The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-05-21
CUBA AND THE CUBANS.

| Nv So N oGi ihSo
the traveller who approaches Havana
from the sea is the grim outline of the
MORO, or fort, which guards the en-
trance to the harbor The Moro
which is also used as prison, has
stood many siege 10y the French,
Dutch adm British, and captulated to
our countrymen in the year l762, when
the city was occupied by British
troops. According to a spanish az
count of the capture recently publish
cd. the amount of booty which fell to
the vi, tors was tremendous, and the
prize money obtained by the different
members of the expedition ranged in
value from about five pounds, in the
case of a G ,mmon sailor or soldier, to
a sum which we do not remember, but
which ran well into six figures. in the
case of the commanders oi' the land
and sea forces.
Havana is a fine city; for, though it
does not contain many striking build
ings. says a contemporary, there is an
air of luxury and well-being about it
that suggests ''flush time and there
is propably no part of the Spanish do
minions where money is more plenti-
full in time OF peace. 1t is-or was un-
til recently-the greatest market in
the world forat least two great staples, |
sugar and tobacco. Tie fame of Hav-
ana tobacco Is such that the prices OIL
tanned for it are out of all proportion
to the labor involved in its cultivation
and manufacture, and enable the for
tunate Cubans, ina sense, to levy Il tax
on the worlds commerce, Tobacco |
factories are numerous, and skilled |
workmen well paid; while soldiers and |
others who have plenty OF spare time |
realize considerable amount of pock-
ct money by the manufacture Of Gig
arettes, which they prepare in small
packets, these in their turn being ar
ranged in large bundles, called from
their shape wheels" and sold to the
tobacco factories.
In many buildings the doorkeeper may
be observed ut work making cigarettes
for sale. He has table before him on
which lies a large pile of tobacco,
which he rolls into square slips of rice
paper with Il deNterity acquired by
long practice. On one of his fingers
he wears small metal cap like Thin
BILE, which is used to thrust into the
ends Of the enwrapping paper, for this
is the manner in which they are gen
orally sold locally.
Havana was formcrly walled city,
and, though the walls have long since
been destroyed, traces of
them now remaining,-it is still the
custom to ref.r to the city "withn''
and without" the walls(en,re muros
and ertra muros) The portion within
the walls comprise tt e old city, with
its narrow streets, which is still the
business quarter, though fine new
streets and boulcvards mark the new
er portion of the city. One Of the
principal streets is the Gale O'Reilly.
SO named after former captain genel-
al. 1t may | e noted that the Irish
names are not uncommon in the re-
cords of the Spanish army, and bear
witness to the str,n Hill nj emf
grafton which took p ace several cen
turies ago, especially during he time
of Cromwell
The people Of Havana are pleasure
loving and fond OF luxury. There are
several theatres, in which good CON-
panies perform, the most notable Icing
the Tacon. This theatre, which
was until recently the largest in the
western hemisphere, was built by con-
vict labor. Externally it has no archi-
is commodious and luxuriouslv APP
appointed, the stalls and boxes rise
in five tiers one above the other. Be
tween the acts the audience will come
out and promenade along the adjacent
gayly lighted and filled by we'll
dressed and well-mannercd crowd.
On some nights the band plays in
the centre OF the square opposite the
Tacon Theatre, and here fashionable |
society will assemble in the cool Of
the evening to meet and converse,
promenading in evening dress under |
the leafy elues, or sitti G in the |
chairs which are provided for the pub
lie and rented for small amount
In the southern part Of the island 4
| large amount OF tiruit-principally ban
anas-is grown for export to tie |
| United States. The port of Baracoa ,
ships a considerable quantity of red
bananas. All the tropical fruits are
abundant; oranges, mangoes, guavas,
pine-apples, sour-sops and many other
One which deserves special mention is !
the avocado, or aligado, or alligator !;
pear, so called from its shape, though i
it is not a pear at all, but an entirely /
different fruit. 1t is six to eight inches +
in length, and contains stone about
an inch in diameter enclosed in rich |
yellow pulp. In the West Indies.
where butter is dear and bad, this pulp
| is sometimes used as a substitute: and |