The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-06-27

and much bestuccoed facades resem-
bling carved marble. They differ from
those in Havana in not having any oil
vided walls between the rooms, only
the kitchen and sleeping apartments
being partitioned to the ceiling. The
rest are series of open arches-vast,
high ceiling expanses, affording Tree
circulation of air, and magnificent per-
spectives of marble floors, rich frescoes,
mirrored panels and tasteful furnish
ings. One of the finest houses in the
town, if not in the whole island, IS
owned by an American citizen, Mr.. Ba-
ker by name, but here rendered Senior
Bah-quare. Perhaps the handsomest
country home in the valley is owned by
Mr.. Stillwell, New Highlander, who
has large plantation and lives like a
prince. The war has not yet affected
this part of Cuba to any appreciate
extent, and when l visited the place a
few weeks ago things were going on
just as usual. Nothing short of Shat
ter's and SIMPSONS guns can wake the
Trinidadians up to a realizing sense of
the true situation. They talk in
sleepy way of political troubles in the
island,' but as of something which does
not concern them in their AGA ilan re-
treat. The nearest approach to life and
gaiety in Trinidad is seen on Sunday
and Thursday evenings, when the re
treta" takes place in the plaza Garlic.
The big square in the center OF the
town, opposite the governors residence,
is beautiful place and differs in some
respects from any others I have seen.
In the middle is a large, dome-like ar
Dor, from which stone walks raliate,
bordered by flower-beds and shaded by
ornamental shrubbery. Around the
outskirts of the park extends broad
stone "Paseo" or promenade, separated
from the main garden by a fancltul
iron railing, and from the street by a
low stone coping. A profusion OF gas
lamps affords brilliant illumination and
has beautiful effect at night amid the
dense green foliage.
The Campo del Matre is another fine
large plaza at the southeast end of the
town, with barracks and drill grounds
for the garrison. But the most at
tractive resort of the place is what is
known as the Vijia-"Watch Tower, =
a point on the adjacent mountain,
which may be easily reached on horse
back or even in a volante For those
who are good climbers, it is the fash
ionable thing to go up before breakfast.
There is a rustic road winding under
pines and palms, past straw thatched
huts, the military hospital and the
"Ermita de la Pota," and he who has
not seen the sun rise above the incom-
parable vale of Trinidad and illumine
the heights around it, or sink among
the green Gays of the western ocean has
lived almost in vain. Speaking of
American capitalists in this region;
time wasand time will be again-when
a well located sugar estate in Cuba
was considered as safe and valuable an
investment as one could possibly have.
OF course the war has greatly depricia-
ted values, but when it is over things
will be booming in "the ever faithful
isle" as never before. Everybody
knows how, during our civil war, sugar
attained a phenomenal price in the
United States, the best grades reaching
twenty cents the pound. This circum-
stance induced William III. Stewart, the
New York millionaire, to purchase the
magnificent estate called La Carroll
ma in Metanzas province. It's annual
yield was about eight million pounds of
fine white sugar. He paid eight hum
dred thousand dollars in gold for the
property and for years it returned to
him at least one hundred percentum on
the original investment. In 62 Mr.
Moses Taylor, another very rich and in
AL n
large importer of Cuban sugar, pur-
chased a half interest in the famous
San MARITIME" plantation. 1t was just
the size of the District of Columbia &c
miles square,, and was superbly
equipped having a fine old castellatad
mansion of stone for a family residence
What Mr.. Taylor paid for his half was
never known, but for years the CROP
was simply marvellous, reaching for one
season 13,965,0 900 pounds. 1t was said al
the time that Taylor received back his
purchase money in less than two years
The great firm of Ojeiro, Warburg &
Co., of New York is heavy owner OF
sugar property in Santa Clara province
The Welshes, sugar refiners of Phila-
delphia, are also owners of large Cuban
estates.
1t will be remembered that when
President Grant named the eldest OF
the Welsh brothers to be minister tc
England, his confirmation was strongly
objected to by faction in the senate
on the ground that he was the owner OF
slave-worked estates and profited by
their labor. Just after our war Mr.
James Mediation, of East Baton, Rouge
parish, La, went to Cuba in search OF
buy He found it near Metanzas-twc
thousand acres of the light colored soil
which in Cuba is called 'Mulatto land
and which had been worked so lone
solely in sugar cane that it would yield
less than half crop. At the upper
end of the estate Mr.. Mediation found
series of deep caves, which if ever
discovered before, had been entirely
forgotten; and these made his fortune
For ages millions of bats had made this
their haunt, and time and natures
chemistry had converted their drop
pings into the best fertilizer for worn
out sugar and tobacco lands yet known
Within three years the Mediation place
was turning out eight thousand pounds
of sugar to the acre, and the shrewG
Louisianian found another great for.
tune in his bat guano. The Bishop
family of New Haven, Conn, were, anG
prabably are to-day, the owners OF
some extremely valuable sugar estates
near Remedies, about two hundred
miles from Havana, which has enriched
three generations of heirs and owners