, 1898-11-05

with two yards Of scarlet calico bound
around his loims and the most remarkable
somhrrro ! ever saw on his head.
The negro follows his natural instinct
when properly treated, and is docile, quiet
and easily controlled. The lower classes of
the island of Cuba are tad enough, but they
do not equul the low clnsses of the States.
90 where you Will, u bad American is
worse than amy other type. The latter gave
me CONSIDERABLE" trouble at first by starting
fires in my corn fields and peddling rum and
opium to my negroes and Chinese. | re-
solved to protect myself, even ut the ex-
pense of the officials, aud accordingly
knocked down the first one / caught, and laid
another out as dead, hut, fortunately, both
recovered. The news soon spread through
out thu country that the American grnnde
was a devil, and it was best TO avoid him.
My dwelling was composed of stone and
cement, three feet thick Oh top, bottom and
sides, and built to resist cyclones. In Cuba
there is no occasions to use window glass,
d. fr5s, treplaces or chimneys. The coolest
weather ever known was 90 degrees above
zero, when oil the women and children wont
to bed for thirty-six hours to prevent
freezing to.death, as they SAID.
''When the neighbors meet on he high
road they never take off their hats or retire
TO the shade of a tree 20 talk, for by so
doing they could check the perspiration.
In our homes it is at the risk of health to sit
i'll q breeze or change wearing apparel on
co@ing from ~exertion that has Increased
the usual flow of perspiration.
'@he rainy season commences in June and
ends in November. During this period we
Shave a heavy f&Il'of rain midday for several
hours. The sanitary condition Of coast towns
is wretched. NJ 'Iignant Stenches rise from
offal aud pools OF. stagnant water. Otdina-
rY care given to the streets and lenements
wouad prevent the prevalence of yellow
fever. l have entertained visitors from tho
States at every season of the year, and never
had q case OF fever or malarial disease on
my place, or had occasion to use medical
service in M Immediate family, save in rare
cases, during the twelve years of my resi-
dence here. The same attention given 10
Havana, Matanzas, CardenaS aud other sea-
port towns as was given New Orleans by
Butler would make them as healthy AS
Savannah, Charleston or Mobile.
"TLe streets Of Havana are twenty feet
broad. The sidewalks. twenty to thirty
inches wide. Drainage is in the center Of
the street. If You are q pedestrian, it is
necessary TO dodge continually into door
ways to escape being S~patteIeo by the vilest
filth. One meeting persons coming in an
opposite direction. it is again ne .essary to
jump into d~oorways to allow the other to
pass. Ladies never walk the streets or
descend from their vehicles when shopping,
The goods are passed out to them for in
~sr9ction on trays. On my first visit to
Havana, years ago, with Stephen A. Douglas,
we looked The whole " over for brandy
and whisk y, and, at last, dis overed four
bottles of punch brandy on q high shelf. We
purchased them, and asked the waiter to
serve us eachla glass of it. lie placed before
US glasses containing less than an ounce,
and accompanied by a quart Of moderately
wGm water. Douglas dashed off his por-
ton and held his glass for more. The
waiter looked at him in astoniShment, placed
the cork in the bottle aud replaced our four
bottles on the shelf. He threw down on
the table our money, and very forcibly told
us to get out Of there. Douglas claimed his
life had been saved by Consul General Helm
procuring u demijohn Of w%hiskey from a
foreign vessel, when he had become very i'll
Eyom drinking what he called 'Dago Stops
"a white man can do more labor in Cuba
than he can in any one of our Southern
States. He derives more healthy enjoyment
than u man will find iii any part of our
United States. AS for suffering from debili-
ty, want of food or want of appetite, that
is ali nonsense. There is more pork meat