Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-02-19
have been unable TO get the ear Of tho
h;ohov olasaea


higher classes.
"Sundsy is the great holiday cock
fights, bdll-fghts, and other amuse-
ments OF q similar character are always
held on Sunday. and it is no uncommon
thing to kill TOUR or five bulls on Sun
day. the carcasses OF which are sold to
the poor at very cheap rates The stores
do more business on Sunday than any
other day in the week, and judging from
after effects more is drank on Sunday
than on any other day. but by looking
at our own record in Justice Johns
court we cannot say that the case is ma
.erially different in Christianized Rich
mond.
Gambling is vice OF first import
ance in Caracas; almost every one
CANDLES and drinks, and these are not
looked upon as indications of depravity,
but rather as the characteristics OF
true gentleman.
YELLOW JACK IN CARACAS.
Notwithstanding all reports to the
contrary spread by those interested IN
sending victims to Caracas. there is con-
siderable amount OF yellow-fever there.
and during my short stay there knew OF
several foreigners who succumbed to the
plague. No reports are issued as to the
deaths among the natives, but there Is q
large mortality among them. / saw IN
one OF the depots young girl "a peon)
who was taken with the first symptoms
of this disease surrounded BY number
of people and this carelessness in pre-
venting it from spreading, combined
with the vile drainage-or, more truly,
the lack of drainage-and the miserably
bad water supply, will always make OF
Caracas, what she is to-day, an I'M
healthy city,"
OUR CONSUL SMITH.
"The lagoon, or canal" Mr.. Woods
went on to say, is the means by which
Caracas is visited by steamers. Its en-,
trance is guarded by dilapiGated Old
fort. whose guns seem older than the
fort itself. AS soon as the signal-statlon,
situated on one of the highest bills on
the island. announces the fact that a
ship is in the offing and wishes to enter,
the pilot, q clean-looking old Dutchman
dressed in white, who acts not only as
pilot, but also as harbor-master, doctor
custom-house officer, and general DO
bf0ce. puts off for the boat, while the
American Consul opens the draw-bridee
which separates the lagoon from the
sea.
consul Smith is one OF the most
prominent men in Caracas" said Mr..
Woods emphatically. He had the
drawbridge above referred to built, and
it is quito novelty, being constructed
of pontoons. The end pontoon is at
tached to both shores by ropes, and q
winch, operated by steam-power, opens
or closes the bridge by swinging 1t to
and fro. A very good photograph OF
this bridge appeared in HarDer'S for
December. Mr.. Smith also has the mo-
nopoly of the coal. ice, and lumber
business, and Caracas being coallng
station for all steamers from Europe and
the States to South America he has
pretty good thing OF it. He is most
courteous, gentlemanly consul, far dit
ferent from so many officers OF the same
character | have met. He takes the
greatest pleasure in getting travellers to
dine with him at his pretty castle over
looking the ocean"
Talking about Venezuela. Mr. Woods
said Leaving Caracas. in twenty-four
hours, we reached Puerto Cabello, the
port of Valencia, in Venezuela. Here L
met old Judge Riley. of Accomac county,
Va, who told me that he had visited Mr..
Cleveland in company with Breckenridge
and Carlisle, and had resigned his
position to take effect March 4th. Mr..
Cleveland, so the story goes, refused to
accept his resignation, saying that he
would have to keep some Republicans
II office and might as well keep the
Judge The old Judge is harmless, If
amusing, and after giving me scoring
for being Democrat invited me to take
dose OF sarsaparilla with him. 1t is
needless to say took 1t. From Cura.
Gao we went to La Guaira, the port OF
Casacas, distant about 200 miles from
Puerto Cabello."
Mr.. Woods was away not quite O
month and had a most delightful trip.