GENERAL VIEWS. 



105 



fifths of a mile, when, leaving on the north the Cas- 

 tle of San Carlos de la Cabana, and the village of 

 Casa Blanca, it opens into a large trefoil shaped bay 5 

 the greatest width of which, froim is. 1ST. E. to S. S. 

 W. is two miles and a half. The three smaller bays 

 which open from it are called Guanabacoa, Guasaba- 

 coa, and Atares, the latter containing several springs 

 of fresh water. 



The city of Havana, surrounded by walls, is built 

 upon a promontory, extending from the ISTavy-yard 

 on the south, to the Punta fort on the north. In the 

 harbor, beyond the remains of some vessels that have 

 been sunk and the little isle of Luz, there are only 

 eight or ten, or, perhaps, more correctly speaking, 

 five or six fathoms of water. The castles Atares 

 and San Carlos del Principe defend the city on the 

 western side inland, one of them being 1,400 and 

 the other 2,630 yards from the wall of the city. The 

 intermediate space comprises the suburbs of Horcon, 

 Jesus Maria, and Salud, which encroach yearly upon 

 the Campo Marte. 



The principal edifices of Havana, the Cathedral, 

 the Government House, the residence of the Corn- 

 andante of Marine, the ISTavy-yard, the Post-office, 

 and the Royal Tobacco factory, are less notable for 

 their beauty than for the solidity of their construc- 

 tion. The streets are generally narrow, and many 



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