The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-02-03

4 feet could be held out OF the bay. The
y castle is re enforced by the long range
of cannon and barracks on the city
side, and the massive fortress OF the
Cubanos crowning the hill behind the
Moro. All these are decorated with
the red and yellow flag of Spain. So
many strong Notifications show how
important the home government re-
CARDS the place.
The harbor Of Havana compares
favorably with the most famous in the
world. Infinitely more picturesque
than New York Bay, it is much live
lier in maritip.e interest than that of
the Golden Gate. The bay is shaped
like human hand outstretched. with
the wrist as the entrance. 1t is popu-
lous with ships from almost every Ma.
tion on earth. The one idea it i'm
presses is that of activity. European
and American mail steamers come and
go daily. Coasting steamers and the
- hats of the regular lines from Mex
and the islands of the Caribbean
he bay. and great ferries ply be.
the docks of the city and the
shores. There is also fleet of
hg boats, yachts gathered from all
the world, row boats, and what
in the seawsy.
the city itself is pleasing or irrita-
lg to the newcomer according to the
frit that may possess him at the time
his arrival. But all travellers agree
pn one point they universally declare
h to be one of the noisiest, liveliest,
Iell- NELL, happy-go-lucky, wide awake,
Humorous, dangerous towns in exist
nee. The great Humboldt said OF it
Is he entered it from the bay that it
WAS the gayest and most picturesque
&sight in all America.
1t is certainly not American, and
yet there is nothing like it in Europe.
It is intensely Clbsn, and type of
itself. In O general view the town
presents churches, cathedrals ana other
structures that force themselves into
prominence against the background of
. less imposing houses. There is moth
ing in this great extent OF public build
ings that strikes one as being specially
valuable from an architectural point
of view. and even if there were its
beauty would be entirely subordina-
ted by colossal prison near the shore,
which was built fer the purpose of
having capacity to lodge with ease
matter of 5000 prisoners at time.
The city is divided into two parts,
called tbs intramural, or old town,
which lies between the bay and the
site of the ancient walls which have
fallen into decay and have been used
for an upbuilding of the new city, and
the extramural town, consisting of the
new city, which lies beyond the site
of the old walls and is more or less
modern in its architecture. The
streets of tho old town are laid ont in
fairly regular order, and are pretty
we'll paved. But these thoroughfares
are narrow in the extreme, with side
walks barely wide enough for one
pedestrian. The streets of the new
city, although laid only in macadam,
I are wider, airier and fringed on either
side with pretty palm trees, giving the
town a garden.llke aspect.
The architecture of tie dwelling
houses is heavy, and this gives them an
appearance of old age which they
really do not deserve. The material
used in their building is the porous
stone which abounds in the island,
and which, when first qusrried, is as
easily worked into blocks as wood, but
which becomes as hard as granite when
exposed to the atmosphere. The
facades of the houses are generally
covered with stucco, painted in all
oolors. Blues, yellows and greens are
used indiscriminately, and the visitor
is at once unpleasantly struck by the
bizzare effect, but soon learns to ap-
preciate the nice manner in which this