The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1897-02-05
NEIGHBORS TO CUBA.
FLORIDA, THE BAHAMAS, JAMAICA
AND YUCATAN.
The Struggling Patriots Find Little SYM
pathy Among the Islands Near Cuba.
In the Sea-"
Especial Correspondence. !

| Especial Correspondence.
| FALMOUTH, Jamaica, Jan. 16.-Drop
\ plumb line due south from the prom
ontory of Cabo Cruz Cuba, and it
will strike the harbor of this most beau
tiful Of towns, on the north coast Of
Jamaica. The whole southern coast of
| Cuba lies open to the north of Jamaica,
indenting which are such fine harbors
as Port Antonio, Falmouth and Montego
bay. The first is the shipping port of the
Boston Fruit company, which has revo-
lutionized the agriculture of Jamaica
and made possible the building up Of
| great fortunes in banana culture. The
latter, Montego, is now the terminus of
the inland railway from Kingston, the
capital, and, with it's glorious harbor
and surrounding lands adapted to fruit
and coffee growing, promises great
things for the future.
The Pearl of the Antilles is almost
contiguous to five bodies of land and
groups of islands, in which are spoken
three different languages Directly
north is Florida, with Key West distant
some 80 miles; north and northeast are
the Bahamas, all English speaking;
south of east is Haiti, where, though
the inhabitants are mostly blacks,
French is the dialect spoken; south 70
miles lies Jamaica, English, and west
of Cape Antonio lies Yucatan, 100 miles,
where, as in Cuba, Spanish is the Ian
guage now of the people there.
Cuba is isolated among its neighbors,
not only owing to its foreign ownership,
but to the archaic customs and fifteenth
century ideas of its oppressors. Only in
Haiti, that fragment of African barbar-
ism, are the roads in worse condition
and the public welfare less an object of
solicitude. The United States and Ja-
maica offer the only asylums for the
Cuban refugees and those deprived of
their homes and properties through
Spanish tyranny. The Bahamas are so
poor that they can hardly support the
miserable population that clings to their
scantily covered coral rocks, but in ia
maica the hot blooded Cuban finds soil
and climate exactly suited to his needs.
There has already begun a hegira from
the southern parts of Cuba, which
promises to swell to great proportions if
the rebellion continues another year, as
seems most likely.
One would think that the struggling
patriots of Cuba might find ardent SYM
pathizers among the islands around it.
But such is not the case. This island,
for instance, is so thoroughly English
and so entirely in the group of British
commercial peoples that there is actual
ly no sentiment favorable to the patriot
cause. Those who come here are well
coined in way because the residents
see new industry possible through
their presence.
This island has grown tobacco for
many years and has produced q fairly
good brand of cigars. But the art Of
properly curing the tobacco has never
been acquired. Now that Weyler, the
butcher, has actually invaded the Pinar
del Rio province of Cuba and destroyed
the resources of that great tobacco rails
ing district its population, skilled in the
raising and preparation of the weed,
are fiocking to this haven for the op-
pressed. They are bringing with them
seed and methods Of curing the ''co-
hiba''-as the tobacco plant is called
and it will not be long before you of the
United States will be receiving fragrant
Havanas from Jamaica. We had the
soil; we had the tropical climate. Now
we have the industrious ''fabricators'
themselves. Look out in the very near
future for "Reinas de Xaymaca,"
"Conchas de Sir Henry Blake" (the
governor) and "Damas de In Victoria"
AS you know, the smokers of the
United States consume some 200, 900, 900
so called Havanas, while we who have
been through the island know that not
over so, 900, 900 real Havanas are ex-
ported to the States. At least 20 times
that number are used there, or about
1000, 900, 900 cigars So it appears that
somebody smokes something different
from the exported article. In fact, it is
extremely difficult and always was to
find good Havana cigar i'll the Cuban
capital itself, the best of them going to
London and to the European courts.
Our millionaires sometimes get few,
but most Of them are absorbed by his
royal highness "Tum Tum" and his ilk.
In this matter of the refuent wave of
immigrants from Cuba it is only history
repeating itself, for this island was once
Spanish possession and was wrested
from the dons by no less parsonage
than the bold protector, Oliver Crom-
well, or rather by his admiral, Penn,
about the middle of the seventeenth Gen.
fury. You will find here many remind |
ers of that Spanish epoch of possession
in such names as Spanish Town, near |
Kingston; Santa Gloria and Puerto |
Bueno.
In the year 1903, having cruised along
the Honduras and Cuban coasts, Column |
bus was driven by dreadful hurricane |
full upon the same north coast Of ia
maica. His ships were in almost sink
ing condition, and so, making the best |
of bad adventure, he drove them |
ashore, where the water soon filed |
them to the tops Of their decks. That |
was before the time of Great Easterns
and 10, 200 ton ships, and his little cara