Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VIII.djvu/533

 HAVANA 519 II modern style, particularly in El Cerro (the Hill), a handsome street 3 m. long, leading to a village of the same name, and chiefly inhabit- ed by the wealthy and fashionable, especially in summer. There is, however, no quarter of the town exclusively occupied by the higher classes, and in any street a miserable hovel may be seen side by side with a stately man- sion. Foremost among the public edifices of Havana is the cathedral, erected in 1724, and used as a college by the Jesuits till 1789 ; but it is less remarkable for the beauty 'of its ar- chitecture than as being the resting place of the ashes of Christopher Columbus, transferred thither from Santo Domingo, Jan. 15, 1796. On one of the walls is a stone slab with the bust of Columbus in relief, and an inscription beneath. There are fifteen other churches, nine of which are attached to certain monastic orders ; two, Santa Catalina and San Juan de Dios, date from the 16th century; one, San Agustin, from the beginning of the 17th ; and all are noteworthy for the richness and splen- dor of their decorations. El Templete, the Little Temple, is curious as having been erect- ed in 1828 on the spot where mass was first celebrated, in 1519. There are numerous monasteries and nunneries. The governor's palace, on the "W. side of the Plaza de Armas, is a yellow two-story edifice, with a hand- some colonnade in front; it is occupied by the captain general, his staff, and the offices of the several government departments. The custom house, fronting on the bay, is a spa- cious building, devoid of architectural inter- est ; but the customs warehouse, formerly the church of San Francisco, consecrated in 1737, has the loftiest tower in the city. Other buildings or public establishments worthy of mention are the admiralty, the exchange, the university, the prison, a vast quadrangular structure erected in 1771, near the mouth of the bay, and the real casa de beneficencia, a large building with beautiful grounds and com- prising an orphan asylum and an asylum for vagrants, established about 1790. Havana has three theatres, one of which, built under the auspices of Captain General Tacon, whose name it bears, is said to be equal in size to La Scala of Milan ; an arena for bull fights, this amusement being still popular in Havana ; a gymnasium, a circus, and a number of well arranged and com- fortable public baths. The university has fac- ulties of philosophy and letters, sciences, phar- macy, medicine and surgery, and law. There is also a large number of public and private schools, the former dependent upon the supe- rior board of public instruction, the president of which is the captain general, and which is composed of three sections, each under a vice president. There is a hospital for those afflict- ed with a species of leprosy peculiar to the Antilles and reputed incurable; a lying-in, a charity, and a military hospital, and an insane asylum. The cemeteries, seven in number, under the charge of the church, are situated in the extramural district. Interments are made, as in Spain, in niches of tombs built in several stories above ground, each closed with an inscribed slab. Few cities in the world have a larger number ofpaseos or public prom- enades and public parks than Havana. The Plaza de Armas, at a short distance from the quays, and facing which is the governor's pal- ace, as already observed, comprises four gar- dens, with a statue of Ferdinand VII. in the centre; magnificent palms and other trees border the walks, along which are stone seats with iron rests ; and a regimental band plays there every evening. The Alameda de Paula, bordering the bay, has an elegant fountain sur- mounted by a marble column, with military trophies and national symbols. A favorite evening resort is the Parque de Isabel, taste- fully laid out, and having in the centre a statue of Isabella II. The Campo de Marte, used as a drill ground for the military, is a large enclo- sure resembling a trapezium in shape, the longest side of which is 375 ft. ; it has four handsome gates, distinguished respectively by the names Colon, Cortes, Pizarro, and Tacon. The Paseo de Tacon is a magnificent wide drive, with double rows of trees, a promenade for pedestrians, and profusely embellished with columns and statues, some of the latter, espe- cially one of Charles III., ranking among the finest specimens of art in America. Adjoining this promenade is a beautiful gate opening into the botanic garden, in which are specimens of countless tropical plants ; and besides these gar- dens are the magnificent grounds attached to the quinta or country residence of the captain general. Other paseos, such as those of La Eeina, El Prado, La Cortina de Vald6s, and El Salon de O'Donnel, vie in beauty and scenery with those enumerated. In the vicinity of the city are nu- merous places of fashionable resort, such as Ma- rianao, Puentes Grandes, and Guanabacoa. Not least among the interesting features of Havana were formerly the walls which girded the old town, commenced in 1633, under Flores, but not completed till 1702. With their forts, ten bastions, and seven gates, they were quite use- less ; and a new town having grown up be- yond them, they were almost totally demol- ished in 1864, and handsome dwellings erected in their place, materially improving the appear- ance and sanitary condition of the city. Good water is brought from the river Chorrera by an aqueduct about T m. long, furnishing a suf- ficient supply for use and for about 50 public fountains. The city is well lighted with gas. There are eight good hotels, and a great num- ber of restaurants, cafes, &c. The climate of Havana is essentially tropical ; but the exces- sive heat is tempered by the sea breeze, which blows regularly every morning, and the agree- able terral (land breeze) every evening. There are but two seasons : the dry or so-called win- ter season, from November to May, when very , little rain falls ; and the wet or summer season, i which usually begins early in June and lasts till