22 



THE HISTOEY OF COFFEE. 



Leaving the victoria, which has by this time obtained 

 another fare, the cafe with its open doors attracts attention. 

 Entering the grand saloon on the first floor, level with the 

 narrow sidewalks, which permit only one pedestrian to pass 

 comfortably at a time, the visitor seats himself at one of the 

 small marble-covered tables that are plentifully distributed 

 over the tiled floor ; and whatever the temperature of the 

 streets may be, the cafes are always cool, and at them may be 

 met, at certain hours of the day, many English and American 

 visitors and residents. Immediately when seated, one of the 

 attendants approaches and politely asks, in Spanish, for orders ; 

 an attempt to make the waiter comprehend English will 

 generally meet with signal failure. While enjoying the 

 delicious coffee and a choice cigar, the visitor looks about 

 the saloon, which is fitted up in a style of magnificence out- 

 rivalling all other cafes in the city. At each of the small 

 tables are groups of Spaniards, Cubans, Germans, Englishmen, 

 and Americans, with here and there an officer in brilliant 

 uniform, all chatting, drinking coffee, or sipping light wines, 

 and each, with rare exceptions, fondling a cigar. All over 

 this interesting city, more especially in the older portion of it, 

 inside the now nearly obliterated lines of ancient walls, the 

 cafes confront the passer-by at nearly every square. Watching 

 an old coffee-drinker in the &quot; Louvre &quot; one day, he was seen to 

 carefully drop the white lumps of sugar into his cup until the 

 top of the sweet pile rose just above the rich yellow fluid, and 

 then gently rubbing his palms together, he prepared himself to 

 enjoy the nectar. &quot; La Dominica &quot; was formerly the favorite 

 cafe, but it has of late years been superseded by more modern 

 establishments ; it is still however well patronized, but makes 

 more of a specialty in manufacturing &quot; dulces &quot; or sweetmeats, 

 which have a world-wide reputation, especially the guava 

 jelly, most of which comes from this entrepot. The Havanese 



