History of Cuba; or, Notes of a Traveller in the Tropics
by Maturin M. Ballou · English · Gutenberg #32812 · 379,955 chars · public domain (US)
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Title: History of Cuba; or, Notes of a Traveller in the Tropics
Author: Maturin M. Ballou
Release date: June 14, 2010 [eBook #32812]
Language: English
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[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO THE HARBOR OF HAVANA.]
SIXTH THOUSAND.
HISTORY OF CUBA;
OR,
Notes of a Traveller in the Tropics.
BEING A
POLITICAL, HISTORICAL, AND STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF THE
ISLAND, FROM ITS FIRST DISCOVERY TO THE
PRESENT TIME.
BY
MATURIN M. BALLOU.
L'ILE DE CUBA SEULE POURRAIT VALOIR UN ROYAUME.
_L'Abbé Raynal._
ILLUSTRATED.
BOSTON:
PHILLIPS, SAMPSON AND COMPANY.
NEW YORK: J.C. DERBY.
PHILADELPHIA: LIPPINCOTT, GRAMBO & COMPANY.
1854.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, by
PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO.,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of
Massachusetts.
Stereotyped by
HOBART & ROBBINS,
New England Type and Stereotype Foundery
BOSTON.
TO
His Friend,
FRANCIS A. DURIVAGE, ESQ.,
As a small Token of Regard for
HIS EXCELLENCE IN THOSE QUALITIES WHICH CONSTITUTE STERLING MANHOOD;
AS A TRUE AND WORTHY FRIEND; AS A RIPE SCHOLAR, AND A GRACEFUL AUTHOR,
This Volume
IS
CORDIALLY DEDICATED
BY
THE AUTHOR
PREFACE.
The remarkable degree of interest expressed on all sides, at the present
time, relative to the island of Cuba, has led the author of the
following pages to place together in this form a series of notes from
his journal, kept during a brief residence upon the island. To these he
has prefixed a historical glance at the political story of Cuba, that
may not be unworthy of preservation. The fact that the subject-matter
was penned in the hurry of observation upon the spot, and that it is
thus a simple record of what would be most likely to engage and interest
a stranger, is his excuse for the desultory character of the work. So
critically is the island now situated, in a political point of view,
that ere this book shall have passed through an edition, it may be no
longer a dependency of Spain, or may have become the theatre of scenes
to which its former convulsions shall bear no parallel.
In preparing the volume for the press, the author has felt the want of
books of reference, bearing a late date. Indeed, there are none; and the
only very modern records are those written in the desultory manner of
hurried travellers. To the admirable work of the learned Ramon de la
Sagra,--a monument of industry and intelligence,--the author of the
following pages has been indebted for historical suggestions and data.
For the privilege of consulting this, and other Spanish books and
pamphlets, relative to the interests and history of the island, the
author is indebted to the Hon. Edward Everett, who kindly placed them at
his disposal. Where statistics were concerned, the several authorities
have been carefully collated, and the most responsible given. The writer
has preferred to offer the fresh memories of a pleasant trip to the
tropics, to attempting a labored volume abounding in figures and
statistics; and trusts that this summer book of a summer clime may float
lightly upon the sea of public favor.
M.M.B.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
The Island of Cuba--Early colonists--Island aborigines--First
importation of slaves--Cortez and his followers--Aztecs--The law of
races--Mexican aborigines--Valley of Mexico--Pizarro--The end of
heroes--Retributive justice--Decadence of Spanish power--History of
Cuba--The rovers of the gulf--Havana fortified--The tyrant
Velasquez--Office of Captain-general--Loyalty of the Cubans--Power of
the captain-general--Cupidity of the government--The slave-trade--The
British take Havana--General Don Luis de las Casas--Don Francisco de
Arranjo--Improvement, moral and physical, of Cuba, 9
CHAPTER II.
The constitution of 1812--Revolution of La Granja--Political aspect of
the island--Discontent among the Cubans--The example before them--Simon
Bolivar, the Liberator--Revolutions of 1823 and 1826--General
Lorenzo and the constitution--The assumption of extraordinary power
by Tacon--Civil war threatened--Tacon sustained by royal
authority--Despair of the Cubans--Military rule--A foreign press
established--Programme of the liberal party--General O'Donnell--The
spoils--Influence of the climate, 25
CHAPTER III.
Armed intervention--Conspiracy of Cienfuegos and Trinidad--General
Narciso Lopez--The author's views on the subject--Inducements to
revolt--Enormous taxation--Scheme of the patriots--Lopez's first
landing, in 1850--Taking of Cardinas--Return of the invaders--Effect
upon the Cuban authorities--Roncali recalled--New
captain-general--Lopez's second expedition--Condition of the
Invaders--Vicissitudes--Col. Crittenden--Battle of Las
Pozas--Superiority of courage--Battle of Las Frias--Death of Gen.
Enna--The fearful finale of the expedition, 38
CHAPTER IV.
Present condition of Cuba--Secret treaty with France and
England--British plan for the Africanization of the island--Sale
of Cuba--Measures of General Pezuela--Registration of
slaves--Intermarriage of blacks and whites--Contradictory
proclamations--Spanish duplicity--A Creole's view of the crisis and
the prospect, 54
CHAPTER V.
Geographical position of the island--Its size--The climate--Advice to
invalids--Glance at the principal cities--Matanzas--Puerto
Principe--Santiago de Cuba--Trinidad--The writer's first view of
Havana--Importance of the capital--Its literary
institutions--Restriction on Cuban youths and education--Glance at the
city streets--Style of architecture--Domestic arrangements of town
houses--A word about Cuban ladies--Small feet--Grace of manners and
general characteristics, 66
CHAPTER VI.
Contrast between Protestant and Catholic communities--Catholic
churches--Sabbath scenes in Havana--Devotion of the common people--The
Plaza de Armas--City squares--The poor man's opera--Influence of
music--La Dominica--The Tacon Paseo--The Tacon Theatre--The
Cathedral--Tomb of Columbus over the altar--Story of the great Genoese
pilot--His death--Removal of remains--The former great wealth of the
church in Cuba--Influence of the priests, 80
CHAPTER VII.
Nudity of children and slaves--The street of the merchants--The
currency of Cuba--The Spanish army in the island--Enrolment of
blacks--Courage of Spanish troops--Treatment by the government--The
garrote--A military execution--The market-men and their wares--The
milk-man and his mode of supply--Glass windows--Curtains for
doors--The Campo Santo, or burial-place of Havana--Treatment of the
dead--The prison--The fish-market of the capital, 95
CHAPTER VIII.
The story of Marti, the smuggler, 108
CHAPTER IX.
The lottery at Havana--Hospitality of the Spaniards--Flattery--Cuban
ladies--Castilian, Parisian and American politeness--The bonnet in
Cuba--Ladies' dresses--The fan--Jewelry and its wear--Culture of
flowers--Reflections--A most peculiar narcotic--Cost of living on the
island--Guines--The cock-pit--Training of the birds--The garden of the
world--Birds of the tropics--Condition of agriculture--Night-time--The
Southern Cross--Natural resources of Cuba--Her wrongs and oppressions,
116
CHAPTER X.
The volante and its belongings--The ancient town of Regla--The arena
for the bull-fights at Havana--A bull-fight as witnessed by the author
at Regla--A national passion with the Spanish people--Compared with old
Roman sports--Famous bull-fighters--Personal description of Cuban
ladies--Description of the men--Romance and the tropics--The nobility
of Cuba--Sugar noblemen--The grades of society--The yeomanry of the
island--Their social position--What they might be--Love of gambling,
131
CHAPTER XI.
A sugar plantation--Americans employed--Slaves on the plantations--A
coffee plantation--Culture of coffee, sugar and tobacco--Statistics of
agriculture--The cucullos, or Cuban fire-fly--Novel ornaments worn by
the ladies--The Cuban mode of harnessing oxen--The montero and his
horse--Curious style of out-door painting--Petty annoyances to
travellers--Jealousy of the authorities--Japan-like
watchfulness--Questionable policy--Political condition of Cuba, 145
CHAPTER XII.
Tacon's summary mode of justice, 161
CHAPTER XIII.
Consumption of tobacco--The universal cigar--Lady smokers--The fruits
of Cuba--Flour a prohibited article--The royal palm--West Indian
trees--Snakes, animals, etc.--The Cuban blood-hound--Mode of training
him--Remarkable instinct--Importation of slaves--Their cost--Various
African tribes--Superstitious belief--Tattooing--Health of the
negroes--Slave laws of the island--Food of the negroes--Spanish law of
emancipation--General treatment of the slaves, 171
CHAPTER XIV.
Pecuniary value of the slave-trade to Havana--The slave clippers--First
introduction of slaves into Cuba--Monopoly of the traffic by
England--Spain's disregard of treaty stipulations--Spanish
perfidy--Present condition of Spain--Her decadence--Influence upon her
American possessions--Slaves upon the plantations--The soil of
Cuba--Mineral wealth of the island--The present condition of the
people--The influences of American progress--What Cuba might be, 186
CHAPTER XV.
Area of Cuba--Extent of cultivated and uncultivated
lands--Population--Proportion between the sexes--Ratio of
legitimate to illegitimate births--Ratio between births and
deaths--Agricultural statistics--Commerce and commercial
regulations--Custom-house and port charges--Exports and imports--Trade
with the United States--Universities and schools--Education--Charitable
institutions--Railroads--Temperature,
201
CHAPTER XVI.
Retrospective thoughts--The bright side and dark side of the
picture--Cuban institutions contrasted with our own--Political
sentiments of the Creoles--War footing--Loyalty of the colony--Native
men of genius--The Cubans not willing slaves--Our own
revolution--Apostles of rebellion--Moral of the Lopez
expedition--Jealousy of Spain--Honorable position of our
government--Spanish aggressions on our flag--Purchase of the
island--Distinguished conservative opinion--The end. 214
THE HISTORY OF CUBA.
CHAPTER I.
The Island of Cuba--Early colonists--Island aborigines--First
importation of slaves--Cortez and his followers--Aztecs--The law of
races--Mexican aborigines--Valley of Mexico--Pizarro--The end of
heroes--Retributive justice--Decadence of Spanish power--History of
Cuba--The rovers of the Gulf--Havana fortified--The tyrant
Velasquez--Office of captain-general--Loyalty of the Cubans--Power
of the captain-general--Cupidity of the government--The
slave-trade--The British take Havana--General Don Luis de las
Casas--Don Francisco de Arranjo--Improvement, moral and physical, of
Cuba.
The island of Cuba, one of the earliest discoveries of the great
admiral, has been known to Europe since 1492, and has borne,
successively, the names of Juana,[1] Fernandina, Santiago and Ave Maria,
having found refuge at last in the aboriginal appellation. Soon after
its discovery by Columbus, it was colonized by Spaniards from St.
Domingo, but was considered mainly in the light of a military depôt, by
the home government, in its famous operations at that period in Mexico.
The fact that it was destined to prove the richest jewel in the
Castilian crown, and a mine of wealth to the Spanish treasury, was not
dreamed of at this stage of its history. Even the enthusiastic followers
of Cortez, who sought that fabulous El Dorado of the New World, had no
golden promise to hold forth for this gem of the Caribbean Sea.
The Spanish colonists from St. Domingo found the island inhabited by a
most peculiar native race, hospitable, inoffensive, timid, fond of the
dance and the rude music of their own people, yet naturally indolent and
lazy, from the character of the climate they inhabited. They had some
definite idea of God and heaven; and were governed by patriarchs, or
kings, whose word was law, and whose age gave them precedence. They had
few weapons of offence or defence, and knew not the use of the bow and
arrow. Of course, they were at once subjected by the new comers, who
reduced them to a state of slavery; and, proving hard taskmasters, the
poor, over-worked natives died in scores, until they had nearly
disappeared, when the home government granted permission to import a
cargo of negroes from the coast of Africa to labor upon the ground, and
to seek for gold, which was thought to exist in the river-courses.[2]
Thus early commenced the slave-trade of Cuba, a subject to which we
shall have occasion more fully to refer.
Cuba became the head-quarters of the Spanish power in the west, forming
the point of departure for those military expeditions which, though
inconsiderable in numbers, were so formidable in the energy of the
leaders, and in the arms, discipline, courage, ferocity, fanaticism and
avarice, of their followers, that they were amply adequate to carry out
the vast schemes of conquest for which they were designed. It was hence
that Cortez marched to the conquest of Mexico,--a gigantic
undertaking--one a slight glance at which will recall to the reader the
period of history to which we would direct his attention. Landing upon
the continent, with a little band, scarcely more than half the
complement of a modern regiment, he prepared to traverse an unknown
country, thronged by savage tribes, with whose character, habits and
means of defence, he was wholly unacquainted. This romantic adventure,
worthy of the palmiest days of chivalry, was crowned with success,
though checkered with various fortune, and stained with bloody episodes,
that prove how the threads of courage and ferocity are inseparably
blended in the woof and warp of Spanish character. It must be
remembered, however, that the spirit of the age was harsh, relentless
and intolerant; and, that if the Aztecs, idolaters and sacrificers of
human victims, found no mercy at the hands of the fierce Catholics whom
Cortez commanded, neither did the Indians of our own section of the
continent fare much better at the hands of men professing a purer faith,
and coming to these shores, not as warriors, with the avowed purpose of
conquest, but themselves persecuted fugitives.
As the first words that greeted the ears of the Plymouth colonists were
"Welcome, Englishmen!" uttered by a poor native, who had learned them
from the fishermen off the northern coast, so were the Spaniards at
first kindly welcomed by the aborigines they encountered in the New
World. Yet, in the north-east and south-west the result was the same: it
mattered little whether the stranger was Roman Catholic or Protestant;
whether he came clad in steel, or robed in the garments of peace;
whether he spoke the harsh English, the soft French, or the rich
Castilian tongue. The inexorable laws which govern races were rigidly
enforced; the same drama was everywhere enacted, the white race enjoying
a speedy triumph. There were episodical struggles, fierce and furious,
but unavailing; here Guatimozin, there Philip of Pokanoket--here a
battle, there a massacre.
The Spanish general encountered a people who had attained a far higher
point of art and civilization than their red brethren of the north-east
part of the continent. Vast pyramids, imposing sculptures, curious arms,
fanciful garments, various kinds of manufactures, the relics of which
still strangely interest the student of the past, filled the invaders
with surprise. There was much that was curious and startling in their
mythology, and the capital of the Mexican empire presented a singular
and fascinating spectacle to the eyes of Cortez. The rocky amphitheatre
in the midst of which it was built still remains unchanged, but the vast
lake which surrounded it, traversed by causeways, and covered with
floating gardens, laden with flowers and perfume, is gone. The star of
the Aztec dynasty set in blood. In vain did the inhabitants of the
conquered city, roused to madness by the cruelty and extortion of the
victors, expel them from their midst. Cortez refused to flee further
than the shore; the light of his burning galleys rekindled the desperate
valor of his followers, and Mexico fell, as a few years after did Peru
under the perfidy and sword of Pizarro, thus completing the scheme of
conquest, and giving Spain a colonial empire more splendid than that of
any other power in Christendom.
Of the agents in this vast scheme of territorial aggrandizement, we see
Cortez dying in obscurity, and Pizarro assassinated in his palace, while
retributive justice has overtaken the monarchy at whose behests the
richest portions of the western continent were violently wrested from
their native possessors. If "the wild and warlike, the indolent and the
semi-civilized, the bloody Aztec, the inoffensive Peruvian, the fierce
Araucanian, all fared alike" at the hands of Spain, it must be confessed
that their wrongs have been signally avenged. "The horrid atrocities
practised at home and abroad," says Edward Everett, "not only in the
Netherlands, but in every city of the northern country, cried to Heaven
for vengeance upon Spain; nor could she escape it. She intrenched
herself behind the eternal Cordilleras; she took to herself the wings of
the morning, and dwelt in the uttermost parts of the sea; but even there
the arm of retribution laid hold of her, and the wrongs of both
hemispheres were avenged by her degeneracy and fall."
So rapid a fall is almost without a parallel in the history of the
world. Less than three centuries from the time when she stood without a
rival in the extent and wealth of her colonial possessions, she beheld
herself stripped, one by one, of the rich exotic jewels of her crown.
Her vice-regal coronet was torn from her grasp. Mexico revolted; the
South American provinces threw off her yoke; and now, though she still
clutches with febrile grasp the brightest gem of her transatlantic
possessions, the island of Cuba, yet it is evident that she cannot long
retain its ownership. The "ever-faithful" island has exhibited
unmistakable symptoms of infidelity, its demonstrations of loyalty being
confined to the government officials and the hireling soldiery. The time
will surely come when the last act of the great drama of historical
retribution will be consummated, and when, in spite of the threatening
batteries of the Moro and the Punta, and the bayonets of Spanish
legions, _siempre fiel_ will no longer be the motto of the Queen of the
Antilles.
The history of Cuba is deficient in events of a stirring character, and
yet not devoid of interest. Columbus found it inhabited, as we have
already remarked, by a race whose manners and character assimilated with
the mild climate of this terrestrial paradise. Although the Spanish
conquerors have left us but few details respecting these aborigines, yet
we know with certainty, from the narratives of the great discoverer and
his followers, that they were docile and generous, but, at the same
time, inclined to ease; that they were well-formed, grave, and far from
possessing the vivacity of the natives of the south of Europe. They
expressed themselves with a certain modesty and respect, and were
hospitable to the last degree. Their labor was limited to the light work
necessary to provide for the wants of life, while the bounteous climate
of the tropics spared the necessity of clothing. They preferred hunting
and fishing to agriculture; and beans and maize, with the fruits that
nature gave them in abundance, rendered their diet at once simple and
nutritious. They possessed no quadrupeds of any description, except a
race of voiceless dogs, of whose existence we have no proof but the
assertion of the discoverers.
The island was politically divided into nine provinces, namely, Baracoa,
Bayaguitizi, Macaca, Bayamo, Camaguey, Jagua, Cueyba, Habana and
Haniguanica. At the head of each was a governor, or king, of whose laws
we have no record, or even tradition. An unbroken peace reigned among
them, nor did they turn their hands against any other people. Their
priests, called _Behiques_, were fanatics, superstitious to the last
degree, and kept the people in fear by gross extravagances. They were
not cannibals, nor did they employ human sacrifices, and are represented
as distinguished by a readiness to receive the Gospel.
The capital of the island was Baracoa,[3] erected into a city and
bishopric in 1518, but both were transferred to Santiago de Cuba in
1522. In the year 1538, the city of Havana was surprised by a French
corsair and reduced to ashes. The French and English buccaneers of the
West Indies, whose hatred the Spaniards early incurred, were for a long
time their terror and their scourge. Enamored of the wild life they led,
unshackled by any laws but the rude regulations they themselves adopted,
unrefined by intercourse with the gentler sex, consumed by a thirst for
adventure, and brave to ferocity, these fierce rovers, for many years,
were the actual masters of the gulf. They feared no enemy, and spared
none; their vessels, constantly on the watch for booty, were ever ready,
on the appearance of a galleon, to swoop down like an eagle on its prey.
The romance of the sea owes some of its most thrilling chapters to the
fearful exploits of these buccaneers. Their _coup de main_ on Havana
attracted the attention of De Soto, the governor of the island, to the
position and advantages of the port at which the Spanish vessels bound
for the peninsula with the riches of New Mexico were accustomed to
touch, and he accordingly commenced to fortify it. It increased in
population by degrees, and became the habitual gubernatorial residence,
until the home government made it the capital of the island in 1589, on
the appointment of the first Captain-general, Juan de Tejada.
The native population soon dwindled away under the severe sway of the
Spaniards, who imposed upon them tasks repugnant to their habits, and
too great for their strength.
Velasquez, one of the earliest governors of the island, appears to have
been an energetic and efficient magistrate, and to have administered
affairs with vigor and intelligence; but his harsh treatment of the
aborigines will ever remain a stain upon his memory. A native chief,
whose only crime was that of taking up arms in defence of the integrity
of his little territory, fell into the hands of Velasquez, and was
burned alive, as a punishment for his patriotism.[4] It is no wonder
that under such treatment the native population disappeared so rapidly
that the Spaniards were forced to supply their places by laborers of
hardier character.
We have seen that the office of captain-general was established in 1589,
and, with a succession of incumbents, the office has been maintained
until the present day, retaining the same functions and the same
extraordinary powers. The object of the Spanish government is, and ever
has been, to derive as much revenue as possible from the island; and the
exactions imposed upon the inhabitants have increased in proportion as
other colonies of Spain, in the western world, have revolted and
obtained their independence. The imposition of heavier burthens than
those imposed upon any other people in the world has been the reward of
the proverbial loyalty of the Cubans; while the epithet of
"ever-faithful," bestowed by the crown, has been their only recompense
for their steady devotion to the throne. But for many years this lauded
loyalty has existed only in appearance, while discontent has been
fermenting deeply beneath the surface.
The Cubans owe all the blessings they enjoy to Providence alone (so to
speak), while the evils which they suffer are directly referable to the
oppression of the home government. Nothing short of a military despotism
could maintain the connection of such an island with a mother country
more than three thousand miles distant; and accordingly we find the
captain-general of Cuba invested with unlimited power. He is, in fact, a
viceroy appointed by the crown of Spain, and accountable only to the
reigning sovereign for his administration of the colony. His rule is
absolute; he has the power of life and death and liberty in his hands.
He can, by his arbitrary will, send into exile any person whatever, be
his name or rank what it may, whose residence in the island he considers
prejudicial to the royal interest, even if he has committed no overt
act. He can suspend the operation of the laws and ordinances, if he sees
fit to do so; can destroy or confiscate property; and, in short, the
island may be said to be perpetually in a state of siege.
Such is the infirmity of human nature that few individuals can be
trusted with despotic power without abusing it; and accordingly we find
very few captain-generals whose administration will bear the test of
rigid examination. Few men who have governed Cuba have consulted the
true interests of the Creoles; in fact, they are not appointed for that
purpose, but merely to look after the crown revenue. An office of such
magnitude is, of course, a brilliant prize, for which the grandees of
Spain are constantly struggling; and the means by which an aspirant is
most likely to secure the appointment presupposes a character of an
inferior order. The captain-general knows that he cannot reckon on a
long term of office, and hence he takes no pains to study the interests
or gain the good-will of the Cubans. He has a two-fold object in
view,--to keep the revenue well up to the mark, and to enrich himself as
speedily as possible. Hence, the solemn obligations entered into by
Spain with the other powers for the suppression of the African
slave-trade are a dead letter; for, with very few exceptions, the
captains-general of Cuba have connived at the illegal importation of
slaves, receiving for their complaisance a large percentage on the
value of each one landed on the island; for, though the slavers do not
discharge their living freights at the more frequented ports, still
their arrival is a matter of public notoriety, and it is impossible
that, with the present system of espionage, the authorities can be
ignorant of such an event. Nor can we imagine that the home government
is less well-informed upon the subject, though they assume a politic
ignorance of the violation of the law. Believing that the importation of
slaves is essential to the maintenance of the present high revenue,
Spain illustrates the rule that there are none so blind as those who do
not wish to see. It is only the cheapness of labor, resulting from the
importation of slaves, that enables the planters to pour into the
government treasury from twenty to twenty-four millions of dollars
annually. Of this we may speak more fully hereafter.
In 1760, the invasion and conquest of the island by the British forms
one of the most remarkable epochs in its history. This event excited the
fears of Spain, and directed the attention of the government to its
importance in a political point of view. On its restoration, at the
treaty of peace concluded between the two governments in the following
year, Spain seriously commenced the work of fortifying the Havana, and
defending and garrisoning the island generally.
The elements of prosperity contained within the limits of this peerless
island required only a patriotic and enlightened administration for
their development; and the germ of its civilization was stimulated by
the appointment of General Don Luis de las Casas to the post of
captain-general. During the administration of this celebrated man, whose
memory is cherished with fond respect by the Cubans, The Patriotic
Society of Havana was formed, with the noble idea of diffusing education
throughout the island, and introducing a taste for classical literature,
through his instrumentality, while the press was also established in the
capital, by the publication of the _Papel Periodico_.
In the first third of the present century, the _intendente_, Don
Alejandro Ramirez, labored to regulate the revenues and economical
condition of the country, and called the attention of the government to
the improvement of the white population. But the most important
concession obtained of the metropolitan government, the freedom of
commerce, was due to the patriotic exertions of Don Francisco de
Arranjo, the most illustrious name in Cuban annals, "one," says the
Countess Merlin, "who may be quoted as a model of the humane and
peaceful virtues," and "who was," says Las Casas, "a jewel of priceless
value to the glory of the nation, a protector for Cuba, and an
accomplished statesman for the monarchy." Even the briefest historical
sketch (and this record pretends to no more) would be incomplete without
particular mention of this excellent man.
He was born at Havana, May 22d, 1765. Left an orphan at a very early
age, he managed the family estate, while a mere boy, with a discretion
and judgment which would have done honor to a man of mature age.
Turning his attention to the study of the law, he was admitted to
practice in the mother country, where for a considerable period he acted
as the agent for the municipality of Havana, and, being thoroughly
acquainted with the capabilities of the island, and the condition and
wants of his countrymen, he succeeded in procuring the amelioration of
some of the most flagrant abuses of the colonial system. By his
exertions, the staple productions of the island were so much increased
that the revenue, in place of falling short of the expenses of the
government, as his enemies had predicted, soon yielded a large surplus.
He early raised his voice against the iniquitous slave-trade, and
suggested the introduction of white laborers, though he perceived that
the abolition of slavery was impracticable. It was owing to his
exertions that the duty on coffee, spirits and cotton, was remitted for
a period of ten years, and that machinery was allowed to be imported
free of duty to the island.
The _Junta de Fomento_ (society for improvement) and the Chamber of
Commerce were the fruits of his indefatigable efforts. Of the latter
institution he was for a long time the Syndic, refusing to receive the
perquisites attached to the office, as he did the salaries of the same
and other offices that he filled during his useful life. While secretary
of the Chamber, he distinguished himself by his bold opposition to the
schemes of the infamous Godoy (the Prince of Peace), the minion of the
Queen of Spain, who, claiming to be protector of the Chamber of
Commerce, demanded the receipts of the custom-house at Havana. He not
only defeated the plans of Godoy, but procured the relinquishment of the
royal monopoly of tobacco. His patriotic services were appreciated by
the court at Madrid, although at times he was the inflexible opponent of
its schemes. The cross of the order of Charles III. showed the esteem in
which he was held by that monarch. Yet, with a modesty which did him
honor, he declined to accept a title of nobility which was afterwards
offered to him. In 1813, when, by the adoption of the constitution of
1812, Cuba became entitled to representation in the general Cortes, he
visited Madrid as a deputy, and there achieved the crowning glory of his
useful life,--the opening of the ports of Cuba to foreign trade. In 1817
he returned to his native island with the rank of Counsellor of State,
Financial Intendente of Cuba, and wearing the grand cross of the order
of Isabella. He died in 1837, at the age of seventy-two, after a long
and eminently useful life, bequeathing large sums for various public
purposes and charitable objects in the island. Such a man is an honor to
any age or nation, and the Cubans do well to cherish his memory, which,
indeed, they seem resolved, by frequent and kindly mention, to keep ever
green.
Fostered by such men, the resources of Cuba, both physical and
intellectual, received an ample and rapid development. The youth of the
island profited by the means of instruction now liberally placed at
their disposal; the sciences and belles-lettres were assiduously
cultivated; agriculture and internal industry were materially improved,
and an ambitious spirit evoked, which subsequent periods of tyranny and
misrule have not been able, with all their baneful influences, entirely
to erase.
The visitor from abroad is sure to hear the people refer to this "golden
period," as they call it, of their history, the influence of which, so
far from passing away, appears to grow and daily increase with them. It
raised in their bosoms one spirit and trust which they sadly
needed,--that of self-reliance,--and showed them of what they were
capable, under liberal laws and judicious government.
[Illustration: VIEW OF THE IMPERIAL DEL PASEO.]
FOOTNOTES:
[1] In honor of Prince John, son of Ferdinand and Isabella. Changed to
Fernandina on the death of Ferdinand; afterwards called Ave Maria, in
honor of the Holy Virgin. Cuba is the Indian name.
[2] "Thus," exclaims the pious Arrati, "began that gathering of an
infinite number of gentiles to the bosom of our holy religion, who would
otherwise have perished in the darkness of paganism." Spain _has_
liberal laws relative to the religious instruction of the slaves; but
they are no better than a dead letter.
[3] Here Leo X. erected the first cathedral in Cuba. Baracoa is situated
on the north coast, at the eastern extremity of the island, and contains
some three thousand inhabitants, mixed population.
[4] The words of this unfortunate chief (Hatucy), extorted by the
torments he suffered, were, "_Prefiero el infierno al cielo si en cielo
ha Españoles_." (I prefer hell to heaven, if there are Spaniards in
heaven.)
CHAPTER II.
The constitution of 1812--Revolution of La Granja--Political aspect
of the island--Discontent among the Cubans--The example before
them--Simon Bolivar, the Liberator--Revolutions of 1823 and
1826--General Lorenzo and the constitution--The assumption of
extraordinary power by Tacon--Civil war threatened--Tacon sustained
by royal authority--Despair of the Cubans--Military rule--A foreign
press established--Programme of the liberal party--General
O'Donnell--The spoils--Influence of the climate.
When the French invasion of Spain in 1808 produced the constitution of
1812, Cuba was considered entitled to enjoy its benefits, and the year
1820 taught the Cubans the advantage to be derived by a people from
institutions based on the principle of popular intervention in public
affairs. The condition of the nation on the death of Ferdinand VII.
obliged Queen Christina to rely on the liberal party for a triumph over
the pretensions of the Infante Don Carlos to the crown, and to assure
the throne of Donna Isabella II., and the _Estatuto Real_ (royal
statute) was proclaimed in Spain and Cuba. The Cubans looked forward, as
in 1812 and 1820, to a representation in the national congress, and the
enjoyment of the same liberty conceded to the Peninsula. An institution
was then established in Havana, with branches in the island, called the
Royal Society for Improvement, already alluded to in our brief notice of
Don Francisco Arranjo. The object of this society was to aid and protect
the progress of agriculture and commerce; and it achieved a vast amount
of good. At the same time, the press, within the narrow limits conceded
to it, discussed with intelligence and zeal the interests of the
country, and diffused a knowledge of them.
In 1836 the revolution known as that of La Granja, provoked and
sustained by the progressionists against the moderate party, destroyed
the "Royal Statute," and proclaimed the old constitution of 1812. The
queen-mother, then Regent of Spain, convoked the constituent Cortes, and
summoned deputies from Cuba.
Up to this time, various political events, occurring within a brief
period, had disturbed but slightly and accidentally the tranquillity of
this rich province of Spain. The Cubans, although sensible of the
progress of public intelligence and wealth, under the protection of a
few enlightened governors, and through the influence of distinguished
and patriotic individuals, were aware that these advances were slow,
partial and limited, that there was no regular system, and that the
public interests, confided to officials intrusted with unlimited power,
and liable to the abuses inseparable from absolutism, frequently
languished, or were betrayed by a cupidity which impelled despotic
authorities to enrich themselves in every possible way at the expense of
popular suffering. Added to these sources of discontent was the
powerful influence exerted over the intelligent portion of the people by
the portentous spectacle of the rapidly-increasing greatness of the
United States, where a portion of the Cuban youths were wont to receive
their education, and to learn the value of a national independence based
on democratic principles, principles which they were apt freely to
discuss after returning to the island.
There also were the examples of Mexico and Spanish South America, which
had recently conquered with their blood their glorious emancipation from
monarchy. Liberal ideas were largely diffused by Cubans who had
travelled in Europe, and there imbibed the spirit of modern
civilization. But, with a fatuity and obstinacy which has always
characterized her, the mother country resolved to ignore these causes of
discontent, and, instead of yielding to the popular current, and
introducing a liberal and mild system of government, drew the reins yet
tighter, and even curtailed many of the privileges formerly accorded to
the Cubans. It is a blind persistence in the fated principle of despotic
domination which has relaxed the moral and political bonds uniting the
two countries, instilled gall into the hearts of the governed, and
substituted the dangerous obedience of terror for the secure loyalty of
love. This severity of the home government has given rise to several
attempts to throw off the Spanish yoke.
The first occurred in 1823, when the Liberator, Simon Bolivar, offered
to aid the disaffected party by throwing an invading force into the
island. The conspiracy then formed, by the aid of the proffered
expedition, for which men were regularly enlisted and enrolled, would
undoubtedly have ended in the triumph of the insurrection, had it not
been discovered and suppressed prematurely, and had not the governments
of the United States, Great Britain and France, intervened in favor of
Spain. In 1826 some Cuban emigrants, residing in Caraccas, attempted a
new expedition, which failed, and caused the imprisonment and execution
of two patriotic young men, Don Francisco de Agüero, y Velazco, and Don
Bernabé Sanchez, sent to raise the department of the interior. In 1828
there was a yet more formidable conspiracy, known as _El Aguila Negra_
(the black eagle). The efforts of the patriots proved unavailing, foiled
by the preparation and power of the government, which seems to be
apprised by spies of every intended movement for the cause of liberty in
Cuba.
We have alluded to the revolution of La Granja, in Spain, and we have
now briefly to consider its effects on the island of Cuba, then under
the sway of General Don Miguel Tacon. We shall have occasion to refer
more than once, in the course of our records of the island, to the
administration of Tacon; for he made his mark upon Cuba, and, though he
governed it with an iron hand and a stern will, as we shall see, yet he
did much to improve its physical condition, even as Louis Napoleon,
despot though he be, has already vastly beautified and improved the
sanitary condition of the city of Paris.
The first place on the island which received intelligence of the
revolution of La Granja, and the oath to the constitution of 1812 by the
Queen-Regent of Spain, was Santiago de Cuba, the capital of the eastern
department. It was then commanded by General Lorenzo, who immediately
assembled the authorities, corporations and functionaries, in pursuance
of the example of his predecessors,--who, without waiting for the orders
of the higher authority of the island, had, under similar circumstances,
prepared to obey the supreme government of the nation,--and proclaimed
through his department the Code of Cadiz, without any opposition, and to
the general joy of Spaniards and Cubans. His first acts were to
reëstablish the constitutional _ayuntamiento_, the national militia, the
liberty of the press, and all other institutions, on the same footing as
in 1823, when King Ferdinand recovered absolute authority, and made
arrangements for the election of deputies to the new Cortes.
Tacon, who was not a friend to liberal institutions, and who was fixed
in his idea that the new constitution would convulse the country,
notwithstanding his knowledge of the state of things when this law was
actually in force in Cuba, was quite indignant when he heard what had
transpired. Knowing that he could not compel General Lorenzo to abrogate
the constitution he had proclaimed, he forthwith cut off all
communication with the eastern department, and formed a column to
invade it, and to restore the old order of things by force. This was a
bold, impolitic and dangerous move, because this resolve was contrary to
the wishes of the supreme government and public opinion, which would not
fail to see treason in the act of Gen. Tacon, against the mother
country.
Although the royal proclamation which announced to Tacon the
establishment of the constitution in Spain intimated forthcoming orders
for the election of deputies in Cuba to the general Cortes, still he
considered that his commission as captain-general authorized him, under
the circumstances, to carry out his own will, and suppress at once the
movement set on foot by General Lorenzo, on the ground of its danger to
the peace of the island, and the interests of Spain. The royal order,
which opened the way for his attacks upon the Cuban people, after a
confused preamble, confers on the captain-general all the authority
appertaining in time of war to a Spanish governor of a city in a state
of siege, authorizing him in any circumstances and by his proper will to
suspend any public functionary, whatever his rank, civil, military, or
ecclesiastical; to banish any resident of the island, without preferring
any accusations; to modify any law, or suspend its operations;[5]
disobey with impunity any regulation emanating from the Spanish
government; to dispose of the public revenues at his will; and, finally,
to act according to his pleasure, winding up with recommending a
moderate use of the confidence evinced by the sovereign in according
power so ample.
Although the captains-general of Cuba have always been invested with
extraordinary power, we believe that these items of unlimited authority
were first conferred upon Vivez in 1825, when the island was menaced by
an invasion of the united forces of Mexico and Columbia. In these
circumstances, and emanating from an absolute authority, like that of
Ferdinand VII., a delegation of power which placed the destinies of the
island at the mercy of its chief ruler might have had the color of
necessity; but to continue such a delegation of authority in time of
peace is a most glaring and inexcusable blunder.
Meanwhile Tacon assembled a column of picked companies of the line, the
provincial military and rural cavalry, and placed them, under the orders
of General Gascue, in the town of Guines, hoping by this great parade
and preparation to impose on General Lorenzo, and strike terror into the
inhabitants of the whole island. He also adroitly worked by secret
agents upon the forces at Santiago de Cuba, and thus by cunning and
adroitness brought about quite a reäction in the public sentiment.
Under these circumstances, if General Lorenzo, master of the eastern
department, with two regiments of regular troops, all the national
militia, all devoted to the new order of things and ready to obey his
will, had marched upon Puerto Principe, the capital of the centre, where
the garrison was not strong enough to oppose him, and had there
proclaimed the constitutional code through the authority of the royal
_Audiencia_, Gen. Tacon would unquestionably have desisted from his
opposition, and relinquished the command of the island. Cuba would then
have enjoyed the same political rights as the rest of Spain, and have
escaped the horrors of tyranny which have since weighed her down. But
Gen. Lorenzo proved weak, let slip the golden opportunity of triumphing
over Tacon, and returned to Spain in the vain hope that the supreme
government would sustain him. In the mean time, Tacon sent his body of
soldiery to Santiago, their arrival being signalized by the
establishment of a military commission to try and punish all who had
been engaged innocently in establishing the fallen constitution. The
commandant Moya presided, and the advocate Miret was held as counsel.
No sooner had this barbarous tribunal commenced its proceedings, than no
Creole belonging to families of influence could look upon himself as
safe from persecution, since nearly all of them had hastened to obey the
orders of General Lorenzo, and, like him, taken oath to the
constitution. Many men of rank, reputation and education, including
several respectable clergymen, fell under the ban of the military
commission. Some were thrown into the prisons of Santiago de Cuba, some
banished for a given period, and many emigrated to avoid the horrors of
a Spanish dungeon, and the greater part in one way or another were torn
from the bosoms of their families. Of the soldiers who faithfully obeyed
their officers, about five hundred were condemned to work in the streets
of Havana, with their feet shackled. Such are the measures meted out by
despotism to those who have the misfortune to live under its iron yoke.
Tacon triumphed, yet the Cubans did not utterly despair. They cherished
the hope that the Spanish government would recognize the legality of
their proceedings in the eastern department; but they were doomed to
disappointment. The Cuban deputies presented themselves in the Spanish
capital, and offered their credentials. But they were referred to a
committee of men profoundly ignorant of the feelings, opinions and
condition, of the Cuban people, or deriving what few notions they
possessed from those interested on the side of Tacon. The deputies were
not allowed a seat in the Cortes, and the government decided that the
provisions of the constitution should not apply to Cuba, but that it
should be governed by special laws. Since then, the island has been
ruled by the arbitrary will of the captains-general, without
intervention of the Spanish Cortes, without the intervention of the
island, and, what is almost inconceivable, at first thought, without the
direct action even of the sovereign authority.
Tacon, now that the royal authority had sustained his action, was more
despotic than ever. It is true that he introduced some legal and
municipal reforms; that he embellished the capital, and improved its
health; but under him the censorship of the press was almost
prohibitory. The local _ayuntamientos_, which, at the most despotic
epoch, had frequently produced happy effects, by representing to the
sovereign the wants of the country, were shorn of their privileges, and
their attributes confined to the collection and distribution of the
municipal funds. Tacon is also charged with promoting the jealousies
naturally existing between Spaniards and Creoles, and with completely
subjecting the civil courts to military tribunals.
"In a state of agitation in the public mind, and disorder in the
government," says the author of an able pamphlet entitled "_Cuba y su
Gobierno_," to whom we are indebted for invaluable information that
could only be imparted by a Creole, "with the political passions of
Spaniards and Cubans excited; the island reduced from an integral part
of the monarchy to the condition of a colony, and with no other
political code than the royal order, conferring unlimited power upon the
chief authority; the country bowed down under the weighty tyranny of two
military commissions established in the capitals of the eastern and
western departments; with the prisons filled with distinguished
patriots; deprived of representation in the Cortes; the _ayuntamientos_
prohibited the right of petition; the press forbidden to enunciate the
state of public opinion, closed the administration of General Don Miguel
Tacon in the island of Cuba, the most calamitous, beyond a question,
that this country has suffered since its discovery by the Spaniards."
The liberal party of Cuba, denied the expression of their views in the
local prints, and anxious to present their wants and their grievances
before the home government, conceived the ingenious idea of establishing
organs abroad. Two papers were accordingly published; one at Paris,
called "_El Correo de Ultramar_" and one at Madrid, entitled "_El
Observador_," edited by distinguished Cubans.[6] It is scarcely
necessary to say that these produced no favorable result, and the people
of the island became convinced that the mother country was resolved to
persevere in the plan of ruling Cuba with a rod of iron, indifferent
alike to her tears and her remonstrances.
The programme of the liberal party was exceedingly moderate, petitioning
only for the following concessions: 1st, That a special ministry,
devoted to Cuban affairs, should be established at Madrid; 2d, That a
legal organ of communication between Spain and Cuba should be
established in the island, to represent the well-defined interests of
the metropolis and the colony; 3d, That some latitude should be given to
the press, now controlled by a triple censorship; 4th, That efficacious
means should be adopted for the complete suppression of the barbarous
traffic in African slaves; 5th, That the government should permit the
establishment of societies for the improvement of the white inhabitants;
6th, That the island should be relieved of the enormous weight of the
contributions now levied upon her. None of these privileges, however,
have been conceded to suffering Cuba by the home government.
The first successor of General Tacon ruled Cuba with a spirit of
moderation and temperance, seeking to conciliate the liberals, and
giving hopes of great reforms, which as yet have never been
accomplished. During the administration of the Prince de Aglona, a
superior tribunal, the Royal Pretorial Audience, was established in
Havana, to take cognizance of civil suits in cases of appeal, and to
resolve the doubts which the confused system of legislation produces at
every step in the inferior tribunals. Gen. Valdes was the first and only
official who granted free papers to the emancipated negroes who had
served out their term of apprenticeship, and who opposed the African
trade. He showed, by his example, that this infamous traffic may be
destroyed in the country without a necessary resort to violent measures,
but by the will of the captain-general.
General O'Donnell, as captain-general,[7] instead of repressing,
encouraged the slave-trade, and a greater number of the unfortunate
victims of human avarice were introduced into the island, during his
administration, than during any like term since the conclusion of the
treaty of 1817. Of course he vacated his post vastly enriched by the
spoils, having doubtless received, as was declared, from one to two
doubloons per head on every slave landed upon the island during his
administration; a sum that would alone amount to a fortune.
Of events which transpired during the administration of Roncali and
Concha we may have occasion to speak hereafter, but with this more
modern chapter in the history of the island the general reader is
already conversant. It appears almost incredible that an intelligent
people, within so short a distance of our southern coast, constantly
visited by the citizens of a free republic, and having the example of
successful revolt set them, by the men of the same race, both in the
north and south, weighed down by oppressions almost without parallel,
should never have aimed an effectual blow at their oppressors. It would
seem that the softness of the unrivalled climate of those skies beneath
which it is luxury only to exist has unnerved them, and that the
effeminate spirit of the original inhabitants has descended in
retribution to the posterity of the _conquistadores_.
FOOTNOTES:
[5] "En su consecuencia da S.M. á V.E. la mas ámplia é ilimitada
autorizacion, no tan solo para separar de esa Isla á las personas
empleadas ó no empleadas, cualquiera que sea su destino, rango, clase ó
condicion, cuya permanencia en ella crea prejudicial, ó que le infunda
recelos su conducta pública ó privada, reemplazandolas interinamente con
servidores fieles á S.M. y que merezcan á V.E. toda su confianza, sino
tambien para suspender la ejecucion de cualesquiera órdenes ó
providencias generales espedidas sobre todos los ramos de la
administracion en aquella parte en que V.E. considere conveniente al
real servicio, debiendo ser en todo caso provisionales estas medidas, y
dar V.E. cuenta á S.M. para su soberana aprobacion."--_From the Royal
Ordinance conferring unlimited powers on the Captains-general of Cuba._
[6] "La Verdad," a paper devoted to Cuban interests, established in New
York in 1848, and conducted with signal ability, is distributed
gratuitously, the expense being defrayed by contributions of Cubans and
the friends of Cuban independence. This is the organ of the annexation
party, organized by exiles in this country.
[7] General Leopold O'Donnell was appointed governor-general in 1843,
continuing a little over four years to fill the lucrative position. His
wife was a singular and most avaricious woman, engaged in many
speculations upon the island, and shamefully abusing her husband's
official influence for the purposes of pecuniary emolument.
CHAPTER III.
Armed intervention--Conspiracy of Cienfuegos and Trinidad--General
Narciso Lopez--The author's views on the subject--Inducements to
revolt--Enormous taxation--Scheme of the patriots--Lopez's first
landing in 1850--Taking of Cardinas--Return of the invaders--Effect
upon the Cuban authorities--Roncali recalled--New
captain-general--Lopez's second expedition--Condition of the
Invaders--Vicissitudes--Col. Crittenden--Battle of Las
Pozas--Superiority of courage--Battle of Las Frias--Death of Gen.
Enna--The fearful finale of the expedition.
We have noticed in the preceding chapter, the anomaly of the political
condition of Cuba, increasing in prosperity and civilization, imbibing
liberal ideas from its geographical position, and yet denied
participation in the few shadowy rights which the peninsular subjects of
the enfeebled, distracted and despotic parent monarchy enjoyed. We have
seen that, in later years, the adoption of more liberal ideas by Spain
produced no amelioration of the condition of the colony; and that, on
the other hand, a conformity to the legal enactments of the mother
country was punished as treason. The result of the movement in the
western department, under Tacon, showed the Cubans that they had nothing
to hope from Spain, while the cruelties of General O'Donnell increased
the great discontent and despair of the people. They now became
satisfied that the hope of legal reform was but a chimera; and a portion
of the liberal party, seeing no issue from their insufferable position
but that of revolution, boldly advocated the intervention of arms.
In 1848 a conspiracy was formed, in Cienfuegos and Trinidad, with the
purpose of throwing off the Spanish yoke; but it was soon discovered,
and crushed by the imprisonment of various individuals in the central
department. The principal leader in this movement was General Narciso
Lopez, who succeeded in effecting his escape to the United States, where
he immediately placed himself in communication with several influential
and liberal Creoles, voluntary and involuntary exiles, and established a
correspondence with the remnant of the liberal party yet at liberty on
the island, at the same time being aided in his plans by American
sympathy. The result of the deliberations of himself, his correspondents
and associates, was to try by the chances of war for the liberation of
Cuba. The disastrous result of the expedition boldly undertaken for this
purpose is already well known.
Before sketching the principal features of this attempt, we may be
permitted to declare that, although we deplore the fate of those of our
countrymen who perished in the adventure, though we readily concede that
many of them were actuated by lofty motives, still we must condemn their
action, and approve of the vigorous measures adopted by the federal
government to suppress that species of reckless adventure in which the
_flibustiers_ engaged. No amount of sympathy with the sufferings of an
oppressed people, no combination of circumstances, no possible results,
can excuse the fitting out of a warlike expedition in the ports of a
nation against the possessions of a friendly power. The flag which has
waved unstained in peace and war over a free land for more than three
quarters of a century, must remain spotless to the last. The hopes of
every free heart in the world are centred on our banner, and we must see
to it that no speck dims the dazzling lustre of its stars. No degree of
pride at the daring gallantry displayed by the little handful of
invaders of Cuba,--a gallantry inherited from a brave ancestry who
displayed their valor in the holiest of causes,--must blind our eyes to
the character of the adventure which called it forth. We have tears for
the fallen, as brothers and men; but our conscience must condemn their
errors. While, individually, we should rejoice to see Cuba free, and an
integral portion of the Union, nothing will ever induce us to adopt the
atrocious doctrine that the ends justify the means. But let us pass to a
consideration of the recent events in the records of the island.
Many of the leading patriots of the island undoubtedly believed that the
government of the United States would second their efforts, if they
should decide to unite themselves to our republic, and boldly raise the
banner of annexation. A portion of the Cuban liberals adopted the motto,
"Legal Reform or Independence;" and these two factions of the patriots
did not henceforth act in perfect concert with each other--a most fatal
error to the interests of both. Time and circumstances favored the war
and annexation party; the people were more than ever discontented with a
government which so oppressed them by a military despotism, and by the
enormous weight of the unjust taxation levied upon them. We may here
remark that the increase of the public revenue, in the midst of so many
elements of destruction and ruin, can only be explained by the facility
with which the captain-general and royal stewards of the island invent
and arrange taxes, at their pleasure, and without a shadow of propriety,
or even precedent.
The _consuming_ population of Cuba amounts to about eight hundred
thousand souls, and the total amount of taxes and contributions of
various forms is more than twenty-three millions of dollars, in specie,
per annum! It is hardly conceivable that such a sum can be extorted from
a population whose wealth is precarious, and whose living is so costly.
With this revenue the government pays and supports an army of over
twenty thousand Peninsular troops in the island; a vast number of
employés, part of the clergy and half the entire navy of Spain; the
diplomatic corps in the United States and Mexico; many officials of rank
at home in Spain; and the surplus is remitted to Spain, and spent on the
Peninsula on matters entirely foreign to the interests of the island
itself. A precious state of affairs!
The colored population of the island, both slaves and free, hated the
Spaniards, for good reasons. The war party, moreover, reckoned on the
genius of a leader (Lopez) trained to arms,[8] equal in talents to any
of the Spanish generals, and beloved by the Spanish troops, as well as
by the Cuban population; and they relied, also, as we have said, on the
sympathy and ultimate aid of the United States government. It is
undoubtedly true that interested parties in this country, prompted by
mercenary motives, increased this latter delusion by false reports;
while the Cuban conspirators, in turn, buoyed up the hopes of their
friends in the United States, by glowing accounts of the patriotic
spirit of the Creoles, and the extent of the preparations they were
making for a successful revolt. General Lopez was actively arranging the
means for an invasion, when, in 1849, the United States government threw
terror into the ranks of the _flibustiers_, by announcing its
determination to enforce the sacredness of treaty stipulations. This,
for a time, frustrated the intended invasion.
In 1850 Lopez succeeded in effecting his first descent upon the island.
Having succeeded in baffling the vigilance of the United States
government, an expedition, consisting of six hundred and fifty-two men,
was embarked on board two sailing-vessels and the steamer Creole, which
conveyed the general and his staff. In the beginning of July the
sailing-vessels left New Orleans, with orders to anchor at Contoy, one
of the Mugeres Islands, on the coast of Yucatan; the general followed,
on the Creole, on the 7th. At the time when the troops were embarked on
the Creole at Contoy, fifty-two of the number, who had been deceived as
to the nature of the expedition, refused to follow the general, and were
left on the island, with the intention of returning to the United States
in the two schooners. General Lopez, after gaining some information from
a fisherman he encountered, resolved to land at Cardenas, on the
northern coast of the island, a hundred and twenty miles east of Havana.
He calculated that he could surprise and master the garrison before the
captain-general could possibly obtain intelligence of his departure from
New Orleans. His plan was, to master the town, secure the authorities,
intimidate the Spaniards, and then, sustained by the moral influence of
victory, proceed to Matanzas by railroad.
Roncali, the captain-general, having received intelligence of the
landing at Contoy, despatched several ships-of-war in that direction, to
seize upon the general and his followers. The latter, however, escaped
the snare, and effected his landing on the 19th. The garrison rushed to
arms, and, while a portion of the troops, after immaterial loss, retired
in good order to the suburbs, another, under the command of Governor
Ceruti, intrenched themselves in the government-house, and gave battle
to the invaders. After a sharp skirmish, the building being set on fire,
they surrendered; the governor and two or three officers were made
prisoners, and the soldiers consented to join the revolutionary colors!
Meanwhile, a body of one hundred invaders seized upon the railroad
station. The engines were fired up, and the trains made ready to
transport the invading column to Matanzas.
But now came a pause. General Lopez, seeing that the native population
did not respond to his appeal, knew that as soon as the news of the
taking of Cardenas should be circulated, he would be in a very critical
situation. In fact, the governor of Matanzas was soon on the march, at
the head of five hundred men. General Armero sailed from Havana in the
Pizarro, with a thousand infantry, while two thousand five hundred
picked troops, under the command of General Count de Mirasol, were sent
from Havana by the railroad. Lopez saw that it would be madness to wait
the attack of these formidable columns, unsupported save by his own
immediate followers, and accordingly issued his orders for the
reëmbarkation of his band, yet without relinquishing the idea of landing
on some more favorable point of the island.
That portion of the garrison which, in the beginning of the affair, had
retreated to the suburbs, finding itself reïnforced by a detachment of
cavalry, attempted to cut off the retreat of the invading general; but
the deadly fire of the latter's reserve decimated the horse, and the
infantry, dismayed at their destruction, took to rapid flight. The
Creole accordingly left the port without molestation, and before the
arrival of the government steam-frigate Pizarro. The Spanish prisoners
were landed at Cayo de Piedras, and then Lopez, discovering the Pizarro
in the distance, made for the American continent, where the steamer was
abandoned. General Lopez was arrested by the authorities of Savannah,
but liberated again, in deference to the public clamor. The Creole was
seized, confiscated and sold. The invaders disbanded; and thus this
enterprise terminated.
A less enterprising and determined spirit than that of General Lopez
would have been completely broken by the failure of his first attempts,
the inactivity of the Cubans, the hostility of the American government,
and the formidable forces and preparations of the Spanish officials. He
believed, however, that the Cubans were ripe for revolt; that public
opinion in the United States would nullify the action of the federal
government; and that, if he could once gain a foothold in the island,
the Spanish troops would desert in such numbers to his banners that the
preponderance of power would soon be upon his side; and, with these
views, he once more busied himself, with unremitting industry, to form
another expedition.
Meanwhile, the daring attack upon Cardenas, while it demonstrated the
determination of the invading party, caused great anxiety in the mind of
General Roncali. True, he had at his disposal an army of more than
twenty thousand regular troops; but he was by no means sure of their
loyalty, and he therefore determined to raise a local militia; but, as
he suffered only Spaniards to enlist in it, he aroused the jealousy of
the Cuban-born inhabitants, and thus swelled the force of opposition
against the government. General Lopez was informed of this fact, and
based new hopes upon the circumstance.
The Spanish government, having recalled Roncali, appointed Don José de
la Concha captain-general of the island, and the severity of his sway
reminded the inhabitants of the iron rule of Tacon. It was during his
administration that Lopez effected his second landing at Playitas, sixty
miles west of Havana. Several partial insurrections, which had preceded
this event, easily suppressed, as it appears, by the Spanish government,
but exaggerated in the accounts despatched to the friends of Cuba in the
United States, inflamed the zeal of Lopez, and made him believe that the
time for a successful invasion had at length arrived.[9] He was so
confident, at one time, of the determination and ability of the Cubans
alone to secure their independence, that he wished to embark without any
force, and throw himself among them. It was this confidence that led him
to embark with only four hundred ill-armed men on board the little
steamer Pampero, on the 2d of August, 1851. This force consisted mostly
of Americans, but embraced forty-nine Cubans in its ranks, with several
German and Hungarian officers; among the latter, General Pragay, one of
the heroes of the Hungarian revolution, who was second in command to
General Lopez on this occasion.
Many of the foreign officers spoke little, if any, English, and mutual
jealousies and insubordinations soon manifested themselves in the little
band. They were composed of fierce spirits, and had come together
without any previous drilling or knowledge of each other. It was not the
intention of the commander-in-chief to sail direct for Cuba, but to go
to the neighborhood of St. John's river, Florida, and get a supply of
artillery, ammunition, extra arms, etc. He then proposed to land
somewhere in the central department, where he thought he could get a
footing, and rally a formidable force, before the government troops
could reach him. But, when five days out, Lopez discovered that the
Pampero was short of coal; as no time could be spared to remedy this
deficiency, he resolved to effect a landing at once, and send back the
Pampero for reïnforcements and supplies. At Key West he obtained
favorable intelligence from Cuba, which confirmed his previous plans. He
learned that a large portion of the troops had been sent to the eastern
department; and he accordingly steered for Bahia Honda (deep bay). The
current of the gulf, acting while the machinery of the boat was
temporarily stopped for repairs, and the variation of the compass in the
neighborhood of so many arms, caused the steamer to run out of her
course on the night of the 10th; and when the morning broke, the
invaders found themselves heading for the narrow entrance of the harbor
of Havana!
The course of the steamer was instantly altered; but all on board
momentarily expected the apparition of a war steamer from the channel
between the Moro and the Punta. It appeared, afterwards, that the
Pampero was signalized as a strange steamer, but not reported as
suspicious until evening. The Pampero then made for the bay of Cabañas;
but, just as she was turning into the entrance, a Spanish frigate and
sloop-of-war were seen at anchor, the first of which immediately gave
chase, but, the wind failing, the frigate gave it up, and returned to
the bay to send intelligence of the expedition to Havana. The landing
was finally effected at midnight, between the 11th and 12th of August,
and the steamer was immediately sent off to the United States for
further reïnforcements. As it was necessary to obtain transportation for
the baggage, General Lopez resolved to leave Col. Crittenden with one
hundred and twenty men to guard it, and with the remainder of the
expedition to push on to Las Pozas, a village about ten miles distant,
whence he could send back carts and horses to receive it. Among the
baggage were four barrels of powder, two of cartridges, the officers'
effects, including the arms of the general, and the flag of the
expedition. From the powder and arms they should not have separated,
but have divided that, against contingency.
In the mean time, seven picked companies of Spanish troops of the line
had been landed at Bahia Honda, which force was strengthened by
contingents drawn from the neighborhood. The march of the invading band
to Las Pozas was straggling and irregular. On reaching the village, they
found it deserted by the inhabitants. A few carts were procured and sent
back to Crittenden, that he might advance with the baggage. Lopez here
learned from a countryman of the preparations making to attack him. It
was no portion of his plan to bring the men into action with regular
troops, in their present undisciplined state; he proposed rather to take
a strong position in the mountains, and there plant his standard as a
rallying-point, and await the rising of the Cubans, and the return of
the Pampero with reïnforcements for active operations.
As soon as Lopez learned the news from Bahia Honda, he despatched a
peremptory order to Crittenden to hasten up with the rear-guard,
abandoning the heavy baggage, but bringing off the cartridges and papers
of the expedition.
But the fatal delay of Crittenden separated him forever from the main
body, only a small detachment of his comrades (under Captain Kelly) ever
reaching it. The next day, while breakfast was being prepared for them,
the soldiers of the expedition were suddenly informed, by a volley from
one of the houses of the village, that the Spanish troops were upon
them. They flew to arms at once, and the Cuban company dislodged the
vanguard of the enemy, who had fired, at the point of the bayonet, their
captain, Oberto, receiving his death-wound in the spirited affair.
General Enna, a brave officer, in command of the Spanish troops, made
two charges in column on the centre of the invaders' line, but was
repulsed by that deadly fire which is the preëminent characteristic of
American troops. Four men alone escaped from the company heading the
first column, and seventeen from that forming the advance of the second
column of attack. The Spaniards were seized with a panic, and fled.
Lopez's force in this action amounted to about two hundred and eighty
men; the Spaniards had more than eight hundred. The total loss of the
former, in killed and wounded, was thirty-five; that of the latter,
about two hundred men killed, and a large number wounded! The invaders
landed with about eighty rounds of cartridges each; the Spanish dead
supplied them with about twelve thousand more; and a further supply was
subsequently obtained at Las Frias; the ammunition left with Crittenden
was never recovered. In the battle of Las Pozas, General Enna's horse
was shot under him, and his second in command killed. The invaders lost
Colonel Downman, a brave American officer; while General Pragay was
wounded, and afterwards died in consequence. Though the invaders fired
well and did terrible execution, they could not be prevailed upon to
charge the enemy, and gave great trouble to the officers by their
insubordination. The night after the battle, Captain Kelly came up with
forty men, and announced that the Spanish troops had succeeded in
dividing the rear-guard, and that the situation of Crittenden was
unknown. It was not until some days afterwards that it was ascertained
that Crittenden's party, attempting to leave the island in launches, had
been made prisoners by a Spanish man-of-war. They were taken to Havana,
and brutally shot at the castle of Atares.
About two o'clock on the 14th of August, the expedition resumed its
march for the interior, leaving behind their wounded, who were
afterwards killed and mutilated by the Spaniards. The second action with
the Spanish troops occurred at the coffee-plantation of Las Frias,
General Enna attacking with four howitzers, one hundred and twenty
cavalry, and twelve hundred infantry. The Spanish general attacked with
his cavalry, but they were met by a deadly fire, thrown into utter
confusion, and forced to retreat, carrying off the general mortally
wounded. The panic of the cavalry communicated itself to the infantry,
and the result was a complete rout. This was the work of about two
hundred muskets; for many of Lopez's men had thrown away their arms on
the long and toilsome march.
The expedition, however, was too weak to profit by their desperate
successes, and had no means of following up these victories. Plunging
into the mountains, they wandered about for days, drenched with rain,
destitute of food or proper clothing, until despair at last seized
them. They separated from each other, a few steadfast comrades remaining
by their leader. In the neighborhood of San Cristoval, Lopez finally
surrendered to a party of pursuers. He was treated with every indignity
by his captors, though he submitted to everything with courage and
serenity. He was taken in a steamer from Mariel to Havana.
Arrived here, he earnestly desired to obtain an interview with Concha,
who had been an old companion-in-arms with him in Spain; not that he
expected pardon at his hands, but hoping to obtain a change in the
manner of his death. His soul shrank from the infamous _garrotte_, and
he aspired to the indulgence of the _cuatro tiros_ (four shots). Both
the interview and the indulgence were refused, and he was executed on
the first of September, at seven o'clock in the morning, in the Punta,
by that mode of punishment which the Spaniards esteem the most infamous
of all. When he landed at Bahia Honda, he stooped and kissed the earth,
with the fond salutation, "_Querida Cuba_" (dear Cuba)! and his last
words, pronounced in a tone of deep tenderness, were, "_Muero por mi
amada Cuba_" (I die for my beloved Cuba).[10]
The remainder of the prisoners who fell into the hands of the
authorities were sent to the Moorish fortress of Ceuta; but Spain seems
to have been ashamed of the massacre of Atares, and has atoned for the
ferocity of her colonial officials by leniency towards the misguided men
of the expedition, granting them a pardon.
At present it may be said that "order reigns in Warsaw," and the island
is comparatively quiet in the presence of a vast armed force. To Concha
have succeeded Canedo and Pezuelas, but no change for the better has
taken place in the administration of the island. Rigorous to the native
population, insolent and overbearing to foreigners, respecting no flag
and regarding no law, the captains-general bear themselves as though
Spain was still a first-rate power as of yore, terrible on land, and
afloat still the mistress of the sea.
FOOTNOTES:
[8] His reputation as a cavalry officer was very distinguished, and he
was commonly recognized as _La primera Lanza de España_ (the first lance
of Spain).--_Louis Schlesinger's Narrative of the Expedition._
[9] "The general showed me much of his correspondence from the island.
It represented a pervading anxiety for his arrival, on the part of the
Creole population. His presence alone, to head the insurrection, which
would then become general, was all they called for; his presence and a
supply of arms, of which they were totally destitute. The risings
already made were highly colored in some of the communications addressed
to him from sources of unquestionable sincerity."--_Louis Schlesinger's
Narrative of the Expedition._
[10] General Lopez was born in Venezuela, South America, in 1798; and
hence, at the time of his execution, must have been about fifty-two
years of age. He early became an adopted citizen of Cuba, and espoused
one of its daughters.
CHAPTER IV.
Present condition of Cuba--Secret treaty with France and
England--British plan for the Africanization of the island--Sale of
Cuba--Measures of General Pezuela--Registration of
slaves--Intermarriage of blacks and whites--Contradictory
proclamations--Spanish duplicity--A Creole's view of the crisis and
the prospect.
Cuba is at present politically in a critical and alarming condition, and
the most intelligent natives and resident foreigners live in constant
dread of a convulsion more terrific and sanguinary than that which
darkened the annals of St. Domingo. Those best informed of the temper,
designs and position of Spain, believe in the existence of a secret
treaty between that country, France and England, by which the two latter
powers guarantee to Spain her perpetual possession of the island, on
condition of her carrying out the favorite abolition schemes of the
British government, and Africanizing the island. Spain, it is supposed,
unable to stand alone, and compelled to elect between the loss of her
colony and subserviency to her British ally, has chosen of the two evils
that which wounds her pride the least, and is best calculated to secure
the interests of monarchical Europe. All the recent measures of the
Captain-general Pezuela are calculated to produce the conviction that
the Africanization of Cuba has been resolved upon; and, if his alarming
proclamation of the third of May has been somewhat modified by
subsequent proclamations and official declarations, it is only because
the Spanish government lacks the boldness to unmask all its schemes,
while the Eastern war prevents France and Great Britain from sending
large armaments to Cuba to support it; and because the national vessels
and troops destined to swell the government forces in the island have
not all arrived. But for the existence of the war in the East, the
manifestoes of the captain-general would have been much more explicit.
As it is, they are sufficiently bold and menacing.
A peaceful solution to the question of Cuba, by its sale to the United
States, is not regarded as probable by the best-informed Creoles. They
say that, even if the queen were disposed to sell the island, it would
be impossible to obtain the consent of the Cortes. The integrity of the
Spanish domain, including all the islands, is protected by legal
enactment; and it would require the abrogation of a fundamental law
before it could be consummated.[11] Now, the Spanish subjects well
understand that they would not be likely to be gainers by the sale of
Cuba, however large a sum the United States might be willing to pay for
it, while the monopoly to trade, the bestowal of lucrative insular
offices on Spaniards alone, and other incidental advantages, give them a
direct interest in the maintenance of the present order of things. Those
who take this view of the question say that if Spain has not promptly
rejected the overtures supposed to have been made by our minister at
Madrid, this delay indicates only a conscious weakness, and not any
hesitation of purpose. It is simply a diplomatic trick--a temporizing
policy. Why, they ask, if Spain had any idea of parting with the island,
would she be making naval and military preparations on a grand and
costly scale, at home, while in the island she is making large levies,
and enrolling colored troops, not as militia, as the government has
falsely given out, but as regulars? We are reluctant to abandon the hope
of our purchasing the island, but candor compels us to state the
plausible arguments of those who assert that no success can possibly
attend the plan for its peaceable acquisition.
Within a brief space of time, the administration of General Pezuela has
been signalized by measures of great significance and importance: The
decree of the third of May; the order for the registration of slaves
introduced into the island in violation of the treaty of 1817; the
decree freeing more than fifteen thousand _emancipados_ in the space of
a fortnight; that of May 25th, enrolling and arming negroes and
mulattoes; the project for importing negroes and mulattoes from Africa,
under the name of free apprentices; the institution of free schools for
the instruction of the blacks, while the whites are abandoned to their
own resources; and, finally, the legalization of the intermarriages of
blacks and whites, which last measure has actually been carried into
effect, to the indignation of the Creoles,--all these measures show the
determination of the Spanish government to bring about the emancipation
of slavery, and the social equalization of the colored and white
population, that it may maintain its grasp upon the island, under
penalty of a war of races, which could only terminate in the extinction
of the whites, in case of a revolutionary movement.
The proclamation of the third of May, alluded to above, and disclosing
some of the abolition plans of the government, produced a startling
sensation. In it the captain-general said: "It is time for the planter
to substitute for the rapid but delusive advantages derived from the
sale of human flesh, safer profits, more in harmony with civilization,
religion and morals;" and that "the time had come to make the life of
the slave sweeter than that of the white man who labors under another
name in Europe." The proclamation, coupled with that conferring
exclusive educational advantages on colored persons, roused even the
Spaniards; some of the wealthiest and most influential of whom held
secret meetings to discuss the measures to be adopted in such a crisis,
in which it was resolved to withhold all active aid from the government,
some going so far as to advocate the making of common cause with the
Creoles. The mere hint of a fusion between the Spaniards and Creoles,
whom it has been the policy of the colonial government to alienate from
each other, was sufficient to excite the fears of the captain-general;
and accordingly, on the 31st of May, he published a sort of explanatory
manifesto, designed to allay the alarm of the Spaniards, and
conflicting, in several points, with that of the 3d. "Her Majesty's
government," says the document of the 31st, "is well aware that the
unhappy race (the Africans), once placed among civilized men, and
protected by the religion and the great laws of our ancestors, is, in
its so-called slavery, a thousand times happier than other European
classes, whose liberty is only nominal." If this assertion were true,
what becomes of the famous declaration, in the former proclamation, that
the time had arrived to make the life of the slave happier than of the
white European laborer? If this assertion were true, that "good time"
had not only arrived, but passed away, and his measures for the
improvement of the involuntary bondmen were actually supererogatory. The
owners of slaves are, moreover, assured that they shall not be disturbed
in the possession of their "legitimate property," and that the
government will conciliate a due regard for such property "with the
sacred fulfilment of treaties."
It is very evident that the Creoles are doomed to be the victims of
Spanish duplicity. It is notorious that many thousands of slaves have
been introduced into the island, for a series of years, with the
connivance of the government, when they had it in their power, at any
time, to stop the traffic altogether. The vigilance of the British
cruisers was baffled by the assurance that the Africans thus brought
over were apprentices, Spain never hesitating to deceive an ally; and
now, when compelled to keep faith, in a desperate emergency, she betrays
her own subjects, and throws the penalty of her own bad faith on them.
A gentleman residing in Cuba writes: "No one can be here, and watch the
progress of things, without being convinced that the ultimate object is
the emancipation of the slaves of the island transported subsequent to
the treaty of 1820, which will comprise four-fifths of the whole number;
and no one who is an attentive observer, and with his ears open, but
must be satisfied that there is some other powerful influence brought to
bear on the subject besides Spain. Take, for instance, the late order
for the registration of the slaves. The British consul openly says that
the British government have been, for a long time, urging the measure.
But it is not only in this, but in every other step taken, that the
British finger is constantly seen. A thousand corroborative
circumstances could be cited. Cuba is to-day indebted to Russia for
being free from this calamity. But for the emperor's obstinacy, there
would have been an English and French fleet that would have enabled them
to carry out all the measures they have in contemplation."
With relation to the intermarriage of blacks and whites, our informant
says, "Many marriages have been performed since the date of the
circular,"--that of the Bishop of Havana to the curates of the island,
by the authority of the captain-general.
"The captain-general," says the same authority, "is now exerting his
influence for the admission of blacks into the university, to prepare
them for clerical orders. Should this system be adopted, I fear it will
lead to bad consequences. It will, of course, be strenuously opposed.
The indignation of the Creoles has been difficult to restrain,--at which
you cannot be surprised, when their daughters, wives and sisters, are
daily insulted, particularly by those in uniform. I fear a collision may
take place. If once commenced, it will be terrific."
The decree authorizing the celebration of marriages between blacks and
whites has probably produced more indignation among the Creoles than any
other official acts of the captain-general. It was directed to the
bishop in the form of a circular, and issued on the 22d of May. On the
29th of the same month, the bishop transmitted copies of it to all the
curates within his jurisdiction; and, as we have seen, many of these
incongruous marriages have been already solemnized. Notwithstanding
these notorious and well-authenticated facts, the official organ of the
government, the _Diario de la Marina_, had the effrontery to publish a
denial of the transaction, asserting it to be mere idle gossip, without
the slightest foundation, and ridiculing the idea in a tone of levity
and _persiflage_.
This may teach us how little dependence is to be placed on the
declarations of the Spanish officials; and we shall be prepared to
receive with incredulity the denial, in the name of the queen, of the
existence of a treaty with England, having for its base the abolition of
slavery, as a reward for British aid in preserving Cuba to Spain. The
captain-general says that she relies not on foreign aid to maintain her
rights, but on her powerful "navy and disciplined army; on the loyalty
of the very immense (_inmensisima_) majority of her vigorous native
citizens (Creoles); on the strength imparted to the good by the defence
of their hearths, their laws and their God; and on the hurricanes and
yellow fever for the enemy."
"Here," writes a Cuban gentleman, commenting on the above declaration,
"we must make a pause, and remark, _en passant_, that the name of her
majesty thus invoked, far from giving force to the denial, weakens it
greatly; for we all know the value of the royal word, particularly that
of her majesty Isabella II. In her name a full pardon was offered to
Armenteros and his associates, who raised the cry of independence in
Trinidad, and this document effected the purpose for which it was
designed. Armenteros and the others, who placed reliance in the royal
word, were, some of them, shot, and the rest deported to African
dungeons. No reliance can be placed on the loyalty of the vast majority
of the vigorous citizens (unless the negroes alone are comprehended
under this phrase), when the whites are deprived of arms for the defence
of their country, and men are fined five pesos for carrying canes of a
larger size than can be readily introduced into a gun-barrel, and free
people of color are alone admitted into the ranks of the troops. The
Cubans are not relied upon, since, to prevent their joining Lopez, all
the roads were blockaded, and everybody found on them shot; and the
immense number of exiles does not prove the majority which favors the
government to be so prodigious.
"The value of the powerful navy and well-trained army of the island was
shown in the landing of Lopez, and the victories that three hundred men
constantly obtained over an army of seven thousand, dispersing only when
ammunition failed them. Hurricanes and the yellow fever are most
melancholy arms of defence; and, if they only injured the enemy, the
Spaniards, who are as much exposed as other Europeans to the fatal
influence, would be the true enemies of Cuba."
The following remarks on the present condition and prospects of the
island are translated from a letter written by an intelligent Creole,
thoroughly conversant with its affairs:
"The whites tremble for their existence and property; no one thinks
himself secure; confidence has ceased, and with it credit; capitalists
have withdrawn their money from circulation; the banks of deposit have
suspended their discounts; premiums have reached a fabulous point for
the best of paper. The government was not ignorant that this would be
the result, and prepared to get out of the momentary crisis by the
project of a bank,[12] published in the _Gaceta_ of the 4th (May); but
the most needy class, in the present embarrassed circumstances, is that
of the planters; and it is necessary, to enable them to fulfil their
engagements, that their notes should be made payable at the end of the
year,--that is, from harvest to harvest,--and not at the end of six
months, as provided for in the regulations. But it matters not; we are
pursuing the path which will precipitate us into the abyss, if
instantaneous and efficacious help does not come to save the island from
the imminent ruin which threatens it.
"The cause of the liberty of nations has always perished in its cradle,
because its defenders have never sought to deviate from legal
paths,--because they have followed the principles sanctioned by the laws
of nations; while despots, always the first to exact obedience to them
when it suited their convenience, have been the first to infringe them
when they came into collision with their interests. Their alliances to
suppress liberty are called _holy_, and the crimes they commit by
invading foreign territories, and summoning foreign troops to their aid
to oppress their own vassals, are sacred duties, compliances with secret
compacts; and, if the congresses, parliaments and Cortes of other
nations, raise the cry to Heaven, they answer, the government has
protested,--acts have been performed without their sanction,--there is
no remedy,--they are acts accomplished.
"An act accomplished will shortly be the abolition of slavery in Cuba;
and the tardy intervention of the United States will only have taken
place when its brilliant constellation lights up the vast sepulchre
which will cover the bodies of her sons, sacrificed to the black race as
a reward for their sympathies with American institutions, and the vast
carnage it will cost to punish the African victors. What can be done
to-day without great sacrifices to help the Cubans, to-morrow cannot be
achieved without the effusion of rivers of blood, and when the few
surviving Cubans will curse an intervention which, deaf to their cries,
will only be produced by the cold calculations of egotism. Then the
struggle will not be with the Spaniards alone. The latter will now
accede to all the claims of the cabinet at Washington, by the advice of
the ambassadors of France and England, to advance, meanwhile, with surer
step to the end,--to give time for the solution of the Eastern question,
and for France and England to send their squadrons into these waters.
Well may they deny the existence of secret treaties; this is very easy
for kings, as it will be when the case of the present treaty comes up,
asserting that the treaty was posterior to their negative, or refusing
explanations as inconsistent with their dignity. But we witness the
realization of our fears; we see the Spanish government imperturbably
setting on foot plans which were thought to be the delirium of excited
imaginations; doing at once what promised to be a gradual work; and hear
it declared, by distinguished persons, who possess the confidence of
General Pezuela, that the existence of the treaty is certain, and that
the United States will be told that they should have accepted the offer
made to become a party to it, in which case the other two powers could
not have adopted the abolition scheme. But, supposing this treaty to
have no existence, the fact of the abolition of slavery is no less
certain. It is only necessary to read the proclamation of the
captain-general, if the last acts of the government be not sufficiently
convincing. The result to the island of Cuba and to the United States is
the same, either way. If the latter do not hasten to avert the blow,
they will soon find it impossible to remedy the evil. In the island
there is not a reflecting man,--foreigner or native, Creole or
European,--who does not tremble for the future that awaits us, at a
period certainly not far remote."
FOOTNOTES:
[11] The administration of Bravo Murillo fell in an attempt of this
kind, and did not rise again.
[12] Pezuela's bank is to have a capital of two million dollars; the
government to be a shareholder for half a million. The effect of such an
institution would be to drain the island of specie.
CHAPTER V.
Geographical position of the island--Its size--The climate--Advice
to invalids--Glance at the principal cities--Matanzas--Puerto
Principe--Santiago de Cuba--Trinidad--The writer's first view of
Havana--Importance of the capital--Its literary
institutions--Restriction on Cuban youths and education--Glance at
the city streets--Style of architecture--Domestic arrangements of
town houses--A word about Cuban ladies--Small feet--Grace of manners
and general characteristics.
Having thus briefly glanced at the political story of Cuba, let us now
pass to a consideration of such peculiarities of climate, soil and
population, as would naturally interest a stranger on visiting the
island. The form, geographically speaking, of Cuba, is quite irregular,
and resembles the blade of a Turkish scimeter slightly curved back, or
approaching the form of a long, narrow crescent. It stretches away in
this shape from east to west, throwing its western end into a curve, as
if to form an impregnable barrier to the outlet of the Gulf of Mexico;
and as if, at some ancient period, it had formed a part of the American
continent, and had been severed on its north side from the Florida
peninsula by the wearing of the Gulf-stream, and from Yucatan, on its
south-western point, by a current setting into the gulf. Its political
position all concede to be of the most vital importance to the United
States; and this will be apparent to any one, from the slightest
inspection of the map.
It is the most westerly of the West Indian isles, and, compared with the
rest, has nearly twice as much superficial extent of territory. Its
greatest extent, from east to west, is about six hundred miles; its
narrowest part, twenty-two miles. The circumference is about two
thousand miles, containing some thirty-two thousand square miles.[13]
The narrow form of the island, and the Cordillera chain of mountains,
which divides it throughout its whole length, leave a very limited
course for its rivers and streams; and consequently these in the rainy
season become torrents, and during the rest of the year are nearly dried
up. Those that sustain themselves throughout the year are well stocked
with delicate and finely-flavored fish.
Probably no place on the earth has a finer or more desirable climate
than has the main portion of Cuba;[14] with the clear atmosphere of the
low latitudes, no mist, the sun seldom obscured, and the appearance of
the stars and sky at night far brighter and more beautiful than at the
north.[15] The atmosphere does not seem to lose its transparency with
the departure of day. Sunset is ever remarkable for its soft, mellow
beauty here, and the long twilight that follows it. For many years the
island has been the resort of the northern invalid in search of health,
especially of those laboring under pulmonary affections; the soft,
soothing power of the climate having a singularly healing influence, as
exercised in the balmy trade-winds.[16] The climate so uniformly soft
and mild, the vegetation so thriving and beautiful, the fruits so
delicious and abundant, seem to give it a character almost akin to that
we have seen described in tales of fairy land.
The declining health of a beloved companion was the motive which induced
the author of these pages to visit the delightful climate of Cuba, with
the hope that its genial and kindly influence might revive her physical
powers; nor were these hopes disappointed; for, transplanted from the
rough climate of our own New England, immediate and permanent
improvement was visible. To persons in the early stages of pulmonary
complaints the West Indies hold forth great promise of relief; and, at
the period when invalid New Englanders most require to avoid their own
homes, namely, during the prevailing east winds of April, May and June,
the island of Cuba is in the glory of high summer, and enjoying the
healthiest period of its yearly returns. After the early part of June,
the unacclimated would do well to take passage up the gulf to New
Orleans, and come gradually north with the advancing season. From the
proximity of Cuba in the north-western parts to our own continent, the
climate is variable, and a few hundred feet above the level of the sea
ice is sometimes formed, but snow never falls upon the island, though it
is occasionally visited in this region by hail storms. In the cities and
near the swamps, the yellow fever, that scourge of all hot climates,
prevails from the middle of June to the last of October; but in the
interior of the island, where the visitor is at a wholesome distance
from humidity and stagnant water, it is no more unhealthy than our own
cities in summer. It is doubtful if Havana, even in the fever season, is
as unhealthy as New Orleans during the same period of the year.
The principal cities of the island are Havana, with a population of
about two hundred thousand; Matanzas, twenty-five thousand; Puerto
Principe, fourteen thousand; Santiago de Cuba, thirty thousand;
Trinidad, thirteen thousand; St. Salvador, eight thousand; Manzanilla,
three thousand; Cardenas, Nuevitas, Sagua la Grande, Mariel, etc. etc.
Cuba abounds in fine large harbors; those of Havana, Niepe and Nuevitas,
are among the best. The bay of Matanzas is also capacious; Cardenas and
the roadstead of Sagua la Grande have plenty of water for brigs and
schooners. Matanzas,[17] though second to Puerto Principe in point of
inhabitants, yet stands next to Havana in commercial importance, and is
said to be much healthier than the capital. It is located in a valley in
one of the most fertile portions of the island, the city extending from
the flat sea-shore up to the picturesque and verdant heights by which
the town is surrounded in the form of an amphitheatre. The
fortifications are of rather a meagre character. The custom-house is the
most prominent building which strikes the eye on approaching the city by
water, and is an elegant structure of stone, but one story high, built
at the early part of the present century. On the heights above the city,
the inhabitants have planted their country seats, and from the bay the
whole scene is most delightfully picturesque. There are two fine
churches in Matanzas, and a second-class theatre, cock-pit, etc.
Statistics show the custom-house receipts of the port to exceed the
large sum of a million and a half dollars annually. Besides the railroad
leading to Havana, there is another leading to the interior and bearing
southward, of some thirty or forty miles in length. On all the Cuban
railroads you ride in American-built cars, drawn by American-built
engines, and conducted by American engineers. The back country from
Matanzas is rich in sugar and coffee plantations.
Puerto Principe is the capital of the central department of the island,
and is situated in the interior. The trade of the place, from the want
of water-carriage, is inconsiderable, and bears no proportion to the
number of inhabitants. What ever portion of the produce of Puerto
Principe and its immediate neighborhood is exported, must find its way
first to Nuevitas, twelve and a half leagues distant, from whence it is
shipped, and from whence it receives in return its foreign supplies. It
is situated about one hundred and fifty miles from Havana. Its original
locality, when founded by Velasquez, was Nuevitas, but the inhabitants,
when the place was feeble in numbers and strength, were forced to remove
to this distance inland, to avoid the fierce incursions of the
Buccaneers, who thronged the coast.
Santiago de Cuba has a noble harbor, and is defended by a miniature Moro
Castle, being a well-planned fortress after the same style, and known as
_El Moro_. This city was founded in 1512, and is the capital of the
eastern department of the island, but has at various times suffered
severely from earthquakes, and within a couple of years was visited by
the cholera, which swept off some five or six thousand of its population
in about the same number of weeks. Santiago, though it now presents many
features of decay, and its cathedral is closed for fear of disaster
occurring if it should be occupied, is yet the third city on the island
in a commercial point of view. The immediate neighborhood of the city
being mountainous and somewhat sterile, produces little sugar, but the
many fine coffee estates, and several vast copper mines of uncomputed
extent and value, which have been worked by English companies, give it
much importance. It is two hundred and thirty leagues from Havana, on
the south coast.
Trinidad, situated about a league from Casilda, on the south coast, and
ninety miles from Havana, is probably one of the healthiest and
pleasantest locations for invalids on the island. It lies at the base of
a ridge of mountains that protect it from the north wind, and is free
from all humidity, with that great blessing, good water, at hand, an
article which unfortunately is very scarce in Cuba.
Our first view of Moro Castle was gained from the quarter-deck, after a
fifteen days' voyage; it was just as the sun was dipping into the sea,
too late for us to enter the harbor, for the rules of the port are
rigorously observed, and we were obliged to stand off and on through the
night. At early morning our jack was set at the fore as a signal for a
pilot, and at noon we had answered the rough peremptory hail from the
castle, and dropped anchor in the safe and beautiful harbor of the
capital. The scene was absorbingly interesting to a stranger. Around us
floated the flags of many nations, conspicuous among which were the
gallant stars and stripes. On the one side lay the city, on a low, level
plain, while the hills that make the opposite side of the harbor
presented a beautiful picture of the soft green sward and the luxuriant
verdure that forms the constant garb of the tropics.
As Paris is said to be France, so is Havana Cuba, and its history
embraces in no small degree that of all the island, being the centre of
its talent, wealth and population. Every visible circumstance proclaims
the great importance of the city, even to the most casual observer.
Moro Castle[18] frowning over the narrow entrance of the harbor, the
strong battery answering to it on the opposite point, and known as La
Punta, the long range of cannon and barracks on the city side, the
powerful and massive fortress of the Cabanas[19] crowning the hill
behind the Moro, all speak unitedly of the immense importance of the
place. Havana is the heart of Cuba, and will never be yielded unless the
whole island be given up; indeed, the possessors of this strong-hold
command the whole Spanish West Indies. The bay, shaped like an outspread
hand, the wrist for the entrance, is populous with the ships of all
nations,[20] and the city, with its 200,000 inhabitants, is a depot of
wealth and luxury. With an enormous extent of public buildings,
cathedrals, antique and venerable churches and convents, with the
palaces of nobles and private gentlemen of wealth, all render this
capital of Cuba probably the richest place for its number of square rods
in the world.
Beside the Royal University of Havana, a medical and law school, and
chairs on all the natural sciences, it contains many other institutions
of learning. It is true that, in spite of their liberal purpose and
capability, there is a blight, as it were, hanging over them all. Pupils
enlist cautiously, suffer undue restraint, and in spite of themselves
seem to feel that there is an unseen influence at work against the
spirit of these advantages. Among the schools are a Royal Seminary for
girls, a free school of sculpture and painting, a mercantile school,
also free, with many private institutions of learning, of course not to
be compared in ability or general advantages to like institutions with
us. There is a fine museum of Natural History, and just outside the city
walls a very extensive botanical garden. No one, even among the
islanders, who would be supposed to feel the most pride in the subject,
will for a moment deny, however, that the means for education are very
limited in Cuba. An evidence of this is perceptibly evinced by the fact
that the sons of the planters are almost universally sent abroad, mostly
to this country, for educational purposes. An order was not long since
promulgated, by direction of the home government, in which the
inhabitants are forbidden to send their children to the United States,
for the purpose of education. A bold, decided order.
Of course the reason for this is quite apparent, and is openly
acknowledged in Havana, viz:--that these youths, during their residence
here, adopt liberal ideas and views of our republican policy, which
become fixed principles with them; nor is there any doubt of this being
the case, for such students as have thus returned, unhesitatingly
(among friends) avow their sentiments, and most ardently express a hope
for Cuban independence; and this class, too, upon the island are far
more numerous than might at first be supposed. Those who have been
educated in France, Germany, and England, seem at once to imbibe the
spirit of those youths who have returned from the United States, and
long before there was any open demonstration relative to the first Lopez
expedition, these sons of the planters had formed themselves into a
secret society, which is doubtless still sustained, with the avowed
purpose of exercising its ability and means to free Cuba, sooner or
later, from the Spanish yoke.
The city of Havana is surrounded by a high wall and ditch, and its gates
are always strictly guarded by soldiery, no stranger being permitted to
pass unchallenged. The streets, which are extremely narrow, are all
Macadamized, and cross each other at right angles, like those of
Philadelphia and some other American cities. There are no sidewalks,
unless a narrow line of flag-stones which are level with the surface of
the street may be so called. Indeed, the people have little use for
sidewalks, for they drive almost universally about town in place of
walking, being thus borne about in that peculiar vehicle, a volante. A
woman of respectability is never seen on foot in the streets, and this
remark, as singular as it may sound to our Broadway and
Washington-street belles, is applicable even to the humblest classes;
unless, indeed, it be the fruit women from the country, with their
baskets richly laden upon their heads, while they cry the names of
their tempting burdens in the long drawling Spanish style.
The architecture of the city houses is exceedingly heavy, giving to them
an appearance of great age. They are constructed so as almost
universally to form squares in their centres, which constitutes the only
yard which the house can have, and upon which the lofty arches of the
corridor look down. The lower story is always occupied as storeroom,
kitchen, and stable, (think of a suite of drawing-rooms over a stable!)
while the universal volante blocks up in part the only entrance to the
house. From this inner court-yard a wide flight of steps leads to the
second story, from the corridor of which all the rooms open, giving them
an opening front and rear on two sides at least. As peculiar as this
mode of building may seem, it is nevertheless well adapted to the
climate, and one becomes exceedingly well satisfied with the
arrangement.
An air of rude grandeur reigns over all the structure, the architecture
being mainly Gothic and Saracenic. The rooms are all lofty, and the
floors are stuccoed or tiled, while the walls and ceilings are
frequently ornamented in fresco, the excellence of the workmanship of
course varying in accordance with the owner's or occupant's means, and
his ability to procure an artist of high or _mediocre_ talent. But the
most striking peculiarity of the town house in Cuba, is the great care
taken to render it safe against assault. Every man's house is literally
his castle here, each accessible window being barricaded with iron
bars, while large massive folding doors secure the entrance to the
house, being bullet proof and of immense strength. No carpets are seen
here, and from the neighboring Isle of Pines, which lies off the
southern shore of Cuba, a thick slate is found, also marble and jasper
of various colors, which are cut in squares, and form the general
material for floors in the dwelling-houses. The heat of the climate
renders carpets, or even wooden floors, quite insupportable, and they
are very rarely to be found.
We have said that the Creole ladies never stir abroad except in the
national volante, and whatever their domestic habits may be, they are
certainly, in this respect, good _house-keepers_. A Cuban belle could
never, we fancy, be made to understand the pleasures of that most
profitless of all employments, spinning street-yarn. While our ladies
are busily engaged in sweeping the sidewalks of Chestnut-street and
Broadway with their silk flounces, she wisely leaves that business to
the gangs of criminals who perform the office with their limbs chained,
and a ball attached to preserve their equilibrium. It is perhaps in part
owing to these habits that the feet of the Cuban señorita are such a
marvel of smallness and delicacy, seemingly made rather for ornament
than for use. She knows the charm of the _petit pied bien chaussé_ that
delights the Parisian, and accordingly, as you catch a glimpse of it, as
she steps into the volante, you perceive that it is daintily shod in a
French slipper, the sole of which is scarcely more substantial in
appearance than writing paper.[21]
The feet of the Havana ladies are made for ornament and for dancing.
Though with a roundness of figure that leaves nothing to be desired in
symmetry of form, yet they are light as a sylph, clad in muslin and
lace, so languid and light that it would seem as if a breeze might waft
them away like a summer cloud. They are passionately fond of dancing,
and tax the endurance of the gentlemen in their heroic worship of
Terpsichore. Inspired by the thrilling strains of those Cuban airs,
which are at once so sweet and brilliant, they glide or whirl through
the mazes of the dance hour after hour, until daylight breaks upon the
scene of fairy revel. Then, "exhausted but not satiated," they betake
themselves to sleep, to dream of the cadences of some Cuban Strauss, and
to beat time in imagination to the lively notes, and to dream over the
soft words and winning glances they have exchanged.
Beautiful as eastern houris, there is a striking and endearing charm
about the Cuban ladies, their very motion being replete with a native
grace; every limb elastic and supple. Their voices are sweet and low,
"an excellent thing in woman," and the subdued tone of their complexions
is relieved by the arch vivacity of night-black eyes that alternately
swim in melting lustre or sparkle in expressive glances. Their costume
is never ostentatious, though costly; the most delicate muslin, the
finest linen, the richest silk, the most exquisitely made satin
shoes,--these, of course, render their chaste attire exceedingly
expensive. There are no "strong-minded" women among them, nor is it
hardly possible to conceive of any extremity that could induce them to
get up a woman's right convention--a suspension of fans and volantes
might produce such a phenomenon, but we very much doubt it.
The Creole ladies lead a life of decided ease and pleasure. What little
work they do is very light and lady-like, a little sewing or embroidery;
the bath and the _siesta_ divide the sultry hours of the day. They wait
until nearly sunset for the drive in the dear volante, and then go to
respond by sweet smiles to the salutations of the _caballeros_ on the
Paseos, and after the long twilight to the Plaza de Armas, to listen to
the governor's military band, and then perhaps to join the mazy dance.
Yet they are capable of deep and high feeling, and when there was a
prospect of the liberation of the island, these fair patriots it will be
remembered gave their most precious jewels and ornaments as a
contribution to the glorious cause of liberty.
FOOTNOTES:
[13] Humboldt's calculation makes it contain forty-three thousand, three
hundred and eighty square miles; but other estimates approximate more
nearly our own statement.
[14] According to Dr. Finlay, a resident physician on the island, its
hottest months are July and August, when the mean temperature is from
80° to 83° Fahrenheit.
[15] "The nights are very dark, but the darkness is as if transparent;
the air is not felt. There could not be more beautiful nights in
Paradise."--_Miss Bremer's Letters._
[16] When consumption _originates_ in Cuba, it runs its course so
rapidly that there is, perhaps, no wonder the Creoles should deem it, as
they universally do, to be contagious.
[17] The first lines of this city were traced on Saturday, the 10th of
October, 1693, by Señor Manzaneda, under whose government it was
founded. It was named San Cárlos Alcázar de Matanzas; the last word,
that by which it is known, signifying the slaughter of a battle-field.
[18] Moro Castle was first built in 1633; the present structure was
erected on the ruins of the first, destroyed by the English in 1762.
[19] Built by Charles III., and said to have cost the sum of $7,000,000.
According to Rev. L.L. Allen's lecture on Cuba, it was more than forty
years in building.
[20] The port of Havana is one of the best harbors in the world. It has
a very narrow entrance, but spreads immediately into a vast basin,
embracing the whole city, and large enough to hold a thousand ships of
war.--_Alexander H. Everett._
[21] "Her hands and feet are as small and delicate as those of a child.
She wears the finest satin slippers, with scarcely any soles, which,
luckily, are never destined to touch the street."--_Countess Merlin's
Letters._
CHAPTER VI.
Contrast between Protestant and Catholic communities--Catholic
churches--Sabbath scenes in Havana--Devotion of the common
people--The Plaza de Armas--City squares--The poor man's
opera--Influence of music--La Dominica--The Tacon Paseo--The Tacon
Theatre--The Cathedral--Tomb of Columbus over the altar--Story of
the great Genoese pilot--His death--Removal of remains--The former
great wealth of the church in Cuba--Influence of the priests.
On no occasion is the difference between the manners of a Protestant and
Catholic community so strongly marked as on the Sabbath. In the former,
a sober seriousness stamps the deportment of the people, even when they
are not engaged in devotional exercises; in the latter, worldly
pleasures and religious exercises are pursued as it were at the same
time, or follow each other in incongruous succession. The Parisian flies
from the church to the railway station, to take a pleasure excursion
into the country, or passes with careless levity from St. Genevieve to
the Jardin Mabille; in New Orleans, the Creole, who has just bent his
knee before the altar, repairs to the French opera, and the Cuban from
the blessing of the priest to the parade in the Plaza. Even the Sunday
ceremonial of the church is a pageant; the splendid robe of the
officiating priest, changed in the course of the offices, like the
costumes of actors in a drama; the music, to Protestant ears operatic
and exciting; the clouds of incense that scatter their intoxicating
perfumes; the chants in a strange tongue, unknown to the mass of
worshippers;--all these give the services a holiday and carnival
character.[22]
Far be it from us to charge these congregations with any undue levity;
many a lovely Creole kneels upon the marble floor, entirely estranged
from the brilliant groups around her, and unconscious for the time of
the admiration she excites; many a _caballero_ bows in reverence,
forgetful, for the time being, of the bright eyes that are too often the
load-star of attraction to the church; and there are very many who look
beyond the glittering symbols to the great truths and the great Being
they are intended to typify. But we fear that a large portion of the
community who thus worship, attach more importance to the representation
than to the principles or things represented. The impression made by the
Sabbath ceremonies of the church strikes us as evanescent, and as of
such a character as to be at once obliterated by the excitement of the
worldly pleasures that follow. Still, if the Sabbath in Catholic
countries be not wholly devoted to religious observances, neither are
the week days wholly absorbed by business and pleasure. The churches and
chapels are always open, silently but eloquently inviting to devotion;
and it is much to be able to step aside, at any moment, from the
temptations, business and cares of life, into an atmosphere of seclusion
and religion. The solemn quiet of an old cathedral on a week-day is
impressive from its very contrast with the tumult outside.
Within its venerable walls the light seems chastened as it falls through
storied panes, and paints the images of Christian saints and martyrs on
the cold pavement of the aisles. Who can tell how many a tempest-tossed
soul has found relief and strength from the ability to withdraw itself
at once from the intoxicating whirl of the world and expand in prayer in
one of these hospitable and ever open sanctuaries? The writer is a firm
Protestant, by education, by association and feeling, but he is not so
bigoted as not to see features in the Catholic system worthy of
commendation. Whether the Catholic church has accomplished its mission,
and exhausted its means of good, is a question open to discussion, but
that in the past it has achieved much for the cause of true religion
cannot be denied. Through the darkest period in the history of the
world, it was the lamp that guided to a higher civilization, and the
bulwark of the people against the crushing force of feudalism; and with
all the objections which it discovers to a Protestant eye, it still
preserves many beautiful customs.
The Sabbath in Havana breaks upon the citizens amid the ringing of bells
from the different convents and churches, the firing of cannon from the
forts and vessels, the noise of trumpets, and the roll of the drum.
Sunday is no day of physical rest here. The stores are open as usual,
the same cries are heard in the streets, and the lottery tickets are
vended as ever at each corner. The individual who devotes himself to
this business rends the air with his cries of temptation to the passing
throng, each one of whom he earnestly assures is certain to realize
enormous pecuniary returns by the smallest investment, in tickets, or
portions of tickets, which he holds in sheets, while he brandishes a
huge pair of scissors, ready to cut in any desired proportion. The day
proves no check to the omnipresent "organ grinders," the monkey shows,
and other characteristic scenes. How unlike a New England Sabbath is all
this, how discordant to the feelings of one who has been brought up amid
our Puritanic customs of the sacred day! And yet the people of Havana
seem to be impressed with no small degree of reverence for the Catholic
faith. The rough Montero from the country, with his long line of loaded
mules, respectfully raises his panama with one hand, while he makes the
sign of the cross with the other, as he passes the church. The calisero
or postilion, who dashes by with his master in the volante, does not
forget, in his hurry, to bend to the pommel of his saddle; and even the
little negro slave children may be observed to fold their arms across
their breasts and remain reverentially silent until they have passed its
doors.
The city abounds in beautifully arranged squares, ornamented by that
king of the tropical forest, the Royal Palm, with here and there a few
orange trees, surrounded by a luxuriant hedge of limes. The largest and
most beautiful of these squares is the _Plaza de Armas_, fronting which
is the Governor's palace, and about which are the massive stone barracks
of the Spanish army. This square is surrounded by an iron railing and
divided into beautiful walks, planted on either side with gaudy flowers,
and shadowed by oranges and palms, while a grateful air of coolness is
diffused around by the playing of a copious fountain into a large stone
basin, surmounted by a marble statue of Ferdinand. Public squares, parks
and gardens, are the lungs of great cities, and their value increases as
the population becomes dense. Heap story upon story of costly marble,
multiply magazines and palaces, yet neglect to provide, in their midst,
some glimpse of nature, some opening for the light and air of heaven,
and the costliest and most sumptuous of cities would prove but a dreary
dwelling-place. The eye wearies, in time, of the glories of art, but of
the gifts of nature never, and in public squares and gardens both may be
happily combined.
Human culture brings trees, shrubs and flowers to their fullest
development, fosters and keeps green the emerald sward, and brings the
bright leaping waters into the midst of the graces of nature. Nowhere
does a beautiful statue look more beautiful than when erected in a
framework of deep foliage. These public squares are the most attractive
features of cities. Take from London Hyde Park, from Paris the Champs
Elysées and the Tuilleries gardens, the Battery and the Park from New
York, and the Common from Boston, and they would be but weary
wildernesses of brick, stone and mortar. The enlightened corporation
that bestows on a young city the gift of a great park, to be enjoyed in
common forever, does more for posterity than if it raised the most
sumptuous columns and palaces for public use or display.
[Illustration: PLAZA DE ARMAS AND GOVERNOR'S PALACE.]
The Plaza de Armas of Havana is a living evidence of this, and is the
nightly resort of all who can find time to be there, while the
governor's military band performs always from seven to nine o'clock. The
Creoles call it "the poor man's opera," it being free to all; every
class resorts hither; and even the ladies, leaving their volantes,
sometimes walk with husband or brother within the precincts of the
Plaza. We are told that "the man who has not music in his soul is fit
for treason, stratagem and spoils." It is undoubtedly from motives of
policy that the Havanese authorities provide this entertainment for the
people. How ungrateful it would be to overthrow a governor whose band
performs such delightful polkas, overtures and marches; and yet, it
requires some circumspection for the band-master to select airs for a
Creole audience. It would certainly never do to give them "Yankee
Doodle;" their sympathies with the "_Norte Americanos_" are sufficiently
lively without any such additional stimulus; and it is well for the
authorities to have a care, for the power of national airs is almost
incredible. It was found necessary, in the times of the old Bourbons, to
forbid the performance of the "_Ranz des Vaches_," because it so filled
the privates of the Swiss guards with memories of their native home that
they deserted in numbers. The Scotch air of "Lochaber no more" was found
to have the same effect upon the Highland regiments in Canada; and we
are not sure that "Yankee Doodle," performed in the presence of a
thousand Americans on the Plaza de Armas, would not secure the
annexation of the island in a fortnight.
The Creoles are passionately fond of music. Their favorite airs, besides
the Castilian ones, are native dances, which have much sweetness and
individuality of character. They are fond of the guitar and flageolet,
and are often proficients in their use, as well as possessing fine vocal
powers. The voice is cultivated among the gentlemen as often as with the
ladies. Music in the open air and in the evening has an invincible
effect everywhere, but nowhere is its influence more deeply felt than in
a starry tropical night. Nowhere can we conceive of a musical
performance listened to with more delightful relish than in the Plaza at
Havana, as discoursed by the governor's band, at the close of the long
tropical twilight.
In the immediate neighborhood of the Plaza, near the rear of the
governor's palace, is a superb confectionary,--really one of the
notabilities of the city, and only excelled by Taylor's saloon,
Broadway, New York. It is called La Dominica, and is the popular resort
of all foreigners in Havana, and particularly of Americans and
Frenchmen. It is capable of accommodating some hundreds of visitors at a
time, and is generally well filled every afternoon and evening. In the
centre is a large open court, paved with white marble and jasper, and
containing a fountain in the middle, around which the visitors are
seated. Probably no establishment in the world can supply a larger
variety of preserves, bon-bons and confectionaries generally, than this,
the fruits of the island supplying the material for nearly a hundred
varieties of preserves, which the proprietor exports largely to Europe
and America, and has thereby accumulated for himself a fortune.
Following the street on which is this famous confectionary, one is soon
brought to the city walls, and, passing outside, is at once ushered into
the Tacon Paseo, where all the beauty and fashion of the town resort in
the after part of the day. It is a mile or more in length, beautifully
laid out in wide, clean walks, with myriads of tropical flowers, trees
and shrubs, whose fragrance seems to render the atmosphere almost dense.
Here the ladies in their volantes, and the gentlemen mostly on foot,
pass and repass each other in a sort of circular drive, gayly saluting,
the ladies with a coquettish flourish of the fan, the gentlemen with a
graceful wave of the hand.
In these grounds is situated the famous Tacon Theatre. In visiting the
house, you enter the first tier and parquette from the level of the
Paseo, and find the interior about twice as large as any theatre in this
country, and about equal in capacity to Tripler Hall, New York, or the
Music Hall, Boston. It has five tiers of boxes, and a parquette with
seats, each separate, like an arm-chair, for six hundred persons. The
lattice-work in front of each box is light and graceful, of gilt
ornament, and so open that the dresses and pretty feet of the señoras
are seen to the best advantage. The decorations are costly, and the
frescoes and side ornaments of the proscenium exceedingly beautiful. A
magnificent cut-glass chandelier, lighted with gas, and numerous smaller
ones extending from the boxes, give a brilliant light to this elegant
house. At the theatre the military are always in attendance in strong
force, as at all gatherings in Cuba, however unimportant, their only
perceptible use, however, being to impede the passages, and stare the
ladies out of countenance. The only other noted place of amusement is
the Italian opera-house, within the city walls, an oven-shaped building
externally, but within appropriately and elegantly furnished with every
necessary appurtenance.
No object in Havana will strike the visitor with more of interest than
the cathedral, situated in the Calle de Ignacio. Its towers and pillared
front of defaced and moss-grown stone call back associations of
centuries gone by. This cathedral, like all of the Catholic churches, is
elaborately ornamented with many fine old paintings of large size and
immense value. The entire dome is also decorated with paintings in
fresco. The chief object of interest, however, and which will not fail
to attract the attention, is a tablet of marble inlaid in the wall at
the right of the altar, having upon its face the image of Christopher
Columbus, and forming the entrance to the tomb where rest the ashes of
this discoverer of a western world; here, too, are the iron chains with
which an ungrateful sovereign once loaded him. How great the contrast
presented to the mind between those chains and the reverence bestowed
upon this tomb![23]
[Illustration: THE CATHEDRAL AT HAVANA.]
The story of the great Genoese possesses a more thrilling interest than
any narrative which the imagination of poet or romancer has ever
conceived. The tales of the Arabian Nights, with all their wealth of
fancy, are insipid and insignificant compared with the authentic
narrative of the adventures of the Italian mariner and his sublime
discovery. Familiar as we are with it from childhood, from the greatness
of the empire he gave to Christendom, the tale has still a fascination,
however often repeated, while the visible memorials of his greatness and
his trials revive all our veneration for his intellect and all our
interest in the story of his career. His name flashes a bright ray over
the mental darkness of the period in which he lived, for men generally
were then but just awakening from the dark sleep of the middle ages. The
discovery of printing heralded the new birth of the republic of letters,
and maritime enterprise received a vigorous impulse. The shores of the
Mediterranean, thoroughly explored and developed, had endowed the
Italian states with extraordinary wealth, and built up a very
respectable mercantile marine, considering the period. The Portuguese
mariners were venturing farther and farther from the peninsula ports,
and traded with different stations on the coast of Africa.
But to the _west_ lay what men supposed to be an illimitable ocean, full
of mystery, peril and death. A vague conception that islands, hitherto
unknown, might be met with afar off on that strange wilderness of
waters, like oases in a desert, was entertained by some minds, but no
one thought of venturing in quest of them. Columbus alone, regarded
merely as a brave and intelligent seaman and pilot, conceived the idea
that the earth was spherical, and that the East Indies, the great El
Dorado of the century, might be reached by circumnavigating the globe.
If we picture to ourselves the mental condition of the age, and the
state of science, we shall find no difficulty in conceiving the scorn
and incredulity with which the theory of Columbus was received. We shall
not wonder that he was regarded as a madman or as a fool; we are not
surprised to remember that he encountered repulse upon repulse, as he
journeyed wearily from court to court, and pleaded in vain for aid to
the sovereigns of Europe and wise men of the cloister. But the marvel is
that when gate after gate was closed against him, when all ears were
deaf to his patient importunities, when day by day the opposition to his
views increased, when, weary and foot-sore, he was forced to beg a
morsel of bread and a cup of water for his fainting and famished boy, at
the door of a Spanish convent, his reason did not give way, and his
great heart did not break beneath its weight of disappointment.
But his soul was then as firm and steadfast as when, launched in his
frail caravel upon the ocean, he pursued day after day, and night after
night, amidst a discontented, murmuring, and mutinous crew, his westward
path over the trackless waters. We can conceive of his previous sorrows,
but what imagination can form an adequate conception of his hopefulness
and gratitude when the tokens of the neighborhood of land first greeted
his senses; of his high enthusiasm when the shore was discovered; of his
noble rapture when the keel of his bark grounded on the shore of San
Salvador, and he planted the royal standard in the soil, the Viceroy and
High Admiral of Spain in the New World! No matter what chanced
thereafter, a king's favor or a king's displeasure, royal largesses or
royal chains,--that moment of noble exultation was worth a long lifetime
of trials. Such were our thoughts before the cathedral altar, gazing on
his consecrated tomb, and thus suggestive will the visitor be sure to
find this memorial of the great captain amid its sombre
surroundings.[24]
It will be remembered that Columbus died in Valladolid, in 1506. In 1513
his remains were transferred to Seville, preparatory to their being
sent, as desired in his will, to St. Domingo. When that island was ceded
to France, the remains were delivered to the Spaniards. This was in
1796, one hundred and three years after they had been placed there; they
were then brought with great pomp to Havana, in a national ship, and
were deposited in the cathedral in the presence of all the high
authorities. The church itself, aside from this prominent feature of
interest, is vastly attractive from its ancient character and
appearance, and one lingers with mysterious delight and thoughtfulness
among its marble aisles and confessionals.
The wealth of the church and of the monks in Cuba was formerly
proverbial, but of late years the major portion of the rich perquisites
which they were so long permitted to receive, have been diverted in
their course, so as to flow into the coffers of the crown. The priests
at one time possessed large tracts of the richest soil of the island,
and their revenue from these plantations was immense; but these lands
were finally confiscated by the government, and, with the loss of their
property, the power of the monks has also declined, and they themselves
diminished in numbers. Two of their large establishments, St. Augustine
and St. Domingo, have been converted into government storehouses, and
the large convent of San Juan de Dios is now used solely for a hospital.
Formerly the streets were thronged by monks, but now they are only
occasionally seen, with their sombre dress and large shovel hats.
The character of this class of men has of former years been a scandal to
the island, and the stories that are told by respectable people
concerning them are really unfit for print. They led lives of the most
unlimited profligacy, and they hesitated not to defy every law, moral or
divine. For a long period this existed, but Tacon and subsequent
governors-general, aroused to a sense of shame, made the proper
representations to the home government, and put a stop to their
excesses. Many persons traced the bad condition of public morals and the
increase of crime just previous to Tacon's governorship directly to this
ruling influence.
A fearful condition when those who assume to lead in spiritual affairs
proved the fountain-head of crime upon the island, themselves the worst
of criminals.
FOOTNOTES:
[22] The influence of fifteen minutes in the church, if salutary, seems
soon dissipated by the business and amusements without its walls. The
shops are open; the cock-pit fuller than on busier days of the week; and
the streets thronged with volantes; the theatres and ball rooms crowded;
and the city devoted to pleasure.--_Rev. Abiel Abbot's Letters._
[23] There is now being completed, at Genoa, an elaborate and most
classical monument to the memory of Columbus. The work hag been
entrusted to a Genoese, a pupil of Canova; and, according to Prof.
Silliman, who visited it in 1851, promises to be "one of the noblest of
historical records ever sculptured in marble."
[24] The reward of genius is rarely contemporary, and even posterity is
frequently most remiss in its justice. "Sebastian Cabot gave England a
continent," says Bancroft, "and no one knows his burial-place!"
CHAPTER VII.
Nudity of children and slaves--The street of the merchants--The
currency of Cuba--The Spanish army in the island--Enrolment of
blacks--Courage of Spanish troops--Treatment by the government--The
garrote--A military execution--The market-men and their wares--The
milk-man and his mode of supply--Glass windows--Curtains for
doors--The Campo Santo, or burial-place of Havana--Treatment of the
dead--The prison--The fish-market of the capital.
One peculiarity which is certain to strike the stranger from the first
hour he lands upon the island, whether in public or private houses, in
the stores or in the streets, is that the young slaves, of both sexes,
under the age of eight or ten years, are permitted to go about in a
state of perfect nudity; while the men of the same class, who labor in
the streets, wear only a short pair of pantaloons, without any other
covering to the body, thus displaying their brawny muscles at every
movement. This causes rather a shock to the ideas of propriety
entertained by an American; but it is thought nothing of by the
"natives." On the plantations inland, the slaves of either sex wear but
just enough clothes to appear decently. The almost intolerable heat when
exposed to field-labor is the excuse for this, a broad palm-leaf hat
being the only article that the negroes seem to desire to wear in the
field.
The Calle de Mercaderes, or the street of the merchants, is the Broadway
and Washington Street of Havana, and contains many fine stores for the
sale of dry goods, china, jewelry, glass-ware, etc. The merchant here
does not designate his store by placing his own name on his sign, but,
on the contrary, adopts some fancy title, such as the "America," the
"Star," the "Bomb," "Virtue," and the like; which titles are paraded in
golden letters over the doors. These tradesmen are, generally speaking,
thorough Jews in their mode of dealing, and no one thinks of paying the
first price asked by them for an article, as they usually make
allowances for being beaten down at least one half. The ladies commonly
make their purchases in the after part of the day, stopping in their
volantes at the doors of the shops, from which the articles they desire
to examine are brought to them by the shopmen. No lady enters a shop to
make a purchase, any more than she would be found walking in the
streets.
There is no paper money known on the island, so that all transactions at
these stores must be consummated in specie. The coin generally in use is
the Spanish and Mexican dollar, half and quarter dollars, pesétas, or
twenty-cent pieces, and reals de plata, equal to our twelve-and-a-half
cent pieces, or York shillings. The gold coin is the doubloon and its
fractions. Silver is always scarce, and held at a premium in Havana,
say from two to five per cent. As Cuba has no regular bank, the merchant
draws on his foreign credit altogether, each mercantile house becoming
its own sub-treasury, supplied with the largest and best of iron safes.
The want of some legitimate banking system is severely felt here, and is
a prominent subject of complaint with all foreign merchants.
The Spanish government supports a large army on the island, which is
under the most rigid discipline, and in a state of considerable
efficiency. It is the policy of the home government to fill the ranks
with natives of old Spain, in order that no undue sympathy may be felt
for the Creoles, or islanders, in case of insurrection or attempted
revolution. An order has recently been issued by Pezuela, the present
governor-general, for the enrolment of free blacks and mulattoes in the
ranks of the army, and the devotion of these people to Spain is loudly
vaunted in the captain-general's proclamation. The enlistment of people
of color in the ranks is a deadly insult offered to the white population
of a slave-holding country,--a sort of shadowing forth of the menace,
more than once thrown out by Spain, to the effect that if the colonists
should ever attempt a revolution, she would free and arm the blacks,
and Cuba, made to repeat the tragic tale of St. Domingo, should be
useless to the Creoles if lost to Spain. But we think Spain
overestimates the loyalty of the free people of color whom she would
now enroll beneath her banner. They cannot forget the days of O'Donnell
(governor-general), when he avenged the opposition of certain Cubans to
the illicit and infamous slave-trade by which he was enriching himself,
by charging them with an abolition conspiracy in conjunction with the
free blacks and mulattoes, and put many of the latter to the torture to
make them confess imaginary crimes; while others, condemned without a
trial, were mowed down by the fire of platoons. Assuredly the people of
color have no reason for attachment to the _paternal_ government of
Spain. And in this connection we may also remark that this attempt at
the enrolment of the blacks has already proved, according to the
admission of Spanish authority, a partial failure, for they cannot
readily learn the drill, and officers dislike to take command of
companies.
We have remarked that the Spanish troops are in a state of rigid
discipline, and exhibit much efficiency. They are to the eye firm and
serviceable troops,--the very best, doubtless, that Spain can produce;
but it must be remembered that Spanish valor is but a feeble shadow of
what it was in the days of the Cid and the middle ages. A square of
Spanish infantry was once as impregnable as the Macedonian phalanx; but
they have sadly degenerated. The actual value of the Spanish troops in
Cuba may be estimated by their behavior in the Lopez invasion. They were
then called upon, not to cope with a well-appointed and equal force, but
with an irregular, undisciplined band of less than one-fourth their
number, armed with wretched muskets, entirely ignorant of the simplest
tactics, thrown on a strange shore, and taken by surprise. Yet nearly a
full regiment of infantry, perfectly drilled and equipped, flank
companies, commanded by a general who was styled the Napoleon of Cuba,
were driven from the field by a few irregular volleys from their
opponents. And when again the same commanding officer brought a yet
greater force of every arm,--cavalry, rifles, infantry and
artillery,--against the same body of insurgents, fatigued and reduced in
numbers and arms, they were again disgracefully routed. What dependence
can be placed upon such troops? They are only capable of overawing an
unarmed population.
The Cubans seem to fear very little from the power or efforts of the
Spanish troops in connection with the idea of any well-organized
revolutionary attempt, and even count (as they have good reason to do)
upon their abandoning the Spanish flag the moment there is a doubt of
its success. They say that the troops are enlisted in Spain either by
glowing pictures of the luxury and ease of a military life in Cuba, or
to escape the severity of justice for the commission of some crime. They
no sooner arrive in the island than the deception of the recruiting
sergeants becomes glaringly apparent. They see themselves isolated
completely from the people, treated with the utmost cruelty in the
course of their drills, and oppressed by the weight of regulations that
reduce them to the condition of machines, without any enjoyments to
alleviate the wretchedness of their situation. Men thus treated are not
to be relied upon in time of emergency; they can _think_, if they are
not permitted to act, and will have opinions of their own.
Soldiers thus ruled naturally come to hate those in authority over them,
finding no redress for their wrongs, and no sympathy for their troubles.
Their immediate officers and those higher in station are equally
inaccessible to them, and deaf to their complaints; and when, in the
hour of danger, they are called upon to sustain the government which so
cruelly oppresses them, and proclamations, abounding in Spanish
hyperbole, speak of the honor and glory of the Spanish army and its
attachment to the crown, they know perfectly well that these
declarations and flatteries proceed from the lips of men who entertain
no such sentiments in their hearts, and who only come to Cuba to oppress
a people belonging to the same Spanish family as themselves. Thus the
despotic system of the Spanish officers, combined with the complete
isolation of the troops from the Creole population, has an effect
directly contrary to that contemplated, and only creates a readiness on
the part of the troops to sympathize with the people they are brought to
oppress. The constant presence of a large military force increases the
discontent and indignation of the Creoles. They know perfectly well its
object, and regard it as a perpetual insult, a bitter, ironical
commentary on the epithet of "ever faithful" with which the home
government always addresses its western vassal. The loyalty of Cuba is
indeed a royal fiction. As well might a highwayman praise the generosity
of a rich traveller who surrenders his purse, watch and diamonds, at the
muzzle of the pistol. Cuban loyalty is evinced in an annual tribute of
some twenty-four millions of hard money; the freedom of the gift is
proved by the perpetual presence of twenty-five to thirty thousand men,
armed to the teeth![25]
The complete military force of Cuba must embrace at the present time
very nearly thirty thousand troops,--artillery, dragoons and
infantry,--nearly twenty thousand of which force is in and about Havana.
To keep such a body of soldiers in order, when governed by the
principles we have described, the utmost rigor is necessary, and
military executions are very frequent. The _garrote_ is the principal
instrument of capital punishment used in the island,--a machine
contrived to choke the victim to death without suspending him in the
air. The criminal is placed in a chair, leaning his head back upon a
support prepared for it, when a neck-yoke or collar of iron is drawn up
close to the throat. At the appointed moment, a screw is turned behind,
producing instantaneous death, the spinal cord being crushed where it
unites with the brain. This, though a repulsive idea, is far more
merciful than hanging, it would seem, whereby life is destroyed by the
lingering process of suffocation. The most common mode of execution,
however, in the army, is the legitimate death of a soldier; and, when he
is condemned, he always falls by the hands of his comrades.
The writer witnessed one of these military executions in the rear of the
barracks that make the seaward side of the _Plaza de Armas_, one fine
summer's morning. It was a fearful sight, and one that chilled the blood
even in a tropical summer day! A Spanish soldier of the line was to be
shot for some act of insubordination against the stringent army rules
and regulations; and, in order that the punishment might have a salutary
effect upon his regiment, the whole were drawn up to witness the scene.
The immediate file of twelve men to which the prisoner had belonged when
in the ranks, were supplied with muskets by their officer, and I was
told that _one_ musket was left without _ball_, so that each one might
hope that his was not the hand to slay his former comrade, and yet a
sense of mercy would cause them all to aim at the heart. The order was
given; the bright morning sun shone like living fire along the polished
barrels of the guns, as the fatal muzzles all ranged in point at the
heart of the condemned. "_Fuego!_" (fire) said the commanding officer. A
report followed, accompanied by a cloud of smoke, which the sea breeze
soon dispersed, showing us the still upright form of the victim. Though
wounded in many places, no vital part was touched, nor did he fall until
his sergeant, advancing quickly, with a single reserved shot blew his
brains over the surrounding green-sward! His body was immediately
removed, the troops were formed into companies, the band struck up a
lively air, and thus was a human being launched into eternity.
A very common sight in the cities or large towns of Cuba early in the
morning, is to meet a Montero from the country, riding his donkey, to
the tail of which another donkey is tied, and to this second one's tail
a third, and so on, up to a dozen, or less. These animals are loaded
with large panniers, filled with various articles of produce; some
bearing cornstalks for food for city animals; some hay, or straw; others
oranges, or bananas, or cocoanuts, etc.; some with _bunches_ of live
fowls hanging by the feet over the donkey's back. The people live, to
use a common phrase, "from hand to mouth,"--that is, they lay in no
stores whatever, and trust to the coming day to supply its own
necessities. Hay, cornstalks, or grain, are purchased only in sufficient
quantity for the day's consumption. So with meats, so with fruits, so
with everything. When it is necessary to send to the market, the steward
or stewardess of the house, always a negro man or woman, is freely
entrusted with the required sum, and purchases according to his or her
judgment and taste. The cash system is universally adopted, and all
articles are regularly paid for when purchased. The Monteros, who thus
bring their produce to market, wear broad palm-leaf hats, and striped
shirts over brown pantaloons, with a sword by their side, and heavy
spurs upon their heels. Their load once disposed of, with a strong cigar
lighted in their mouths, they trot back to the country again to pile up
the panniers, and on the morrow once more to supply the wants of the
town. They are an industrious and manly race of yeomanry.
Few matters strike the observant stranger with a stronger sense of their
peculiarity than the Cuban milk-man's mode of supplying that necessary
aliment to his town or city customers. He has no cart filled with
shining cans, and they in turn filled with milk (or what purports to be
milk, but which is apt strongly to savor of Cochituate or Croton), so
there can be no deception as to the genuine character of the article
which he supplies. Driving his sober kine from door to door, he
deliberately milks just the quantity required by each customer, delivers
it, and drives on to the next. The patient animal becomes as conversant
with the residence of her master's customers as he is himself, and stops
unbidden at regular intervals before the proper houses, often followed
by a pretty little calf which amuses itself by gazing at the process,
while it wears a leather muzzle to prevent its interference with the
supply of milk intended for another quarter. There are doubtless two
good reasons for this mode of delivering milk in Havana and the large
towns of Cuba. First, there can be no diluting of the article, and
second, it is sure to be sweet and fresh, this latter a particular
desideratum in a climate where milk without ice can be kept only a brief
period without spoiling. Of course, the effect upon the animal is by no
means salutary, and a Cuban cow gives but about one third as much milk
as our own. Goats are driven about and milked in the same manner.
Glass windows are scarcely known even in the cities. The finest as well
as the humblest town houses have the broad projecting window, secured
only by heavy iron bars (most prison-like in aspect), through which, as
one passes along the narrow streets, it is nearly impossible to avoid
glancing upon domestic scenes that exhibit the female portion of the
family engaged in sewing, chatting, or some simple occupation. Sometimes
a curtain intervenes, but even this is unusual, the freest circulation
of air being always courted in every way.[26] Once inside of the
dwelling houses there are few doors, curtains alone, shutting off the
communication between chambers and private rooms, and from the corridor
upon which they invariably open. Of course, the curtain when down is
quite sufficient to keep out persons of the household or strangers, but
the little naked negro slave children (always petted at this age), male
and female, creep under this _ad libitum_, and the monkeys, parrots,
pigeons, and fowls generally make common store of every nook and corner.
Doors might keep these out of your room, but curtains do not. One
reason why the Cubans, of both sexes, possess such fine expansive
chests, is doubtless the fact that their lungs thus find full and
unrestrained action, living, as it were, ever in the open air. The
effect of this upon the stranger is at once visible in a sense of
physical exhilaration, fine spirits and good appetite. It would be
scarcely possible to inhabit a house built after our close, secure
style, if it were placed in the city of Havana, or even on an inland
plantation of the island. The town houses are always accessible upon the
roofs, where during the day the laundress takes possession, but at
evening they are frequently the family resort, where the evening cigar
is enjoyed, and the gossip of the day discussed, in the enjoyment of the
sea breeze that sweeps in from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Just outside the city walls of Havana, and on the immediate sea-coast,
lies the Campo Santo, or public cemetery, not far from the city prison.
It is approached by a long street of dilapidated and miserable
dwellings, and is not attractive to the eye, though the immediate
entrance is through cultivated shrubbery. A broad, thick wall encloses
the cemetery, in which oven-like niches are prepared for the reception
of the coffins, containing the better or more wealthy classes, while the
poor are thrown into shallow graves, sometimes several together, not
unfrequently negroes and whites, without a coffin, quicklime being
freely used to promote decomposition. In short, the whole idea, and
every association of the Campo Santo, is of a repulsive and disagreeable
character.
This irreverent treatment of the dead, and the neglected condition of
their place of sepulture, is a sad feature in a Christian country,
contrasting strongly with the honors paid to the memory of the departed
by semi-civilized and even savage nations. We all know the sacredness
that is attached by the Turks to their burial grounds, how the mournful
cypresses are taught to rise among the turbaned tombstones, and how the
survivors are wont to sit upon the graves of the departed, musing for
hours over the loved and lost, and seeming to hold communion with their
liberated spirits. How different is it here with the Campo Santo! The
bitterest pang that an Indian endures when compelled to leave his native
hunting grounds, is that he must abandon the place where the ashes of
his ancestors repose. The enlightened spirit which removes cemeteries
from the centre of dense population is worthy of all commendation--the
taste that adorns them with trees and flowers, beautifying the spot
where the "last of earth" reposes, is a proof of high-toned feeling and
a high civilization. Nothing of this spirit is manifested at Havana. The
establishment of the cemetery without the walls of the city was a
sanitary measure, dictated by obvious necessity, but there the march of
improvement stopped. No effort has been made to follow the laudable
example of other countries; no, the Spanish character, arrogant and
self-sufficient, will not bend to be taught by others, and will not
admit a possibility of error, and they are as closely wedded to national
prejudices as the Chinese. Spain is, at this moment, the most
old-fashioned country of Christendom, and it is only when pressed upon
by absolute necessity that she reluctantly admits of innovation.
Tacon, during his rule in the island, erected outside the city walls,
and near the gate of La Punta, on the shore, a spacious prison, capable
of accommodating five thousand prisoners. It is quadrangular, each side
being some three hundred feet long and fifty high, enclosing a central
square, planted with shrubbery and watered by a cooling and graceful
fountain. The fresh breeze circulates freely through its walls, and it
is considered one of the healthiest spots in the vicinity of the
capital, while it certainly presents a strong contrast to the neglected
precincts of the Campo Santo, hard by.
The fish-market of Havana affords probably the best variety of this
article of any city in the world. The long marble counters display the
most novel and tempting array that one can well imagine; every hue of
the rainbow is represented, and a great variety of shapes. But a curse
hangs over this species of food, plenty and fine as it is, for it is
made a government monopoly, and none but its agents are permitted to
sell or to catch it in the vicinity of the city. This singular law,
established under Tacon, is of peculiar origin, and we cannot perhaps do
better than tell the story, as gathered on the spot, for the amusement
of the reader.
FOOTNOTES:
[25] "Can it be for the interest of Spain to cling to a possession that
can only be maintained by a garrison of twenty-five thousand or thirty
thousand troops, a powerful naval force, and an annual expenditure, for
both arms of the service, of at least twelve million dollars?
Cuba, at this moment, costs more to Spain than the entire naval and
military establishment of the United States costs the federal
government."--_Edward Everett, on the tripartite treaty proposition._
[26] "Doors and windows are all open. The eye penetrates the whole
interior of domestic life, from the flowers in the well-watered court to
the daughter's bed, with its white muslin curtains tied with
rose-colored ribbons."--_Countess Merlin's Letters._
CHAPTER VIII.
THE STORY OF MARTI, THE SMUGGLER.
One of the most successful villains whose story will be written in
history, is a man named Marti, as well known in Cuba as the person of
the governor-general himself. Formerly he was notorious as a smuggler
and half pirate on the coast of the island, being a daring and
accomplished leader of reckless men. At one time he bore the title of
King of the Isle of Pines, where was his principal rendezvous, and from
whence he despatched his vessels, small, fleet crafts, to operate in the
neighboring waters.
His story, well known in Cuba and to the home government, bears
intimately upon our subject.
When Tacon landed on the island, and became governor-general, he found
the revenue laws in a sad condition, as well as the internal regulations
of the island; and, with a spirit of mingled justice and oppression, he
determined to do something in the way of reform.[27] The Spanish marine
sent out to regulate the maritime matters of the island, lay idly in
port, the officers passing their time on shore, or in giving balls and
dances on the decks of their vessels. Tacon saw that one of the first
moves for him to make was to suppress the smuggling upon the coast, at
all hazards; and to this end he set himself directly to work. The
maritime force at his command was at once detailed upon this service,
and they coasted night and day, but without the least success against
the smugglers. In vain were all the vigilance and activity of Tacon and
his agents--they accomplished nothing.
At last, finding that all his expeditions against them failed, partly
from the adroitness and bravery of the smugglers, and partly from the
want of pilots among the shoals and rocks that they frequented, a large
and tempting reward was offered to any one of them who would desert from
his comrades and act in this capacity in behalf of the government. At
the same time, a double sum, most princely in amount, was offered for
the person of one Marti, dead or alive, who was known to be the leader
of the lawless rovers who thus defied the government. These rewards were
freely promulgated, and posted so as to reach the ears and eyes of those
whom they concerned; but even these seemed to produce no effect, and the
government officers were at a loss how to proceed in the matter.
It was a dark, cloudy night in Havana, some three or four months
subsequent to the issuing of these placards announcing the rewards as
referred to, when two sentinels were pacing backwards and forwards
before the main entrance to the governor's palace, just opposite the
grand plaza. A little before midnight, a man, wrapped in a cloak, was
watching them from behind the statue of Ferdinand, near the fountain,
and, after observing that the two soldiers acting as sentinels paced
their brief walk so as to meet each other, and then turn their backs as
they separated, leaving a brief moment in the interval when the eyes of
both were turned away from the entrance they were placed to guard,
seemed to calculate upon passing them unobserved. It was an exceedingly
delicate manoeuvre, and required great care and dexterity to effect
it; but, at last, it was adroitly done, and the stranger sprang lightly
through the entrance, secreting himself behind one of the pillars in the
inner court of the palace. The sentinels paced on undisturbed.
The figure which had thus stealthily effected an entrance, now sought
the broad stairs that led to the governor's suit of apartments, with a
confidence that evinced a perfect knowledge of the place. A second
guard-post was to be passed at the head of the stairs; but, assuming an
air of authority, the stranger offered a cold military salute and
pressed forward, as though there was not the most distant question of
his right so to do; and thus avoiding all suspicion in the guard's mind,
he boldly entered the governor's reception room unchallenged, and closed
the door behind him. In a large easy chair sat the commander-in-chief,
busily engaged in writing, but alone. An expression of undisguised
satisfaction passed across the weather-beaten countenance of the new
comer at this state of affairs, as he coolly cast off his cloak and
tossed it over his arm, and then proceeded to wipe the perspiration from
his face. The governor, looking up with surprise, fixed his keen eyes
upon the intruder,--
"Who enters here, unannounced, at this hour?" he asked, sternly, while
he regarded the stranger earnestly.
"One who has information of value for the governor-general. You are
Tacon, I suppose?"
"I am. What would you with me? or, rather, how did you pass my guard
unchallenged?"
"Of that anon. Excellency, you have offered a handsome reward for
information concerning the rovers of the gulf?"
"Ha! yes. What of them?" said Tacon, with undisguised interest.
"Excellency, I must speak with caution," continued the new comer;
"otherwise I may condemn and sacrifice myself."
"You have naught to fear on that head. The offer of reward for evidence
against the scapegraces also vouchsafes a pardon to the informant. You
may speak on, without fear for yourself, even though you may be one of
the very confederation itself."
"You offer a reward, also, in addition, for the discovery of
Marti,--Captain Marti, of the smugglers,--do you not?"
"We do, and will gladly make good the promise of reward for any and all
information upon the subject," replied Tacon.
"First, Excellency, do you give me your knightly word that you will
grant a free pardon to _me_, if I reveal all that you require to know,
even embracing the most secret hiding-places of the rovers?"
"I pledge you my word of honor," said the commander.
"No matter how heinous in the sight of the law my offences may have
been, still you will pardon me, under the king's seal?"
"I will, if you reveal truly and to any good purpose," answered Tacon,
weighing in his mind the purpose of all this precaution.
"Even if I were a leader among the rovers, myself?"
The governor hesitated for a moment, canvassing in a single glance the
subject before him, and then said:
"Even then, be you whom you may; if you are able and will honestly pilot
our ships and reveal the secrets of Marti and his followers, you shall
be rewarded as our proffer sets forth, and yourself receive a free
pardon."
"Excellency, I think I know your character well enough to trust you,
else I should not have ventured here."
"Speak, then; my time is precious," was the impatient reply of Tacon.
"Then, Excellency, the man for whom you have offered the largest reward,
dead or alive, is now before you!"
"And you are--"
"Marti!"
The governor-general drew back in astonishment, and cast his eyes
towards a brace of pistols that lay within reach of his right hand; but
it was only for a single moment, when he again assumed entire
self-control, and said, "I shall keep my promise, sir, provided you are
faithful, though the laws call loudly for your punishment, and even now
you are in my power. To insure your faithfulness, you must remain at
present under guard." Saying which, he rang a silver bell by his side,
and issued a verbal order to the attendant who answered it. Immediately
after, the officer of the watch entered, and Marti was placed in
confinement, with orders to render him comfortable until he was sent
for. His name remained a secret with the commander; and thus the night
scene closed.
On the following day, one of the men-of-war that lay idly beneath the
guns of Moro Castle suddenly became the scene of the utmost activity,
and, before noon, had weighed her anchor, and was standing out into the
gulf stream. Marti, the smuggler, was on board, as her pilot; and
faithfully did he guide the ship, on the discharge of his treacherous
business, among the shoals and bays of the coast for nearly a month,
revealing every secret haunt of the rovers, exposing their most valuable
depots and well-selected rendezvous; and many a smuggling craft was
taken and destroyed. The amount of money and property thus secured was
very great; and Marti returned with the ship to claim his reward from
the governor-general, who, well satisfied with the manner in which the
rascal had fulfilled his agreement, and betrayed those comrades who were
too faithful to be tempted to treachery themselves, summoned Marti
before him.
"As you have faithfully performed your part of our agreement," said the
governor-general, "I am now prepared to comply with the articles on my
part. In this package you will find a free and unconditional pardon for
all your past offences against the laws. And here is an order on the
treasury for--"
"Excellency, excuse me. The pardon I gladly receive. As to the sum of
money you propose to give to me, let me make you a proposition. Retain
the money; and, in place of it, guarantee to me the right to fish in the
neighborhood of the city, and declare the trade in fish contraband to
all except my agents. This will richly repay me, and I will erect a
public market of stone at my own expense, which shall be an ornament to
the city, and which at the expiration of a specified number of years
shall revert to the government, with all right and title to the
fishery."
Tacon was pleased at the idea of a superb fish-market, which should
eventually revert to the government, and also at the idea of saving the
large sum of money covered by the promised reward. The singular
proposition of the smuggler was duly considered and acceded to, and
Marti was declared in legal form to possess for the future sole right to
fish in the neighborhood of the city, or to sell the article in any
form, and he at once assumed the rights that the order guaranteed to
him. Having in his roving life learned all the best fishing-grounds, he
furnished the city bountifully with the article, and reaped yearly an
immense profit, until, at the close of the period for which the monopoly
was granted, he was the richest man on the island. According to the
agreement, the fine market and its privilege reverted to the government
at the time specified, and the monopoly has ever since been rigorously
enforced.
Marti, now possessed of immense wealth, looked about him, to see in what
way he could most profitably invest it to insure a handsome and sure
return. The idea struck him if he could obtain the monopoly of
theatricals in Havana on some such conditions as he had done that of the
right to fish off its shores, he could still further increase his
ill-gotten wealth. He obtained the monopoly, on condition that he should
erect one of the largest and finest theatres in the world, which he did,
as herein described, locating the same just outside the city walls. With
the conditions of the monopoly, the writer is not conversant.
Many romantic stories are told of Marti; but the one we have here
related is the only one that is authenticated, and which has any bearing
upon the present work.
FOOTNOTES:
[27] Tacon governed Cuba four years, from 1834 to 1838.
CHAPTER IX.
The lottery at Havana--Hospitality of the Spaniards--Flattery--Cuban
ladies--Castilian, Parisian and American politeness--The bonnet in
Cuba--Ladies' dresses--The fan--Jewelry and its wear--Culture of
flowers--Reflections--A most peculiar narcotic--Cost of living on
the island--Guines--The cock-pit--Training of the birds--The garden
of the world--Birds of the tropics--Condition of
agriculture--Night-time--The Southern Cross--Natural resources of
Cuba--Her wrongs and oppressions.
There is a monthly lottery in Havana, with prizes amounting to one
hundred and ten thousand dollars, and sometimes as high as one hundred
and eighty thousand dollars, under the immediate direction and control
of the authorities, and which is freely patronized by the first
mercantile houses, who have their names registered for a certain number
of tickets each month. The poorer classes, too, by clubbing together,
become purchasers of tickets, including slaves and free negroes; and it
is but a few years since, that some slaves, who had thus united and
purchased a ticket, drew the first prize of sixty thousand dollars;
which was honestly paid to them, and themselves liberated by the
purchase of their freedom from their masters. Honestly and strictly
conducted as these lotteries are, yet their very stability, and the
just payment of all prizes, but makes them the more baneful and
dangerous in their influence upon the populace. Though now and then a
poor man becomes rich through their means, yet thousands are
impoverished in their mad zeal to purchase tickets, though it cost them
their last medio. The government thus countenances and fosters a taste
for gambling, while any one acquainted at all with the Spanish
character, must know that the people need no prompting in a vice to
which they seem to take intuitively.
The Spaniards receive credit for being a very hospitable people, and to
a certain extent this is due to them; but the stranger soon learns to
regard the extravagant manifestations which too often characterize their
etiquette, as quite empty and heartless. Let a stranger enter the house
of a Cuban for the first time, and the host or hostess of the mansion
says at once, either in such words or their equivalent, "All that we
have is at your service; take what you will, and our right hand with
it." Yet no one thinks of understanding this literally. The family
volante is at your order, or a saddle horse; and in such small
kindnesses they are indeed polite; but when they beg of you to accept a
ring, a book, a valuable toy, because you have happened to praise it,
you are by no means to do so. Another trait of character which suggests
itself in this connection, is their Universal habit of profuse
compliment.[28] The ladies listen to them, as a matter of course, from
their countrymen, or from such Frenchmen as have become domesticated in
the island; but if an American takes occasion to compliment them, they
are at once delighted, for they believe them to be sincere, and the
matter is secretly treasured to be repeated.
The Cuban ladies, with true feminine acuteness, estimate correctly the
high-flown compliments of their countrymen; and the kindred French,
Castilian and Parisian politeness is of about equal value, and means the
same thing,--that is, nothing. To strangers it is very pleasant at
first, but the moment it is apparent that these profuse protestations of
friendship and offers of service are transparent devices, and that if
you take them at their word they are embarrassed, perhaps offended, that
you must be constantly on your guard, and be very careful to consider
every fine phrase as a flower of rhetoric, it becomes positively
disagreeable. Good manners go a great way; and if a person does you a
favor, the pleasure you experience is much enhanced by the grace with
which the obligation is conferred; but there is a vast difference
between true and false politeness. The former springs only from a good
and true heart; the latter is especially egotistical. Both the French
and Spanish are extremely gallant to women; and yet the condition of
women in both France and Spain is vastly inferior to that of our fair
countrywomen, notwithstanding the Spanish _caballero_ and the Parisian
_elegant_ can couch their heartless compliments in terms our plain
people would vainly attempt to imitate. But what cares a woman for fine
phrases, if she knows that the respect due to her sex is wanting? The
condition of the women of Cuba is eminently Spanish, and she is here too
often the slave of passion and the victim of jealousy.
The bonnet, which forms so important a part of the ladies' costume in
Europe and American cities, is entirely unknown, or, rather, never worn
by the Creole ladies; and strangers who appear with this article of
dress are regarded with as much curiosity as we should be exercised by
to meet in our own streets a Tuscarora chief in his war-paint. In place
of the bonnet the Cuban ladies wear a long black veil, gathered at the
back of the head upon the clustered braid of hair (always dark and
luxuriant), and drawn to one side of the face or the other, as
circumstances may require. More frequently, however, even this appendage
is not seen, and they ride in the Paseos and streets with their heads
entirely uncovered, save by the sheltering hood of the volante. When
necessity calls them abroad during the early or middle hours of the day,
there is a canvas screen buttoning to the dasher, and extending to the
top of the vehicle, forming a partial shelter from the sun. This
apparatus is universally arranged upon the volantes which stand at the
corners of the streets for common hire; but the private vehicles are
rarely seen much abroad before the early twilight, or just before
sunset.
Full dress, on all state occasions, with the Cuban ladies, is black; but
white is worn on all ordinary ones, forming a rich and striking contrast
to the fair olive complexions of the wearers. Jewelry is worn to a great
extent, and, by those who can afford it, to the amount of most fabulous
sums, of course the diamond predominating; but there is a general
fondness for opals, garnets and pearls, worn in bracelets more
particularly, or in bands about the hair, at the top of the forehead.
There is one article without which the Cuban lady would not feel at home
for a single moment; it is the fan, which is a positive necessity to
her, and she learns its coquettish and graceful use from very childhood.
Formed of various rich materials, it glitters in her hand like a gaudy
butterfly, now half, now wholly shading her radiant face, which quickly
peeps out again from behind its shelter, like the moon from out a gilded
cloud. This little article (always rich and expensive), perfectly
indispensable in a Cuban lady's costume, in their hands seems almost to
speak; she has a witching flirt with it that expresses scorn; a graceful
wave of complaisance; an abrupt closing of it, that indicates vexation
or anger; a gradual and cautious opening of its folds, that signifies
reluctant forgiveness; in short, the language of the fan in a Cuban's
hand is an adroit and expressive pantomime, that requires no foreign
interpreter.
It may be owing to the prodigality of nature in respect to Flora's
kingdom, which has led to no development among the people of Cuba, in
the love and culture of flowers. Of course this remark is intended in a
general point of view, there necessarily being exceptions to establish
the rule. But it is a rare thing to see flowers under cultivation here,
other than such as spring up from the over-fertile soil, unplanted and
untended. In New Orleans one cannot pass out of the doors of the St.
Charles Hotel, at any hour of the day, without being saluted first by
the flavor of magnolias, and then by a Creole flower-girl, with "Buy a
bouquet for a dime, sir?" But nothing of the sort is seen in Cuba;
flowers are a drug. Nevertheless, I fear that people who lack an
appreciation of these "illumined scriptures of the prairie," show a want
of delicacy and refinement that even an humble Parisian grisette is not
without. Scarcely can you pass from the coast of Cuba inland for half a
league, in any direction, without your senses being regaled by the
fragrance of natural flowers,--the heliotrope, honeysuckle, sweet pea,
and orange blossoms predominating. The jessamine and cape rose, though
less fragrant, are delightful to the eye, and cluster everywhere, among
the hedges, groves and plantations.
There seems to be, at times, a strange narcotic influence in the
atmosphere of the island, more especially inland, where the visitor is
partially or wholly removed from the winds that usually blow from the
gulf in the after part of the day. So potent has the writer felt this
influence, that at first it was supposed to be the effect of some
powerful plant that might abound upon the plantations; but careful
inquiry satisfied him that this dreamy somnolence, this delightful sense
of ease and indolent luxuriance of feeling, was solely attributable to
the natural effect of the soft climate of Cuba. By gently yielding to
this influence, one seems to dream while waking; and while the sense of
hearing is diminished, that of the olfactories appears to be increased,
and pleasurable odors float upon every passing zephyr. One feels at
peace with all human nature, and a sense of voluptuous ease overspreads
the body. Others have spoken to the writer of this feeling of idle
happiness, which he has himself more than once experienced in the
delightful rural neighborhood of Alquizar. The only unpleasant realizing
sense during the enjoyment of the condition referred to, is the fear
that some human voice, or some chance noise, loud and abrupt, shall
arouse the waking dreamer from a situation probably not unlike the
pleasanter effect of opium, without its unpleasant reäction.
As it regards the cost of living in the island, it may be said to
average rather high to the stranger, though it is declared that the
expense to those who permanently reside here, either in town or country,
is cheaper, all things considered, than in the United States. At the
city hotels and best boarding-houses of Havana and Matanzas, the charge
is three dollars per day, unless a special bargain is made for a
considerable period of time. Inland, at the houses of public
entertainment, the charge per diem is, of course, considerably less;
and the native style of living is nearly the same within or out of the
city. The luscious and healthful fruits of the tropics form a large
share of the provision for the table, and always appear in great variety
at dessert. Good common claret wine is regularly placed before the guest
without charge, it being the ordinary drink of the people. As to the
mode of cooking, it seems to be very like the French, though the
universal garlic, which appears to be a positive necessity to a Spanish
palate, is very apt to form a disagreeable preponderance in the flavor
of every dish. Fish, meat and fowl are so disguised with this article
and with spices, that one is fain to resort to the bill of fare, to
ascertain of what he is partaking. The vegetable soups of the city
houses (but for the garlic) are excellent, many of the native vegetables
possessing not only admirable flavor, and other desirable properties for
the purpose, but being also glutinous, add much to the properties of a
preparation answering to the character of our Julian soup. Oysters,
though plentiful on the coast, are of inferior quality, and are seldom
used for the table; but pickled oysters from the United States are
largely used in the cities.
One of the pleasantest places of resort for enjoyment on the whole
island, is probably the town of Guines, connected with Havana by a
railroad (the first built upon the soil of Cuba), and but a few leagues
from the capital.[29] This locality is thought to be one of the most
salubrious and appropriate for invalids, and has therefore become a
general resort for this class, possessing several good public houses,
and in many respects is quite Americanized with regard to comforts and
the necessities of visitors from the United States. In Guines, and
indeed in all Cuban towns, villages, and even small hamlets, there is a
spacious cock-pit, where the inhabitants indulge in the sport of
cock-fighting,--an absorbing passion with the humble, and oftentimes
with the better classes. This indulgence is illustrative of their
nature,--that is, the Spanish nature and blood that is in them,--a fact
that is equally attested by their participation in the fearful contest
of the bull-fight. It is really astonishing how fierce these birds
become by training; and they always fight until one or the other dies,
unless they are interfered with. The amount of money lost and won by
this cruel mode of gambling is very large daily. Ladies frequently
attend these exhibitions, the upper seats being reserved for them; and
they may, not unfrequently, be seen entering fully into the excitement
of the sport.
The cock-pit is a large or small circular building, not unlike, in
external appearance, to a New England out-door hay-stack, its dimensions
being governed by the populousness of the locality where it is erected.
The seats are raised in a circle, around a common centre, where the
birds are fought, or "pitted," upon prepared ground, covered with
saw-dust or tan. The cocks, which are of a peculiar species of game
birds, are subjected from chickenhood, so to speak, to a peculiar course
of treatment. Their food is regularly weighed, and so many ounces of
grain are laid out for each day's consumption, so that the bird is never
permitted to grow fat, but is kept in "condition" at all times. The
feathers are kept closely cropped in a jaunty style, and neck and head,
to the length of three inches or more, are completely plucked of all
feathers, and daily rubbed with _aguadiente_ (island rum), until they
become so calloused that they are insensible to any ordinary wound which
its antagonist might inflict. Brief encounters are encouraged among them
while they are young, under proper restrictions, and no fear is had of
their injuring themselves, until they are old enough to have the _steel
gaffs_ affixed upon those which nature has given them. Then, like armed
men, with swords and daggers, they attack each other, and the blood will
flow at every stroke, the conflict being in no degree impeded, nor the
birds affrighted, by the noisy cries, jeers, and loud challenges of the
excited horde of gamblers who throng all sides of the cock-pit.[30]
Cuba has been justly styled the garden of the world, perpetual summer
smiling upon its favored shores, and its natural wealth almost baffling
the capacity of estimation. The waters which surround it, as we have
already intimated, abound with a variety of fishes, whose bright colors,
emulating the tints of precious stones and the prismatic hues of the
rainbow, astonish the eye of the stranger. Stately trees of various
species, the most conspicuous being the royal palm, rear their luxuriant
foliage against the azure heavens, along the sheltered bays, by the
way-side, on the swells of the haciendas, delighting the eye of the
traveller, and diversifying the ever-charming face of the tropical
landscape. Through the woods and groves flit a variety of birds, whose
dazzling colors defy the palette of the artist. Here the loquacious
parrot utters his harsh natural note; there the red flamingo stands
patiently by the shore of the lagoon, watching in the waters, dyed by
the reflection of his plumage, for his unconscious prey. It would
require a volume to describe the vegetable, animal and mineral kingdom
of Cuba. Among the most familiar birds, and those the names of which
even the casual observer is apt to learn, are the Cuba robin, the
blue-bird, the cat-bird, the Spanish woodpecker, the gaudy-plumed
parrot, the pedoreva, with its red throat and breast and its pea-green
head and body. There is also a great variety of wild pigeons, blue, gray
and white; the English ladybird, as it is called, with a blue head and
scarlet breast, and green and white back; the indigo-bird, the
golden-winged woodpecker, the ibis, the flamingo, and many smaller
species, like the humming-bird. Parrots settle on the sour orange trees
when the fruit is ripe, and fifty may be secured by a net at a time. The
Creoles stew and eat them as we do the pigeon; the flesh is rather
tough, and as there are plenty of fine water and marsh birds about the
lagoons, which are most tender and palatable, one is at a loss to
account for the taste that leads the people to eat the parrot. The brown
pelican is very plenty on the sea-coast, like the gull off our own
shores, and may be seen at all times sailing lazily over the sea, and
occasionally dipping for fish. Here, as among other tropical regions,
and even in some southern sections of this country, the lazy-looking
bald-headed vulture is protected by law, being a sort of natural
scavenger or remover of carrion.
The agriculturists of the island confine their attention almost solely
to the raising of sugar, coffee and tobacco, almost entirely neglecting
Indian corn (which the first settlers found indigenous here), and but
slightly attending to the varieties of the orange.[31] It is scarcely
creditable that, when the generous soil produces from two to three crops
annually, the vegetable wealth of this island should be so poorly
developed. It is capable of supporting a population of almost any
density, and yet the largest estimate gives only a million and a half of
inhabitants. On treading the fertile soil, and on beholding the
clustering fruits offered on all sides, the delicious oranges, the
perfumed pine-apples, the luscious bananas, the cooling cocoanuts, and
other fruits for which our language has no name, we are struck with the
thought of how much Providence, and how little man, has done for this
Eden of the Gulf. We long to see it peopled by men who can appreciate
the gifts of nature, men who are willing to do their part in reward for
her bounty, men who will meet her half way and second her spontaneous
efforts.[32] Nowhere on the face of the globe would intelligent labor
meet with a richer reward,--nowhere on the face of the globe would
repose from labor be so sweet. The hour of rest here sinks upon the face
of nature with a peculiar charm; the night breeze comes with its gentle
wing to fan the weary frame, and no danger lurks in its career. It has
free scope through the unglazed windows. Beautifully blue are the
heavens, and festally bright the stars of a tropical night. Preëminent
in brilliancy among the constellations is the Southern Cross, a galaxy
of stars that never greets us in the north. At midnight its glittering
framework stands erect; that solemn hour passed, the Cross declines.[33]
How glorious the night where such a heavenly sentinel indicates its
watches! Cuba is indeed a land of enchantment, where nature is
beautiful, and where mere existence is a luxury, but it requires the
infusion of a sterner, more self-denying and enterprising race to fully
test its capabilities, and to astonish the world with its
productiveness.
We have thus dilated upon the natural resources of Cuba, and depicted
the charms that rest about her; but every picture has its dark side, and
the political situation of the island is the reverse in the present
instance. Her wrongs are multifarious, and the restrictions placed upon
her by her oppressors are each and all of so heinous and tyrannical a
character, that a chapter upon each would be insufficient to place them
in their true light before the world. There is, however, no better way
of placing the grievances of the Cubans, as emanating from the home
government, clearly before the reader, than by stating such of them as
occur readily to the writer's mind in brief:--
She is permitted no voice in the Cortes; the press is under the vilest
censorship; farmers are compelled to pay ten per cent. on all their
harvest except sugar, and on that article two and a half per cent.; the
island has been under martial law since 1825; over $23,000,000 of taxes
are levied upon the inhabitants, to be squandered by Spain; ice is
monopolized by the government; flour is so taxed as to be inadmissible;
a Creole must purchase a license before he can invite a few friends to
take a cup of tea at his board; there is a stamped paper, made legally
necessary for special purposes of contract, costing eight dollars per
sheet; no goods, either in or out of doors, can be sold without a
license; the natives of the island are excluded entirely from the army,
the judiciary, the treasury, and the customs; the military government
assumes the charge of the schools; the grazing of cattle is taxed
exorbitantly; newspapers from abroad, with few exceptions, are
contraband; letters passing through the post are opened and purged of
their contents before delivery; fishing on the coast is forbidden, being
a government monopoly; planters are forbidden to send their sons to the
United States for educational purposes; the slave-trade is secretly
encouraged by government; no person can remove from one house to another
without first paying for a government permit; all cattle (the same as
goods) that are sold must pay six per cent. of their value to
government; in short, every possible subterfuge is resorted to by the
government officials to swindle the people,[34] everything being taxed,
and there is no appeal from the decision of the captain-general!
[Illustration: A CUBAN VOLANTE IN THE PASEO.]
FOOTNOTES:
[28] The common salutation, on being introduced or meeting a lady, is,
"_A los pies de usted señora_" (at the feet of your grace, my lady).
[29] San Julian de los Guines contains from two to three thousand
inhabitants.
[30] The English game-cock is prized in Cuba only for crossing the
breed, for he cannot equal the Spanish bird in agility or endurance.
[31] Three years after the seed of the orange tree is deposited in the
soil, the tree is twelve or fifteen feet high, and the fourth year it
produces a hundred oranges. At ten years of age it bears from three to
four thousand, thus proving vastly profitable.
[32] "This favored land wants nothing but _men_ to turn its advantages
to account, and enjoy their results, to be acknowledged as the garden of
the world."--_Alexander H. Everett._
[33] Humboldt tells us that he has often heard the herdsmen in South
America say, "Midnight is past--the Southern Cross begins to bend."
[34] "No such extent of taxation, as is now enforced in Cuba, was ever
known or heard of before in any part of the world; and no community,
relying solely on the products of its own labor, could possibly exist
under it."--_Alexander H. Everett._
CHAPTER X.
The volante and its belongings--The ancient town of Regla--The arena
for the bull-fights at Havana--A bull-fight as witnessed by the
author at Regla--A national passion with the Spanish
people--Compared with old Roman sports--Famous
bull-fighters--Personal description of Cuban ladies--Description of
the men--Romance and the tropics--The nobility of Cuba--Sugar
noblemen--The grades of society--The yeomanry of the island--Their
social position--What they might be--Love of gambling.
The volante, that one vehicle of Cuba, has been several times referred
to in the foregoing pages. It is difficult without experience to form an
idea of its extraordinary ease of motion or its appropriateness to the
peculiarities of the country.[35] It makes nothing of the deep mud that
accompanies the rainy season, but, with its enormous wheels, six feet in
diameter, heavy shafts, and low-hung, chaise-like body, it dashes over
and through every impediment with the utmost facility. Strange as it may
seem, it is very light upon the horse, which is also bestridden by the
postilion, or _calisero_. When travelling any distance upon the road, a
second horse is added on the left, abreast, and attached to the volante
by an added whiffletree and traces. When there are two horses in this
style, the postilion rides the one to the left, leaving the shaft horse
free of other weight than that of the vehicle.
When the roads are particularly bad and there is more than usual weight
to carry, of baggage, etc., a third horse is often used, but he is still
placed abreast with the others, to the right of the shaft horse, and
guided by a bridle rein in the hands of the calisero. The Spaniards take
great pride in these volantes, especially those improved for city use,
and they are often to be met with elaborately mounted with silver, and
in many instances with gold, wrought with great skill and beauty. There
were volantes pointed out to the writer, of this latter character, in
Havana, that could not have cost less than two thousand dollars each,
and this for a two-wheeled vehicle. A volante equipped in this style,
with the gaily dressed calisero, his scarlet jacket elaborately trimmed
with silver braid, his high jack-boots with silver buckles at the knee,
and monstrous spurs upon his heels, with rowels an inch long, makes
quite a dashing appearance, especially if a couple of blackeyed Creole
ladies happen to constitute the freight. Thus they direct their way to
the Tacon Paseo, to meet the fashion of the town at the close of the
day--almost the only out-door recreation for the sex.
Of all the games and sports of the Cubans, that of the bull-fight is the
most cruel and fearful, and without one redeeming feature in its
indulgence. The arena for the exhibitions in the neighborhood of Havana
is just across the harbor at Regla, a small town, having a most worn and
dilapidated appearance.[36] This place was formerly the haunt of
pirates, upon whose depredations and boldness the government, for
reasons best known to itself, shut its official eyes; more latterly it
has been the hailing place for slavers, whose crafts have not yet
entirely disappeared, though the rigor of the English and French
cruisers in the Gulf has rendered it necessary for them to seek a less
exposed rendezvous. Of the Spanish marine they entertain no fear; there
is the most perfect understanding on this point, treaty stipulations
touching the slave-trade, between Spain, England and France, to the
contrary notwithstanding.[37] But we were referring to the subject of
the bull-fights. The arena at Regla, for this purpose, is a large
circular enclosure of sufficient dimensions to seat six thousand people,
and affording perhaps a little more than half an acre
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