Morning journal and courier., 1893-04-04
CUBAN JOTTINGS.

Spanish Distrust of other Nations
Cuban Hotels-Havana Picturesque
But Dirty-The Cuban Woman
The Tomb of CoIumbus-HavaRa
as a Commercial City.
HAVANA, March 25.-Confdenoe in
other nations is quality quite unknown
to the Spanish. An exempli6cation of
this, and most troublesome one is, that
all shipping (other than that flying the
Spanish fsg) is not permitted to "dook,"
to come to the wharves. All vessels must
anchor in the stream and tighten their
esrgoes ashore, both passengers and
freight, and load in the same inconvenient
manner. Upon her arrival the steamship
is beset by horde of small boats, whose
shippers noisily seek passengers to take to
the landing at the custom house. As an
indication Of how despetio the Spanish
rule in Cuba is, may be mentioned the
fact that Cubans are not allowed to board
ing to tho shore of either passengers or
freight; Spaniards only may engage in
that service. Another restriction on
foreign shipping is, that 1t is eompulg-
DRY to take a Spanish pilot outside, not
withstanding the requirement that no
vessel of foreign register may enter the
barber between sunset and sunrise. How
soever bad the weather may be, an ar
irving vessel must stay outside until
morning.
When the visitor has succeeded In get
ting ashore his troubles are not over, even
though he has through trusting his bag.
gage to the hotel runners to be s'passed"
at the Custom house relieved himself of
at the hotel of his choice he has on account
of the extremely deliberate methods that
prevail, to wait around for, at the very
least, couple Of hours before he can get
a room assigned to him. The hotel
people delay until they discov-
or along about noon the number
of arrivals likely to show up that day,
then, at their slow convenience, locate
them. 1t is positively quite impossible
for the arriving guest to mitigate this nui-
sance, and he might just as well make up
his mind that for the half of his first day
In Havana he not only has no place to lay
his head nor any very satisfactory assur-
ancs that he will have, neither has re 3
place to put his hand baggage with any
reasonable certainty of finding 1t again.
Of the hotels only the negative applies
in describing or comparing them. No one
of them may be said to be better than any
other, all that may be averred, even after
careful consideration, is that, may be, one
ia not as bad as the rest. Poor and expen-
sive as those hostelries are, the oddly of
everything about them makes them endur-
able and even enjoyable for few days
stay. By the grace of his royal jiglets, the
man behind behind the diamond pin (for
II {, %la1 &1a
world over, you are finally piloted up
the long staircase, through q lofty sorri-
dor, tile paved, into your room. There's,
at least, nothing supsrfuous about hotel
bedroom in Havana. There may be all
you want, but only SO if you keep your re-
quiremsnts down to the most positive ne
csssitiss. You've got tile floor for one
thing, and 1t stares up at you with its al
ternating black and white squares, like a
gigantic shsckerboard. The distance from
floor to ceiling Is apt to be from fifteen to
eighteen feet, the windows or openings
through the walls to the outside air reach
from floor to ceiling and. are without
glass, usually. Great solid wooden shut
tiers open inwards. The furniture; u ward
robe, table, washstsnd, an iron bedstead.
mattress, blanket over this, takes the
couple of sheets and blanket, is your
''downy" couch. The only drapery, the
mosquito netting over tbs bed, never a
curtain shade or carpet. Barren az the
room ia, it has the important advantage of
being cool and airy. A glance out of the
window shows Havana to be a city with,
out chimneys. Cooking is done Owe,
charcoal or coke fires, and what
little heating may ever be necss
ssry, is obtained by the same means.
Havana is picturesque; also, it is dirty,
For the most part 1t must "be done" or
wheels. There is one walk to take, how
ever, and al extremely interesting one 1t is
FL Prado, lined with beautiful trees, Leads
through the center of the city and series
of parks we'll out into the suburbs. Els
| delightful promenade. Not only is thu
walk interesting, but those who use it are
too. An hour there puts one quite in gym
| pathy with his surroundings, and from tina
time on We are ready to enjoy the quaint
old and easy going methods which every
whore about us prevail. Politeness ia tn,
only extravagancs of the Havsnese. BeinJ
introduced to him at bis homo the resi-
dent, b. he Cuban or Spaniard, at ono,
endeavors to impress you with the ide!
that you are the one person in the who'll
wide, wide world whose acquaintance h.
| most desires. He Immediately in tn
most definite manner insists that his hous
is yours and all there is in it, yet SOM
way he omits to have the title deeds mad
out and recorded in your name. But wha
he does do in good earnest and with peculiar
| gratefu1ness is, to hand you very excel
lent cigar to smoke, and you are then mol
| lifted and forgive him in the matter of tn
| house transaction.
Driving in Havana is necessity, If on,
is to see much of the place. Mule powe
| tramoars exist, but they are altogether IN
inviting, and 1t would be too much of al
uncertainty where you were likely to b.
taken to, or when you would be apt to ge
back, to think of trusting yourself t.
| them. A peculiar sort of rig, of which
there must be thousands in the city, is al
ways within easy call anywhere. A very
big four-wheeled affair, somewhat like
victoria, drawn by one very small horse
but the machine gets about with sstonish.
Ing rapidity, considering Its make up and
the wretohsdly rough streets.
In the business portion of the city the
streets are quite narrow, the sideswalks,
where there are any at all. extremely SO.
The street scenes are SO entirely strange
that one could easily imagine himself thou
sands of miles from the United States,
rather than but scant hundred from Its
shores.
Granada and the other old cities of
Spain are suggested by the low, square,
various hued buildings. Wide doorways
lead through to paved courts within. The
windows, whether of dwelling, storehouse
or shop, are heavily grated with iron bars,
and are entirely innocent of glass, 80 that
living in such place Ia quite the same as
being on the inner edge of sidewalk-the
houses standing flush with the walk. Bal
comics jut out here and there and common
ly in the principal business localities, avn
ipgs are stretched entirely across the
streets from house top to house top. These
awnings being parti colored, add alto
gether to the picturesqueness of the place
As there are in the harbor of Havana
vessels from all parts of the world, 80 in
the streets of Havana walk people of every
nation. 1t is the most cosmopolitan place
imaginable. Brilliancy and strong con-
trast in colors are much affected in every
thing the eye rests upon. The buildings
are variously blue, red, yellow and brown,
in many different shades of these colors,
while just the same rule applies to the
wearing apparel of the people. The native
Cuban young man, when he has means
enough to supply himself with the neces-
saries of the condition, Is fop. He fon-
dies slight cane and smokes paper "ci-
gsros" from morning til night. He is an
improvement on the dude, however, for
he has expression in his face
and is alive; indeed for that matter he
is even lively. A type of humanity quite
interesting is the turbaned negress She
ia usually q strong robuet beino oftsn