WHOLE VOL. THE WEST INDIES ^VAZQUEZ DE ESPINOSA IO3 



Chapter XXXIII 



Of the City and Harbor of Havana. 



293. The famous harbor of Havana lies on the N. coast of the 

 island, WNW. of the city of Santiago de Cuba, just within 23° N,, 

 opposite Florida; it is there that the galleons and fleets come and 

 unite, both from the Spanish Main and New Spain, and it is there 

 that they outfit themselves and take on the supplies necessary to pass 

 through the Bahama Channel and sail to Spain, The city was founded 

 by Commander Diego Velazquez in the year 151 5, on St. Christo- 

 pher's day, after he had subdued and pacified the island, and so he 

 called it San Cristobal de la Habana ; it will contain over i,2(X> Spanish 

 residents, plus great numbers of the Negro and mulatto service class, 

 and the crews usually stopping there from the fleets and galleons, and 

 other ships and frigates, since the city and harbor are the stopping 

 place for all those who come from all parts of the Indies ; it has much 

 trade and intercourse with all the other Windward Islands and other 

 localities. 



294. The city was built on a plain in a wonderful site, on the shore 

 of a deep lagoon or arm of the sea running inland ; it covers the area 

 of a large city and is provided with abundance of meat, fish, turtles, 

 tortoises, corn, manioc, and flour, which are generally imported from 

 New Spain, with many delicious native fruits ; although the climate 

 is hot, it has bright skies and wholesome air. The city is built to the 

 E. of this lake or harbor ; in the city and its environs there are many 

 plantations of bananas, coconut palms, native plums, pineapples, 

 oranges, lemons, and other handsome trees, with all the vegetables and 

 garden truck of Spain. 



295. The city contains a very large and spacious parish church, 

 Dominican, Franciscan, and Augustinian convents, and an excellent 

 hospital run by Brethren of San Juan de Dios, in which the indigent 

 sick are nursed with great devotion ; there are other churches and 

 shrines. The harbor of Havana is one of the best, roomiest, and 

 deepest known ; in fact, ships of no matter what size are practically 

 moored to the houses of the city. At the entrance to the harbor on 

 the W. there is a famous impregnable fortress, the Morro, which has 

 a Warden appointed by His Majesty, and 200 soldiers in the garrison, 

 plus the artillerymen ; it contains 43 cannon, of the following 

 denominations : 



296. On the castle platform. 



I. The cannon named San Pedro; weight figured at 85 quintals 15 (19 in list 

 on folio 193) lbs.; 12 diameters in length from its mouth; requires a 36-lb. ball, 

 15 lbs. of powder. 



