The San Francisco call., 1898-02-27

After that I did not wonder why the frugal Spaniard or thrifty Yankee got the upper hand in trade.
 Just at present the most feared man to American tourists in Havana IS Dr. Brunner of the Marine Hospital Corps, stationed in Havana for the purpose of issuing health permits, without which no one can land at any of the ports in the States. Dr. Brunner does his duty with strict impartiality; hence his unpopularity in some quarters. It is astonishing how prone we Ameri- cans are to evade laws and chuckle in wardly at the performance. When we cannot we are indignant and begin to protest and splutter about outrages. There was long line of expectant ap- plicants for clean bills of health when I made my application.
 As an act of kindness to those con- templating a visit to Havana it should be stated that every one must be vac cinated. If you go there without this precaution Dr. Brunner will insist upon having it done and will refuse to issue a permit until reasonable length of time has elapsed to note the effect, us ually twelve days. The first applicants were a smart little bride from Charles ton and her husband on their wedding tour They had been vaccinated a month before and they were all right. The next applicant was a drummer, who tried to pass on the strawberry mark in the middle of his back. Re- suit, the wholesale damnation of the Government, vaccination, medical in- spectors and everything in general.
 Are these stringent regulations ne- cessary?" I asked.
 Why, of course they are," replied the doctor T do not meddle with the politics of the situation, but I have made up my mind to one thing and that is that annexation would be the great est blessing to the United States from a sanitary point of view. Within the last century the Southern States have lost more money and people by yellow fever and smallpox epidemics, directly trace able to this port, than the whole nation would lose in five wars. If the United States owned the island the city of Ha- vana would be cleaned out, and made as healthful as any place in the world situated in the tropics"
 This opinion is shared by all the men of any knowledge of modern sani- tary methods with whom I talked. The bay of Havana is pinched by two capes at the mouth, and then expands into a | large basin. The tide does not ebb and | flow sufficiently to carry away the re- fuse matter now dumped into it. AS a result, the whole bay reeks with foul matter; so filthy is the water that Cap | tain Sigsbeee washed the decks of the l ill-fated Maine every morning with water brought from the shore The city itself has only the rudest system of sewers, although the water supply is excellent, and was obtained some years ago at an enormous cost.
 The best troops in the Spanish ser vice do not belong to the line, but tc that admirable corps of military po- lice known as the Orden Publico This 1 is a corps d'elite, composed of young l soldiers, Spaniards to a man, all ot
 whom have been selected from the regular army on account of the superior intelligence and physica qualities. They perform regular DO.
 lice patrol duty and do it with de. gree of dignity and courtesy thai | might well serve as a model for de. pertinent for the Greater New York police force. Their uniform is dis tinctly military, consisting of a darl
 blue tunic faced with red. wide blue trousers with red stripes, and jaunty cap, something after the fashion of the | French fatigue cap. until recentl,