cars, apparently emigrating to their country estate ; the station reached, the most 

 elegant carpet-bags and trunks we had ever seen were tossed into a bullock cart 

 of the roughest construction. The ladies found volantes in waiting, and a very 

 young gentleman mounted a led-horse with saddle and holsters ; when fairly in 

 the stirrups, a game-cock (his only apparent baggage) was handed carefully to 

 him by a servant, A shrill crow of defiance to all tlie games in the neighborhood, 

 was the last we heard of our car companion, who had smoked all the way, and 

 was extremely polite in supplying fire to a damosel who relished the weed amaz- 

 ingly. The practice of ladies smoking is not very common — in public, at least. 

 Another instance we had, in the Isabel, of a very pretty Cuban lady, who took 

 her strong cigar after every meal, while parading the deck, and, we must say, her 

 pretty white fingers were not ungracefully employed in twirling it about ; her 

 husband smoked at the same time, seeming to think it quite the thing that she 

 should be similarly employed. And pray tell us, fastidious critic, is there any 

 good reason, if the men will smoke, why ladies should not? We heard one on 

 board ship threaten to eat garlic if her cava sposa would indulge with tobacco ! 



After talking of robbers late one evening at Mr. Monson's, one of our party 

 who had laughed at the idea of danger, sallied out next day, before breakfast, 

 for a ride on horseback, and soon lost his way. At a rough-looking shantee, he 

 made out to say : " Hotel Americano !" arid was civilly shown his road, though 

 considerably alarmed at the barking of a brace of savage-looking bloodhounds 

 that were inclined to track after him. Entering a wild piece of tangled wood, he 

 encountered, at a short turn, a Spaniard mounted on a capital animal, with his 

 holsters evidently full, and a sword, or machette, in his girdle. He began to 

 think the specimen of rather equivocal build, remembered the stories told over 

 the back-gammon board, and shivered, he says, only once ; he then summoned 

 courage, and, putting on a brave and amiable look, said, in his meekest tones, 

 with a query at the end: "Hotel Americano?" Tlie ferocious "robber" took 

 off his hat, and bowing to the holster tops, drew his sword ! and pointed in the 

 proper direction, indicating a little turn in the route, close by, with a scitnmeti-ical 

 motion that was not quite to our traveller's taste, but which closed by both pur- 

 suing their peaceful paths. The American did not seem to have minded it 

 much, but ever afterwards we remarked he preferred to vide in company with 

 others I 



From Mr. Monson's, short rides on the railroad afford excellent opportunities 

 for observing the peculiar appearance of the country, and the novelty of the vege- 

 tation. Occasionally, you come in sight of very beautiful avenues of the Royal 

 Palm, planted with great regularity, sometimes in double or triple, and even 

 quadruple rows ; the effect is very striking, comparable to nothing but Egyptian 

 architecture, without much roof. Nothing that could be set down in our regions 

 (if that were possible) would produce such a sensation as a row or two of these 

 superb columnar trees, with their waving branches of green, and their fruit stem. 

 At El Carolina House, there is an avenue of these Palms along the whole road 

 front, giving an air of great statelincss to the property. 



One of the very prettiest places we saw, adjoins Mr. Monson's ; it is a small 

 coffee estate, extremely well planted, and full of fruit. The owner has a small 

 dwelling to eat and sleep in, but the open air seems to be the home of the family. 

 Here we observed again the enormous quantity of bees that can be fed from the 

 coffee, orange, and other flowers. About one hundred swarms were working away 

 most industriously, with no other attention than having been placed in a hollow 

 about three feet long, and open at both ends. This log is merely placed level 

 couple of stones, at an elevation from the ground of about six or ten inch 



