Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 11.djvu/556

524 not desert him in his old age; and he lived cheerful and respected till his death, June 3, 1822.

1em  HAVANA,, or, more fully San Cristobal de la Havana, the capital of Cuba, and one of the principal seats of commerce in the New World, is situated on the northern coast of the island in 23° 9’ 24” N, lat. and 82° 22’ 35” W. Jong. From the sea it presents @ picturesque appearance, The background is indeed tame ; but the long lines of fortifications, the church-towers, and the shipping relieve the somewhat tawdry effect of the gaily coloured houses. Though the walls, completed in 1702, have been almost entirely demolished since 1863, it is still usual to speak of the intramural and the extramural city. The former, lying close to the harbour, has streets of the narrowest possible description consistent with the existence of wheel traffic. The latter has been laid out on a spacious plan, with wide thoroughfares frequently fringed with trees. Most of the houses are built of solid stone and have flat roofs, after the manner in vogue in southern Spain, and, as the erection of wooden buildings has been illegal since 1772, it is only in the suburban districts that they are at all common. The lavish use of white marble in the decoration both of shops and dwelling-houses is one of the peculiarities of the popular taste; and it is worthy of remark that, though the native quarries would supply what is wanted, the marble is brought from Genoa. Cafés, restaurants, clubs, and casinos are both exceedingly numerous and largely frequented, forming a good indication of that general absence of domestic life among the white population which surprises the European visitant. Havana is still, as of yore, a city of smells and noises, There is no satisfactory cleaning of the streets or draining of the sub- soil, and the harbour is visibly rendered foul by the impuri- ties of the town. Victorias,—of which it is the Cuban boast that there are 6000,—volantes, and other vehicles are driven through the thoroughfares with the utmost reckless- ness; and tramways and railways in the American fashion contribute to the confusion. The principal defences of Havana are the Castillo de la Punta, to the west of the harbour entrance, the Castillo del Morro and San Carlos de Ja Cabaiia to the east, the Santo Domingo de Atares, which lies at the head of the western arm of the bay and commands both the city and the neigh- bourhood, and the Castillo del Principe, situated on an eminence to the west, and forming the terminus of the great Paseo Militar. El Morro, as it is popularly called, was first erected in 1589, but additions have been frequently made. La Punta, a much smaller fort, is of the same period. The castle of Atares dates from about 1763, when the Con le de Ricla was governor of the island. Cabaiia, which alone has accommodation for 4000 men, fronts the bay for a distance of 800 yards, and is defended on the land side by three bastions. To the east there lics a smaller fort, No. 4, or San Diego, on a hill about 100 feet high. Of the churches in the city, which number more than a score, the most noteworthy is the cathedral erected in 1724 by the Jesuits, Externally it is plain though symmetrical ; but within it has richly frescoed walls, a floor of variegated marble, and costly altars. In the wall of the chancel, a second-rate medallion and a sorrier inscription distinguish the tomb of Columbus, whose remains were removed thither in 1796. It is enough to mention the churehes of San Juan de Dios, dating from, Santa Catalina (1658), San Agostino, and San Felipe, which possesses a large library. Of monasterics and nunneries there is of course no lack; and the same may be said of charitable institutions. The most important of the seven hospitals is the Real Casa de Peneficencia, founded about 1790, and containing an orphan asytum, a home for vagrants, a lunatic asylum, and an infirmary.

5. University. 9, Military Hospital. 6. Mathematical Univers ty. | 10. Theatres. 3. Cathedral. 7. Marine Post-Office. i. Lancers’ Barracks. 4. Exchange. 8. Public Library. 12. Benceticencia. 1 Prison, 2. Circus.

Besides the university established in 1728, the city possesses a theclogical seminary, a military school, and a school of art. The governor and the bishop have their respective palaces, the former a large yellow stune building in the Plaza de Armas; a large prison, erected in 1771, capable of receiving 500 inmates, and with barracks for a regiment, forms a striking object in the general view of the city; and among the other public buildings are the exchange (El Muelle), the custom-house (formerly the church of San Francisco), and the maestranza or head- quarters of the artillery. Of the theatres, which have s'ill to compete with the buil-ring and the cock-pit, the most im- portant is the Tacon, erected in 1838, and capable of accom- molating about 3000 persons. The promenades, drives, and public gardens form a notable feature of Havana: it is sufficient to mention the Plaza de Armas, with a statue of Ferdinand VII. ; the Prado or Paseo Isabel, a long an handsome boulevard laid out in the 18th century; tlie Campo del Marte or drill-park ; the Parque Isabel, the Paseo Tacon, the botanical gardens, and the gardens of Los Molinos, the suburban residence of the captain-gencral. The palm-tree avenues of Los Molinos are unusually fine. Along the borders of the bay there are several fine embank- ments, of which the best is perhaps that called either the Salon O’Donnell or the Alamada de Paula. In the coral rock of the coast sea-baths have been excavated, so that the bathers may run no risk from the sharks; each apart- ment is about 12 fect square and 6 or 8 feet deep, and the water enters by two port-holes. The city is supplicd with water from the river Chorrera by an aqueduct (Canal Tsabel IT.) constructed by Antonelli under Philip II., and 