The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-05-03
"A VISIT TO CUBA IN THE FIFTIES,

Mrs. NJ. E. w. Sherwood is a New
England woman who has travelled 4
great deal and writ IS delightful remi-
nicences of famous men and women
she has met, and describes excellently
man. entertaining scenes she has be-
held, and visits she has made He-
book, published not long g called
AN Epistle to Posterity," must be
quite charming if it is as cleverly done
as the series of pap ers she has been
publishing in the Nav York Time s.
Saturday, Review" Her last contribu-
ion is about Cuba in he Fifties."
when she visited it as a young bride
Her description of Havana is quite a
revelation to us. We had no idea that
it was so attractive a city and that
the island was so fertile and beautiful.
Her description are fine and faci-
mating. We will entertain briefly our
readers with a. few extracts altogether
adopted to the pres at exciting times.
When she first gazed upon Havana
from the sea she was entranced
How beautiful that fair city look
ed as 1 reused myself from my
dreams, with the various tinted houses.
with roofs of brilliant tiles, the quaint
old cathedral, the masts OF the ships,
the Notifications all SO new to the I'M
travelled girl that 1 was -hen--"a Wis
ion of What was to Be my life Later
on"
What a magnificent spectacle: AS
the martial music f1Oated out 30 us
from the MORO, the Punta, the Ca
bana, the Casa Blanca-these trumpet
tones, these drums beating, thar SOL
emn thunder of the guns, all made me
tremhble 2s I looked through the forests
of masts at the curious foreign city,
and it seemed to me as if every ship
was heading UP a street. How great
and terrible was the great war frigate
which 1oated the flag, the proud lion
OF isabella, and the arms Of CASTLE
and Aragon. We cast Our anchor in
due time" I'D,
She found the streets very narrow,
mere bitches" The room she occu-
pied at the hotel was high and with
white marble floors, the bill of fare was
simply delicious. Read this:
Gradually all this luxury and this
tropical charm became an everyday
A1l5 O"A =" AA03N I'll So1N
fish, omelettes, rice, plantains. Ola
podrida, and very good stews OF
chicken. Our dinners were delicate alb
stractions Of all that sWims or flies,
with no heavy oas There were cool
marble floors, and walls twenty feet
high, and long windows opening TO the
floor. and pyramids of sreat oranges
and bouquets of red flowers, and no
more privacy than there would have
haap in Paradise"
She went 10 the splendid theatre, the
"Tacon." She writes:
The hole Spanish male popuiace
staTeS always at ladies silently and
pers.stently. When the music ended
a regiment Of black coats rose in tne
pit, turned round and gazed their fill
at tha beautiful circle of women in
full dress, and 1 declare they were vel
worth looking at. 1 admire the Span.
ish woInen and the Spanish men arr
Very fine in full dress"
This might have been embarrassing
to modest women not accustomed Il
the "Gorgon stare" Now for &
glimpse of the other SIDE Of the pic
ture. but first this of a grand dinner
of IAN old Roman" one of b rict
men, a patTlot VINO wrote me poeWy.
She writes:
Well did he hold UP the tradition:
of old Spain. His house was a palace
The dinner was as srand as one which
the queen would give-twenty-fOur sill
yer candelabra were placed annie
flowers down the table. which wa:
loaded With rare china and glass. 4
princely host was Mr.. Albania"
She rode OUT often and saw the baC
as we'll as the good, the ugly As wei
, as the beautiful, the squalor and awfu