The times., 1899-02-05
Palals Royal Alhnn and Eleventh Ss Palais Ro,

Cuba there are no such facilities and the
filthy bits OF paper. handled by lepers and
carried about in the rags of the lowest
classes, become so loathsome that one
would rather forego his change" than
touch it. One dollar of our silver will
purchase at least $2.45 of this scrip-often
more, according to the rate of exchange at
the moment. Though based upon nothing,
having been issued unfortunately by
bankrupt government, it answers all the
local necessities Of trade. and is always
used for car-fare and small transactions.
II was ground out OF the paper miil-no-
body knows to exactly what amount-in
FIVE. ten, fifty and twenty-cent ''plas-
ters." One thing is well known-that
every authorized issue of given sum was
enormously exceeded.
The Thrifty HidnIsoes.
Seven years ago an issue of bank bills
of this small currency was intrusted TO an
establishment in the United States-and
S14.00O,080 was printed in addition TO the
authorized amount. All was duly receipted
for and signed by the corrupt Spanish Off
cials, whose the quid nuncs say-divided
the extra millions among themselves. II
Is asserted that the captain general. under
whose administration this financial stroke
was accomplished came to Cuba Il poor
man, and three years later returned TO
Spain with 1900, 900 pesos TO his credit
So thrifty were the proud Hidalgoes who
threw down a dollar when half of il was
due Csomebody elses dollars, and stalked
haughtily away, sneering al the Yankee
pigs" who waited for their changei
The monetary unit OF the Spanish West
Indies is the peso, or silver dollar worth
IN the United States about % cents The
doubloon tgold of the United Statesl is
worth SOL The moneys of old Spain
current in all her colonies are the peseta.
the onza, the media onza the centen
1886, the escuedo, the escudito the me-
dio peso, the real fuerte (silver shilling)
medic fuerte and medic, or sixpence In
reality there are three money standards
in this moneyless country-American
gold, Spanish gold and silver, and some
times the close calculation involved would
puzzle the erudite brains of a "Philadel-
phia lawyer" AS an example of this, an
American now in Havana tells the follow
ing story:
The Americnn's Taie
The other day l went into the Cafe La
Luz 10 treat some of my newly arrived
countrymen. There were four of us, and
each ordered different beverage / threw
down a fiye-dollar American goldpiece in
long with knitted brow over the knotty
problem of change. and then handed me
back Spanish five-dolar goldpiece and
40 cents in silver. This pleased the grouu
so well that treated again, giving back
10 the saloon-keeper the e-dOllar Spanish
piece. This was easier for him to reckon
and my change for the second deal was five
silver dollars and four cents. Though the
price OF drinks is high in Cuba, il would
seem that there Is money 10 be made in
taking them ad libitum, and the more
liquor one buys the more money he gets
To study the thing out, II was this way:
There was 20 per cent premium on Ameri
can gold over Spanish gold, and 20 per
cent on Spanish gold rs compared with
silver. Thus. out OF the original American
five-dollar goldpiece. ] bought eight ex-
pensive drinks and still had FIVE dollars and
Al cents in silver-and discovered after
ward that the barkeeper had swindlel me
out of IL cents exchange"
In the Cuban calendar there are no fewer
than 80 holy days" Sundays included
In which nobody can be legally compelled
10 labor-neither the man-servaut. nor the
naid-servant, nor the OK nor the ass nor
peiforce, the stranger within the gates
With such extraordinary Difference TO the
saints and angels this ought to be the mos,
religious country under the sun; but. un
fortunately. after hasty prayers in the
early morning, the natives employ the re-
malnoer oil their festa-days In bullbaiting,
cockhghting. the lottery, the ball the
Sunday is the great gala day of the week,
distinguished by the added briliiancy OF
every street scene, In the best clothes OF
the populace, boisterous masquerade pro-
cessions, tenfold activity in shops, saloons,