4 A NATURALIST IN MEXICO. 



fleet of little sailing boats, foreign yachts, and row-boats, 

 glancing in the burning sunlight, created a scene of great 

 maritime interest. 



The city presents a large extent of public buildings, 

 cathedrals, antique and venerable churches. There is 

 nothing grand in its appearance as one enters the harbor 

 and comes to anchor. Its multitude of churches, domes, 

 and steeples are not architecturally remarkable, and are 

 dominated by the co'lossal prison near the shore. This im- 

 mense quadrangular edifice flanks the Punta, and is de- 

 signed to contain five thousand prisoners at a time. The 

 low hills which make up the distant background are not 

 sufficiently high to add much to the general effect. The few 

 palm trees which catch the eye here and there give an Oriental 

 aspect to the scene, quite in harmony with the atmospheric 

 tone of intense sunshine. Neither the city nor its immedi- 

 ate environs is elevated, so that the whole impression is 

 that of flatness, requiring some strength of background to 

 form a complete picture. 



The low-lying, many-colored city of Havana was orig- 

 inally surrounded by a wall, though the population has long 

 since extended its dwellings and business structures far into 

 what was, half a century since, the suburbs. A portion of 

 the old wall is still extant, crumbling and decayed, but it 

 has mostly disappeared. The narrow streets are paved or 

 macadamized, and cross each other at right angles, like 

 those of Philadelphia. There are no sidewalks, unless a 

 narrow line of flagstones can be so called, and in fact 

 the people have less use for them where nearly every 

 one rides in a victoria, the fare being but sixteen cents per 

 mile. 



The architecture of the dwelling-houses is exceedingly 

 heavy, giving them the appearance of great age. They are 

 built of the porous stone so abundant upon the island. 



