that name, which a century ago
 comprised the archbishop's splendid gardens.
 Here are now found hundreds of chatteripg
 carreteros and their carts, with oxen and
 mules disposed in lazy negligence, and re-
 calling the old camps of the "mule-whaok-
 ers'' in the rear of our army when we fought
 from Chicamauga to Atlanta. A little fur
 ther north, toward the harbor entrance, is the
 dainty Plaza de Armas. This is the center
 of the greatest business activity of the capi-
 tai, near the government offices and ship ping. Two sides are faced with palaces of government officials. On it's eastern or har-
 bor side stands little temple sacred to Go.
 lumbus, containing bust of the great dis
 coverer and three historical paintings. This templete Is opened once each year-Novem- Der 18th, on the feast of San Cristobal. In the center of the plaza is superb statue of Ferdinand VII. Though only covering the
 area of an American square or block, this
 park is one of the most beautiful and pie
 turesque spots in Cuba; and before the new parks were opened outside the old city walls,
 at night it was for two centuries the scene of
 rare social and civic splendors.
 At the harbor entrance itself, opposite Moro castle and behind La Punta fort, lies | Parque de la Punta, set like emerald in
 the spear-like point upon which breaks the l blue sea. Near here is the Calle Baluarte I quarter, where I have many queer friends ! among the lowly folk. Here are the trum- peters from the forts making shrill music | the whole day long. Here flock thousands of the lazzaroni for basking in the sun to the
 sound of the oceans lullaby. Here are the hospitals and the prisons, where the i'll and l the ironed look upon palms and flowers. Here all day pass cavalcades of horses, tied I nose and-tail, on their way to their daily dis porting in the ocean. And here begins that | most enchanting way, the Calle Ancha del Norte, which underneath architecture as I quaint and beautiful as that of Nuremburg or Venice, for miles, and forever swept by enchanting sea air mingled with all the balm I and thyme of the tropics, skirts the ocean past weird rows of banos or baths chiseled
 in the solid rock, stretching and circling ! away like gleaming white ribbon flung upon
 mantle of purple and pink, to ancient Vs- l dado upon the sea. Here again you are greeted by fountains, parks and gay quintas of the rich imbedded in parterres of sense- bewitching perennial flowers. With no 1 thought of time care, to saunter upon the Calle Anche del Norte, feasting upon beauty of sky, air, land and sea, and the marvellous faces of Spanish women bending pleasantly upon you from brilliant equipages, is trop ical idyl fairer than can be limned and sweet CT than can be penned. It is 8 delicious dream that fixed in the memory, ripples with sunshine, pulses with odor, murmurs with melody and is eloquent with life and beauty.
 The main prado, park and paseo system of Havana, as recently developed, and indepen dent of the little plazas scattered about the city, is most admirable, indeed beautiful. Practically beginning at Parque de Ia Punta at the sea-shore, it extends almost due south to the center of the city, and thence at right angle west through the residence DOT tion, terminating at the foot of hill sur rounded by the fortified Castillo del Prin- cipe, where most delightful suburban calzs- das and paseos leading to pretty villas and villages are found.
 The Prado is in imitation of the grand Prado at Madrid, and with it's rich stretch of greensward broken only by an occasional marble fountain, and it's splendid shaded prsmenades at either side, it comes up nobly from the sea to the beautiful Parque Central, with it's spacious walks, parterres, it's foun- tains, the masterpiece of which is La Fuenta de Ia India, or the fountain of India, execu- ted in Italy at fabulous cost and representing an Indian maiden, allegorica1 of Havana, ! supporting a shield bearing the arms of the l city. Just beyond this, to the southwest, l comes the famous Campo de Marte, formerly | drill and parade ground for the Spanish l seldiery. It is now laid out into broad walks l and carriage crossings, and is surrounded by a high iron fence with colossal gates This improvement was made under the govern ment of General Tacon, the most hated and praised of Cuban rulers. The four great gates to the Campo, which are fanked by immense square pillars, are called the gates of Columbus, of Cortsz, of Pizarro and of Tacon.
 Turning to the west from Campo del Marte l you enter the magnificent Calzada de Ia Ref na, a mile in length, the continuation of which at the grand statue of Carlos IT,, h., ! also mile in length The calzada and paseo are one and the same thing, and are to Ha- Yana what the Champs Elysees is to Paris, though here is no noble Bois de Boulogne to fulfill the promise of 8 majestic Arc de Tri- omphe. Indeed the Plaza de Toros, where the greatest Cuban bull-fghts occur, is the most important point of interest to which the grand way leads But at it's right are { some fine Cuban villas, including the coun- try seat of San Ignacio and the Quinta de los Molinos or the governor-generai's villa, 1 as also the infantry barracks and the botani- cal garden. Besides these parks and ways i there is the weird old plaza, rife wit an hundred sad romances of the prodigate aris- toeracy, Cortina de Valdes, over there by the Boqueta wall, as tragic a spot as ever was beaten by the sea, all under the shadow of the old cathedral; the little park of San Juan de Dios, for all the world like dainty nest dropped among lilliputisn balconies; and the Alameda de Paula, that like the alamedas of | many Italian cities by the Mediterranean bringing to the very oceans brink the glories of field and forest, skirts the harbor away to s the south, opulently carrying the splendors busy maritime life of the bay.
 By day the parks are charming with color, l sunshine and melody, which you may enjoy almost wholly by yourself. Possibly there may be here and there seen an old Chinese l servitor picking and pruning about a bit, :. T. or another foreigner, like yourself, who sits 1 about, big-eyed and Opsn-mouthed, as if : wondering where are the thousands who should enjoy these glories for their bodies' and souls sake; or beggar who has orept , in here for quiet rest from the rattle and ,latter of the street; or rarely ninera or with child or two, who sit in 1ecorous quiet where there should be life and gladness; and with all the beauty and song ful sound about you, you feel something as one might if set down in heaven which l lad just had 8 moving day. But you do ,hus have opportunity to feast upon the de- < fight in these wonderful trees and flowers, rom palm to pendant campanile And :. when night comes you then learn that the ' lay-the day of life and beauty hsre-has ust begun.
 NIGHT SCENES.
 All Havana is in the parks and cafes or on T he housetops at night. As the sun goes a town it seems as though from every quarter ] ome thousands for the nightly outing. The i T