JcaelS, 1986.] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



441 



As I have mentioned, Caba was sightecl, but we had what 

 Bailors term a dead head-wind ; and as we were a long way from 

 the harbour of Havanna, it was nightfall before we passed the 

 More Castle at the entrance, and, therefore, in accordance with 

 the rules of the port, we were compelled to drop anchor for the 

 night at the entrance abreast of the hulk — that is, a worn-out 

 old tub, without masts, which does duty as a guard ship. Here 

 we remained for the best of aU reasons — namely, because the 

 authorities would not allow ua to proceed before morning; 

 but we were not without amusement, as we had several good 

 singers on board, and they made a very merry night of it. Most 

 of the passengers were leaving us at the Havanna. and they 

 seemed determined to take poor General Wolfe's advice, and 

 sing with him, as he did on the night before the battle of 

 Quebec — 



" Why stnnds the plass aroand? 



For shnme I Ye faike no care, my boys. 

 Why f^taniJB the plass around ? 

 Let wine and mirth abound." 



Or, to act in accordance with the words of that exquisitely 

 plaintive song, " The Deserter's Meditation " — 



" If sadly thioking. nnd spirits sinTdDj?, 

 Could more than driukmi* my grief forego ? 

 Then for that reason, and for a season, 

 Let us be merry before we go." 



The night was brilliant, warm, and pleasant; and as the 

 melodious tones of several rich and powerful voices, sometimes 

 in unison, at others joining in parts, were borne away before a 

 gentle breeze, they were thrown back, mellowed and reiterated, 

 from the high rocks and headlands around ; so that, what be- 

 tween the gentle ripple of the water of the bay, the striking 

 beauty of the shores of which were dimly perceptible by the 

 soft doubtfal light of a young moon, aided in her endeavours to 

 illuminate by thousands of stars — all this, taken in conjunction 

 with a thorough harmony of feeling amongst those present, and 

 a delicious balmy flower-scented air, made the scene one of 

 those of which the remembrance cannot be forgotten in a life- 

 time. 



The night being gone and the morning come, our forced 

 delay was ended ; so we hove anchor, and proceeded on our 

 way to our wbarf, it being somewhere about a mile farther up 

 the bay, which I may here notice is one of the greatest beauty. 

 Having at length moored or made fast alongside the jetty, I, in 

 company with three of the gentlemen passengers, started to 

 walk along the shore, or rather tide of the hill, on the opposite 

 side of the harbour to that on which the city stands, being that 

 on which our wharf was situated. 



The heat was intense, yet still I enjoyed the short ramble of 

 about a mile very greatly, since, though so late in the year, 

 some of the wild flowers were most beautiful. One attracted 

 my attention in particular, it was a small flower of the Convol- 

 Ttilns tribe, pure white on the external part of the corolla, and 

 most delicately tinted with pink internally, deepening in shade 

 towards the centre, the flower itself at once catching the eye, 

 nestUng, as it did in clusters, amongst the deep, dark, shining 

 green leaves of its elegant intertwining tendrils ; the plant grow- 

 ing in great luxuriance and in large patches, but so closely 

 were the sprays interwoven, that it was difficult to pluck one 

 of any length without damaging it. This plant, or one of the 

 same genus, and very similar to it, is known in the southern 

 portion of the United States of .America by the pretty soubriquet 

 of " Woming Glory," on account of its opening and displaying 

 its full beauty in the morning, whilst it closes in the afternoon 

 and evening. Another flower which attracted my notice was 

 a most exquisite yellow Cistns, the beauty of the foliage of 

 which could only be equalled by the briUiancy of its petals, 

 which, from their colonr, forcibly recalled to my mind a tale I 

 have often heard of an old servant of my grandmother who was 

 promised a new gown, and when asked what colour she would 

 prefer, remarked that she did not like showy colours, but she 

 should like a bit of good plain yellow ; and if the hue of her 

 dress at all corresponded with that of this lovely flower, al- 

 though I am afraid I could not agree with her in not consider- 

 ing it showy, ttiU I must acknowledge that I should very greatly 

 have admired its hue, especially had it been toned down in 

 briUiancy, as it was in this plant, by the delicate tinge of 

 pale green leaves. 



The next flower that I noticed was a bright scarlet Broom ; 

 then a species of Heliotrope, which, though very similar in 

 appearance, was not that sweet-scented flower so justly prized 

 by us, and which children delight to call " Cherry-pie ;" next 

 was a pure white flower, one of the Umbellifera), and, of coturse, 

 bom its position on a dry hillside, an aromatic, but not poisoa- 



0U3. All these were growing in the rankest luxuriance, inter- 

 spersed with Cacti, many of them of very large size, and bear- 

 ing most formidable spines of great length and acute sharpness, 

 as one of my companions found to his sorrow ; for in walking 

 up the hill his foot slipped, and in saving himself frcm falling 

 he struck his arm rather violently against a large plant of this 

 description, the thorns of which, to teach him better manners 

 and a proper amount of respect to the family of the Cacti, 

 ran through his clothing, and deeply into his arm. In a few 

 minutes he complained of great pain, and on bareing his arm 

 he sliowed me half a dozen pretty deep punctures all bleeding 

 tolerably freely, and likewise a portion of a spine broken cS 

 into the flesh, which, having extracted for him, I found of tha 

 comfortable length of more than an inch. The wounded part 

 swelled a good deal, but soon recovered tmder proper treat- 

 ment. 



The .\loe again here shows itself, and of all sizes from the 

 pygmy with leaves scarcely longer than one's finger to the giant, 

 each leaf of which will measure from 8 to 10 fe^t or more, and 

 armed at the apex with an awful spike, and having its edges 

 serrated somewhat after the manner of a shark's teeth. 



Now, imagine to yourself all these beautiful plants, with here 

 and there a few Cocoa-nut Palms singly or in clumps tower- 

 ing above aU the rest, and spreading abroad their long, feathery, 

 elegantly drooping leaves, growing on a ra])idly rising hillside, 

 with a bright semi-tropical sun pouring its clear rays down 

 upon this really lovely spot, where not a breath of air was to 

 be felt, and even Zephyr seemed asleep, and some notion may 

 be formed of the amount of comfort we expeiienced as, just 

 having arrived from the cool breezes of the sea, we slowly 

 mounted the hillside, for road it cannot be called, that leads to 

 Castle Blanco. 



Castle Blanco is a small village or hamlet chiefly inhabited 

 by poor Creoles and Chinese, with a large mixture of negroes, 

 who are employed in coaling the steamers which lie at the 

 adjacent wharves. The appearance of this place is not pre- 

 possessing, for it presents to view all the mixture of squalor 

 and miserable pretension common to all the Spanish and Por- 

 tuguese colonies I have ever visited or read of — viz., gross super- 

 stition and rank blasphemy ; dirt and discomfort, verandaha 

 and mud floors, shaky doors and trembhng wooden steps ; 

 wretched, untidy, half-breed women ; filthy, unkempt, nearly, 

 often entirely, nude children ; and decidedly last, though not 

 least, lazy, scowling, truculent men, whose whole Ufe seems 

 made up of Water Melons, cigarritos, low gambling, and loiter- 

 ing ; gossip aud scandal being, apparently, too great exertion 

 for them. 



Another noticeable species of animal to be found here I must 

 not pass over without some remark — I refer to dogs, for the 

 amount of canine creation found here is perfectly marvellous ; 

 but do not imagine that the dog aristocracy demean themselvea 

 by appearing here, for they would be out of place, but mongrels 

 of every description have their representatives in this dog 

 assembly, from the mongrel Cuban bloodhound, mangy and 

 covered with scars, to the mongrel little white curly Havanna 

 poodle, the true breed of which will often sell for as much as 

 five ounces — that is, about £18 sterling. 



Having passed through this delectable abode of dogs and of 

 men, we at length reached the quay, and at once looked out for 

 a boat to ferry us over the harbour, and after some bargaining 

 we agreed with a sturdy little Creole Spaniard to land us on tb» 

 Havanna side for half a dollar, and accordingly, entering a 

 queer small tub of a boat, with an awning over the after-part, 

 the shade of which was very grateful, although it was then 

 December, we were soon landed at the custom-house quay ; and 

 after just arriving from New Orleans, and calling to mind the 

 magnificent quays c( Liverpool, it certainly did appear a curi- 

 ously insignificant affair, although guarded by a most .splendid 

 array of uniformed customhouse officers. Crossing this quay 

 we passed through a short street, and came at once into the 

 grand square, and a real beautifully square it is ; on one side 

 occupied by the palace of the Captain- General or Viceroy of 

 Cuba, on another by shops, and on two others by fine building* 

 with cool massive piazzas, and built in the old Moorish style. 

 In tlie centre of this square stands a fine statue on a pedestal, 

 surrounded by iron railings, and a large space around is beau- 

 tifully paved with squares of black and white marble, and here 

 in the evening a military band plays for s«n;e time before the 

 Captain's palace bv lamplight for the amusement of the people^ 

 and very pleasant U is to hear this band, and sit (for even hera 

 chairs can be hired by those who wish them at the rate of 2J<t 

 per evening), in the cool after the heat of the day, amidst th^ 



