heavy guns and projectiles have rendered all the forts in Cuba of no
importance as a means of defense against a first-class invading fleet.
The custom house is the most prominent building which strikes the eye
on approaching the city by water; though built of stone, it is only
one story in height, and was erected at the commencement of the
present century. On the heights above the city the inhabitants have
planted their country seats, from whence the view of the widespreading
bay forms a delightful picture. The climate is thought to be
especially adapted for the cure of throat and lung diseases, and the
city is annually resorted to by those seeking relief from these
troubles, as also by those afflicted with neuralgia and rheumatism.
The first land made by southern-bound steamers from Boston and New
York is the Monte del Pan, or Bread Mountain, forming a lofty
background for the city. There are three large churches in Matanzas, a
well appointed and spacious theatre, a bull-ring, and cock-pits.
Statistics show that the custom-house receipts of the port reach about
two million dollars annually. There are two railroads connecting the
city with Havana, one of which runs also to the interior southeasterly
to Cienfuegos, Sagua, and Villa Clara, intersecting a rich
sugar-producing country, from whence it brings a large amount of
freight to the coast for shipment. On these Cuban roads one rides in
American-built cars, drawn by American engines, and often run by
American engineers. Railroads were in use in Cuba before they were
adopted in any other Spanish-speaking country, and there are now
nearly a thousand miles in active operation on the island.

Matanzas is bounded on the north by the river Yumuri, and on the south
by that of San Juan. The town is built upon the site of a former
Indian village, known to the early discoverers by the name of Yucayo.
It is upon the whole a well-built city, containing some small public
squares and a pretty Plaza de Armas, like that of Havana, ornamented
with choice trees and flowers, with a statue of Ferdinand VII. in its
centre. It was in this square that Gabriel Concepcion de la Valdez, a
mulatto poet and patriot of Cuba, was shot by the soldiers of the
line. He was accused of complicity with the slave insurrection of
1844, when the blacks attempted to gain their freedom. At the time of
his execution the first volley fired by the troops failed to touch a
vital spot, and the brave victim, bleed