The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-10-12


 portant only as the shipping point of immense quantities of pineapples, ba- | nanss and cocoanuts. At certain sea- 1 sons it's bay is crowded with fast-sail- l ing craft seeking their cargoes; but | there is no hotel in the town, only a | wretched fonda, fit neither for man nor beast, and the average tourist finds the l halliday which the steamers require for 1 discharging and receiving cargo more time than he cares to spend here. The l town is completely surrounded by an abrupt range of hills-part of the Sier-
 "a Nisse chain. Back of them rise the | mountains, In one of which is huge volcanic cavity of great depth and in
 the form of crater, but giving no ev-
 idence of volcanic origin
 If you have time for a little jaunt
 into the country, on horseback or en yolante, you will see many queer things
 in the line of rural life in Cuba. One
 of the funniest sights is that of coun- tryman coming to town on the back of
 COW or ex, perhaps with two or three
 members of his family ranged along
 side, covering the animal from horns to
 tail, one of the party holding aloft a
 huge palm-leaf in lieu of an umbrella
 The roads are often too heavy for
 carts, and the farmer who is not affiu-
 ent enough to own a horse or mule has
 only to go out into the corral and
 throw a sheepskin on the back of the
 first COW he catches, run cord through
 the iron ring already in her nose, and
 the family vehicle is ready
 At Baracoa the connoisseur in canes may indulge his fancy in some odd
 specimens. One variety Is made from
 the skin of the manati, or sea-lion, a strange animal which frequents the coast marshes. These canes, prepared
 in some way known only to the natives, are very tough and strong, though
 transparent and thin as napier. Mounted in native silver they cost here twelve or fifteen dollars each, but in Havana, if you find them at all, they cannot be bought for less than sixty dollars. Another beautiful cane is made in these coast villages from the shells of enormous turtles. The shell is boiled ao a thin liquid and then q strong, straight stick of proper length is dipped into it, much as our grand
  lowed to cool the process is repeated again and again until the required thickness is attained. Then when suf- ficienty hardened the coating is sand papered to fine polish, headed, fer ruled and is ready for market. 1t has the appearance of solid tortoise shell and readily sells for five dollars.
 Twelve hours sailing from Baracoa brings you to Glbara, place of consid- erable consequence, being the port of the interior town of Holguin and con- nected herewith by the old Camino Real, or royal road. The approach to Gibara is extremely picturesque, nu- merous detached mountains rising above low hills and green forest. The bay is open. but partially sheltered from the whitecrested waves that break outside, and off the harbor rise the four tall peaks that Columbus mem tioned in his journal as 'conspicuous Though capacious, the bay is not deep enough to allow ves- sells to come near it's wharVeS; so they anchor some distance out and are load ed by means of lighters. The entrance is guarded by tiny fort, those two or three antiquated guns still keep up a brave show of defiance. As the steam CT stops here whole day, you have ample time to go ashore and see the points of interest. The town presents in a marked degree that desolate, half ruined aspect common to outlying set dement's in Cuba which, since time out of mind have been about equally har rassed by local patriots and noun tain banditti For defense against the latter gentry, high wall has been l built around the land side of Gibara, | but it does not appear to have been | more effective than the toy fort in | front There is a little plaza, fronted | by an antique, two-toWered church, a | fine casino, a theater and several shops, | but the dwellings, are few and shabby | and the citizens look poor and discour- | aged
 The next port of call is Nuevitas, ,465 miles in direct line from Boston, 913 miles from Norfold, 7S0 miles from New Orleans. and only 340 miles from | trance to Nuevitas bay is winding i river. six miles long, between high | bluffs which form a sort of canyon. There is an outer bay named Mayana- oo, formed by a widening of the river and then the bluffs close in again; un- III suddenly the superb inner bay is 'eached-"f "ffty-seven miles in extent, IS beautiful as it is surprising, sur 'ounded by high mountains, stately | 'orests and long, sweeping plains. Co., umbus himself named it Puerto Prin- 'ipe Principal Port and set up a TOSS on neighboring height in token if possession. The first town, found- d by Velazquez in 1513, occupied the present. site of Nuevtas-a sombre- ooking port at the extreme southern md of the immense sheet of water. the Spaniards moved on to he Indian village of Caonao. and later O Camaguay, forty miles inland-the ,lace now called Puerto Principe and apltal of the province of the same Iame. But the original town was never Iuite deserted and at present, under it's nore modern name of San Fernando de Iuevitas, has a population of six thou and. Its sole importance is in beinf he port of entry for Principe, and the lace of shipment for the sugar mo- asses and hides of that district, A rail- vay connects it with the capital and Wo trains day run between.
 Just now the most interesting thing