HAVANA, _February 10, 1839_.
By the advice of my physicians my second sea voyage was by the ship
Norma, which sailed from the port of New York on the 20th of January.
After a passage of fourteen days, with alternate gales and calms, we
sighted Abaco, and the Hole in the Wall. We crossed the Bahama Banks;
the water was of a bright blue color, with a clay bottom, which was
distinctly seen. The thermometer went up to 72°, so we threw, off our
winter-garments, and put ourselves in summer apparel.
A cheerful sight was the old Moro Castle, at the entrance of the
harbor. It has three hundred guns, and is built upon a rock. Opposite
stands a new fort called the Punta, and three hundred yards from the
Moro Castle is a gigantic work called the Cabana. These defences are
on an immense scale, with heavy rock excavations, and are said to have
cost eighteen millions of dollars. When the bill was presented to the
Court of Madrid, the old King Ferdinand asked if they were made of
silver. The passport system is onerous and rigorous here; but time and
progress will produce a change.
The landing, or shipping-port, is a stout, well-planked wharf, of
great length, sufficient for the landing of cargoes: vessels lie head
on, and discharge and receive over their bows. Our ship anchored in
the stream, and boats took our baggage to the Custom-house. We were
struck by the novel sights on landing. A large number of negroes was
employed in unloading ships, and transporting merchandize, singing the
while their merry sailor songs. Mules with heavy saddles, and small
trucks on two wheels, were waiting for our effects. Huge carts for
heavy goods were drawn by oxen, with rings in their noses, and yokes
resting on their horns. Next comes the Volante, or pleasure carriage,
which is universally adopted, and, although odd-looking at first, it
is extremely comfortable, and is adapted to the climate. Figure to
yourself a pair of wheels from seven to eight feet high, and shafts
eighteen feet long. Upon these shafts a chaise body suspended with
leather-straps. At the extreme end of the shaft the horse or mule, with
his braided tail tied up to a large Mameluke saddle. Upon that saddle
a shiny, black negro, with leather leggings strapped up to his knees;
shoes and spurs, and coat and hat of livery. The hacks, which are
rather rusty, stand about the squares for customers; but the equipages
of the nobility and wealthy citizens are really magnificent, and the
sight of the fair sex, in full dress, on a gala-day when hundreds are
seen on the Paseo, is one of the most pleasing and beautiful to be
found in any country.
I have just witnessed a display of the kind; some three hundred
Volantes were present with a band of music. The vehicles go up on
one side of the Paseo and return by the other, driving through a
paradise of garden. An accident occurred; the lancers on horseback
were instantly on hand to preserve order. The police is numerous and
efficient; the men carry spears, and a lantern in the night. The
military force is large, and belongs to the regular troops from Old
Spain.
The style of building strikes a stranger with surprise as he enters
the city. The houses are generally of stone, one or two stories high,
and are covered with fluted tiles, or flat roofs of cement. Many of
the residences of the wealthy are commodious and magnificent. The
building material is a yellow, calcareous stone, which is easily shaped
by an axe to any form, and being porous it receives cement readily.
The fronts of the houses are painted with gay colors, yellow, pink,
or blue. They have low windows, with iron bars for shutters, and
curtains supply the place of glass, which is yet almost unknown here.
No chimneys are needed, as the cooking is mostly done with earthen
furnaces.
Havana is well supplied with market buildings of a quadrangular form:
the outer structure is for the butchers, and the interior for venders
of fruits and vegetables. The fish-market is tastefully ornamented
with marble and porcelain slab counters, and the various kinds of fish
thereon have all the hues of the rainbow. The fish market is in the
hands of a monopoly, who employ many vessels along the Florida coast
for supplies.
A grand masquerade-charity ball has just taken place at the Tacon
Theatre, outside the city walls, and it is computed that seven thousand
tickets were sold. The great variety of costumes, within and without,
representing all the characters that could be suggested to one’s mind,
the multitude of the dances, and the different strains of music, the
five tiers of boxes of open bronze-work, displaying the rich robes and
dazzling gems of the lady spectators, gave it additional charms.
I have just returned from the plantation of a fellow passenger, and
am much pleased with the rack or gait of my horse, which is peculiar
to the island of Cuba. The road, which was rough, was of calcareous
stone. The shell, which is easily discovered in the rock, can be cut
in any shape; it hardens with age. The house which I visited was
comfortable, and pleasantly situated, with negro-houses among groves
of oranges, citron and lemon trees, and fields of sugar-cane in the
background. The reception was a warm one, for the mistress of the
place, an affectionate old lady, was delighted at the return of her
son; I witnessed her kindness towards her negroes. The Bishop’s Garden
gave me an opportunity of seeing tropical plants and fruits in their
perfection. It seemed neglected, however, while the Tacon Garden is a
splendid affair.