, 1888-05-06

IL SuOo- DClOlC TIC IGNOlullOu VI 70,
which almost destroyed the wealth and
even of this inconceivably rich
southern coast country, and left its splen-
did cities effortless and silent, these vast
wharves and almacens must have pre-
sented most stirring scenes, stored as
they were with millions upon millions Of
dollars worth of sugar, molasses. tobacco,
and especially coffee, as Trinidad at that
time was the greatest single coffee me
tropolis of the world. Deserted as they
are to-day no n can pass them without
interest and even amazement at their area
and ponderous strength. They are built
Of the famous Cuban wood, much resem-
bling lignum vitae, called guibrahaca, lit
orally axe breaker" on account of the
difficulty found in working upon it with
any edged tools. The labor required in
fashioning these guibrahaca piers IS sim
ply in~calculable, and they could only have
been constructed under a system OF slavery
that counted supcrhuman toll as nothing.
The u k-heads and cappings are of
mahogany; and there are enough solid
mahogany timbers in these wharYes, If
laid down in New York at their market
able value, to alone purchase the land and
properties OF the most valuable block on
Broadway; while bolts of solid copper,
from six to ten feet long, as thick as your
wrist, with large brass heads, are as fire.
quent as rusty iron spikes in any Ameri-
can seaport pier. Here at Casildo are
also a few quaint aforementioned villas
along the sea, and huge banos or bathing
places where the sharks and other mon
sters of these tropic deeps are fenced out
by huge palmetto piling, and light dainty
roofs are made out of the brown and puce
palmetto leaves.
But three miles distant inland over a
queer little railway, we came to Trinidad.
The almost land-locked bay at its edge is
called Masio. 1t is a noble harbor requir-
ing but slight engineering and expendi-
ture to cut q ship channel to the sea
through the soft and level intervening
coral. That done, the navics and ship
ping of the world could lie securely at
anchor in Bahia Masio, for it is larger and
finer than any other OF the splendid Gu
ban harbors.
And here again, should Cuba's present
desperate dolor give the island 10 the
United Suites, to which it must eventu-
ally belong, American capital and enter
prise would find a veritable Eldorado.
The ancient glories of Trinidad seem be-
yond belief. But the magnifcence other
deserted structures of to-doy attest their
former reality. Many of them are palaces,
beside which the storied edifices of the
Riviera seem plain and commonplace. In
no part of the habitablc globe is there
such an equable, healthful and enhancing
climate. Men and women live here until
tar past a century in age. Rising gradu-
ally from these enchanted shores, the
city, spread downward like a cleaning
satin fan from the apex of a picturesque
height, is one vast garden broken only by
splendid edifice, dreamtul plaza and
quaint old fountains. To the east, sweeps
the splendid bay. To the south, stretches
the great sea, from which pleasant
breezes endlessly come. To the west,
vast reaches of forest, and again the sea.
Behind, as if in terrace on terrace, for
ests, wales of Understandable luxuriance,
and, a score of miles away, the famous
Vale del Aguacatc, 1000 feet above the
sea, whose grand upland sweep reaches to
picturesque foothills. and, beyond, the
black in the wondrous tropic air.
In this glorious region lie the coffee
lands of Cuba. Only a quarter of a CEN
tury ago the fabulous riches derived from
them gave the brilliant city of Trinidad
the name of Paris Chiquito" the little
Paris" There were nearly 300 of these
magnificent plantations. The smallest
was loo cabellerias in extent. A cabel-
leria is 33t acres of land. The larger
contained from 500 to 900 cabellerias or
from about II 900 to about 80, 0 acres.
And this was exclusive OF hundreds of
r%asDauros, or little plantations where cane
syrup was made and stirred with %aionjoli
or oily broken corn into the toothsome
raspadura cakes all Cubans dearly love.
The ancient city with its former princely
masters; the surroundings eloquent with
unequalled natural beauty; the old slave
times when every plantation had its
palace and hordes of half naked African
serfs; have lett the locality rife with weird
legends and fearful tales, far SURPRISING
in horrible memories hat pandemonium
of awful imagery depicted in Hugo's
Bug-Jargle Here is one told by my
companion who was a child here during
the occurrences narrated, as we sat in La
Via, the quaint old signal station upon
the heights above the city.
The efforts of the English government
TO suppress the Spanish slave trade, as is
generally believed IN Cuba through the
probably unauthorized promptings of the
English consul general at Havana,
brought about the terrible uprising of the
blacks in and about Trinidad, known as
the Revolution del Quemado, in 1888.
-Four EnGlish speaking negroes were
brought here from Jamaica, who foment-
ed discord, and organized this revolution.
The plan OF the blacks was to arm them
selves as best they might, and, on Holy
Thursday of that year, while vigilance
was relaxed, and the white forces at the
plantations were weakened by the general
attendance of the planters and their fami.
lies upon the festivities and procession in
Trinidad, rise at noon of that day, kill
every male white left upon the planta,
tions; and then march upon Trinidad,
where their black brethren would Join
them in determination of all whites and
mestizo property owners. An absolute
extinction of all males save negroes in
this portion of the island was sworn; and
only for q providential circumstance would
have been consummated. The white wo.
men were to be saved for wives of the
leaders OF the 10000 blacks engaged in
the massacre.
Copinge, q Spanish colonel, was the
governor of Trinidad. In his household
was a beautiful mulatto slave girl, Mali