said, decidedly of an Oriental character. But little
effort of the imagination would be required to believe oneself in
distant Syria, or some remote part of Asia.

But let us recur for one moment to the subject of the slaves from which
we have unwittingly digressed. On the plantations the slaves have some
rude musical instruments, which they manufacture themselves, and which
emit a dull monotonous sound, to the cadence of which they sit by
moonlight and sing or chant, for hours together. One of these
instruments is a rude drum to the beating of which they perform
grotesque dances, with unwearying feet, really surprising the looker-on
by their power of endurance in sustaining themselves in vigorous
dancing. Generally, or as is often the case, a part of Saturday of each
week is granted to the slaves, when they may frequently be seen engaged
at ball, playing a curious game after their own fashion. This time of
holiday many prefer to pass in working upon their own allotted piece of
ground and in raising favorite vegetables and fruits, or corn for the
fattening of the pig hard by, and for which the drovers, who regularly
visit the plantations for the purpose, will pay them in good golden
doubloons. It is thought that the city slave has a less arduous task
than those in the country, for he is little exposed to the sun, and is
allowed many privileges, such for instance as attending church, and in
this the negroes seem to take particular delight, especially if well
dressed. A few gaudy ribbons, and nice glass beads of high color are
vastly prized by both sexes of the slaves in town and country. In the
cities some mistresses take pleasure in decking out their immediate male
and female attendants in fine style with gold ornaments in profusion.
There was one beautiful sight the writer particularly noticed in the
church of Santa Clara, viz: that before the altar all distinction was
dropped, and the negro knelt beside the Don.

The virgin soil of Cuba is so rich that a touch of the hoe prepares it
for the plant, or, as Douglass Jerrold says of Australia, "just tickle
her with a hoe and she laughs with a harvest." So fertile a soil is not
known to exist in any other portion of the globe. It sometimes produces
three crops to the year, and in ordinary seasons two may be relied
upon,--the consequence is that the Monteros have little more to do than
merely to gather the produce they daily carry to market, and which also
forms so large a