Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-03-30
PUERTO CABELLo. Ven,
March 3. 1888.

NdICIl 1850.
We spent delightful hour in making
tour of the convent buildings and on
the lovely grounds looking out upon
clustering sea armlets nesting close to
numerous hills that seem to have left the
heights beyond to revel in one long con-
tinued sea-bath. The sisters, belonging
to the order of st. Francis Xavier, are
very kind and obliging. The young la
dies have an opportunity of acquiring a
knowledge of music, literature, art and
languages, some eight different Ian
guages being taught here. Rather too
many tongues for one woman, isn't it?
Arriving in town from the convent, |
met grizzled old skipper from way up in
Maine, think, and asked him what the
principal products of the island are.
"Well," he said, "ez near's | kin callu-
late, an it's bin morn thirty year I've
bin comm to this ere port, the chief pro-
ducks raised here is black babies an salt"
1t is customary, you know, to allow
for eXaggerations in statements made by
old salts and had just got my mental
arithmetic in working order to estimate
the probable per cent of pull on the truth
the old sea captain had made, especially
in the front part of his declaration, when
squall after squall struck my ear. My
mathematical reflection was at once
broken up. looked about. found the
old skipper had not yarned it after all
Black babies ought to be black babies
| suppose. But | noticed not a few no
blacker than the darkest colored molas-
SEES. And some were of the New Orleans
syrup tinge. The Babbitt soap color pre-
vailed to a certain extent: this might be
due, however. to its use in washing occa-
sionally.
Some seemed to have decided prefer
ence for a conference.-the color. the cof-
fee predominating. And one, to be Who'll
ly unlike his infant brethren, had fiery
red head ''put on him." with a sort of
Stafford writing fluid colored skin. Sew
eral other varieties showed up. | thought
seriously of inquiring of some one who
might know how so many shades of the
white and the black originated. And,
because didn't, | am unable to inform
you. So pass on.
A stroll in town presents life in way
not seen in our northern towns. Every
body seems lean, happy and contented.
No pushing, jostling, busting crowd
ladies excepted, | was told they hustle
somewhat-all trying to get to the top.
\ more sensible or perhaps a more mae
tive view of it is taken. They say only
one can occupy the top anyhow, so why
should all push for it, especially as
there's a man up there all the time.
The business men. though trying in a
way to get enough of the "tilthy lucre''
to be comfortable, usually take their
time. They take their beer and their
cocktails. too, with just as much ease as
their time. And the natives, we'll. can
only say, Judging from the manifold half
sitting, half lying postures and the null
tiplicity of straight-out, horizontal atti-
tudes everywhere seen, seem provided by
nature with constitutions wonderfully
adapted to enduring on extraordinary
continuance of rest. Like the swell on
the dude or the little conceited stuff often
going about wearing the shape of a man,
position with these people is everything.
Cost of living is very cheap on the is
! d linz,
needed is grown here, but on account of
the low rate of duty, which on the aver
age is about ID per cent. y barrel of
flour, for instance, all the flour used
comes from New York, costs the pur-
chaser from IS to 81. Over in Venezuela.
twelve hours steam from this place. the
same -four costs from Sl3 to SO. You
see they have a high protective tariff over
there. Nearly s. duty on every barrel
of flour. This tariff spreads its shield
directly by law over few manufacture
ers and indirectly protects, contrary to
law. a greater or less number of SNUG
glers: while the so cents per day labor
er or peon pays to the Minnesota farmer
the entire cost of raising his wheat, the
cost of grinding, the cost of Transports
ton to New \ DIRK, the cost OF snlpmenl
to Venezuela, the government duties and
the profit of everybody else who handles
it besides. But here am wandering over
in Venezuela Well, I'll come back.
Were an artist would send you varl
Gus sketches of the quaint houses, the
natives in their curious customs, the mar
row streets and the overflow of novelty
everywhere. The extreme nawownes'
of some of the streets is one of the many
striking things IA stranger takes in. an
sure they were built with the design-i
there were any design at all-of prevent
ing fat woman or load of hay IRON
passing through them. They might
however, have saved themselves iron
such deep thought, for fat women are un
known here and loads of hay don't grow
For exchange of neighborly calls, so
cial greetings and convivialities, am in
clined to think these narrow streets arr
Just O. X. They seem so awfully con
venient. you know.
Just think of Sonora Gonzales living
on the third floor paying visit TO Senor'
Garcia on the opposite side of the street