Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-03-21
THE PEARL OF THE ANTILLES.
Continued from Second Page.

and driveways as HavxSa. The great
Plaza de Ar-nas is the chief. Il COM
prises four parks, in the center Of which
il a static of Ferdinand VII. Then there
are the Alameda de Paula. bordering ON
the bay, and the Campo de Marie, used
as drill ground for the military. This
is an enormous park. 1t has four hand
some gates. named respectively Colon,
Cortez. Pizarro and Tacnn. The Paseo
de Tacon is q magnificent drive with
double rows Of trees. 1t has numerous
columns and statues, among the latter
one Of Charles III. ranking among the
finest works Of art in America.
The commerce Of Havana is only sur
passed in the new world by that of New
York. Two-thirds Of the products of
Cuba find outlet through Havana. The
exports Of sugar alone are annually
about 120. coo. 900 pounds.
Havana was first called San Cristo-
bal de la Habana, in honor Of Column
bus. but gradually the prefix was drop
ped. Havana has been frequently at
tackled from the sea. Drake tried to take
it in 1885. but failed. In 1762 British
feet under Admiral Pocock bombarded
the city and compelled it to capitulate,
but it was restored to the Spaniards the
next year by the treaty of Paris.
Not . Hot Country.
We are accustomed to think of Cuba
as hot country, situated as it is under
the tropics. and the common impression
is correct to the extent that the mean
average temperature Of the year is high
er than in countries farther north, but
the climate is more equable. There are
not those sudden variations that in
many parts of the United States are so
severe on the human constitution. In
Havana, for example, the average tenn
perature of the hottest month is "a de-
grees; Of the coolest, ~. In Santiago de
Cuba, city often mentioned in the war
dispatches. the average of the year is
so; of the hottest month, 81; Of the
coolest, 20. These are high figures, but
not very high for an island lying in
equatorial regions and surrounded by
water that is warm to the hand all the
year round. To stranger from a dry
country feature more Objectionable
than the steady heat is the tremendous
rainfall. The geographical and topo-
graphical situation Of Cuba provides
two seasons emily, the wet and the tYy.
During the latter rains are not frequent,
being atoned for. however. by the
abundance Of the dew, but in the rainy
season Jupiter Pluvius seems to turn
himself loose to excel all previous eff
forts, and from l25 to 14O inches of rain
are not uncommon, there being about
lO2 days when the rain comes down
not in drops, but in sheets, in masses,
in tubfuls at a time, as though the
windows of the heavens were opened
and the foods of the great aerial deep
had broken loose. So abundant is the
rainfall. in fact, that, as recent travel
erremarks. the wonder is that any is
land remains; that the whole is not dis
solved aud carried off into the sea. But
in Cuba no one minds the rain.
Notwithstanding the peculiarities Of
its coast line. Cuba has more than 200
excellent ports. The principal of these
are Havana, Bahia Hondo. Puerto de
Cabanas, Matanzas, Cardenas, Sagua Ia
Grande, La Guanaja, Nuevitas, Mala-
gueta, Manati, Puerto del Padre, Santi-
ago de Cuba, Manzanillo. Canto, Santa