Miscellany: Two Months On A Sugar Plantation In Cuba

(Concluded.)Thcre are four buildings occupied by the mechanica, all of which have thatchcd roofs. andaré boardcd up on the sides with rough boards, or filled inwithpoles, with a window siuuier on each sidc, and a door at the end. and are abuui thirty leet long and iwenty wide, each. with 8mply the ground levelled oíT a littie lor floois. One of these is occupied by the maaier carpentei and his latnily; this has a shed attnehed, whicb is used foradining room lor the workinen, with one end entuely open, and the ground scarculy levelled for a ííoor. The pigs and hens have tree acce88 to this, and are aJway.s leady (o piek up the crunibs that fall froin the table. Two are used for sleeping-rooms; each prson fiuding bis own bed, which is cusionutry here with mechanica ancioiheis. A bed consists of two blankcts, two sheets nd a cot bedstead. No one attempis to travel any distance without carrying his bedding - a cot can eupily be obtained Irorn the innkeeper. The house that I stopped at, on my way here, was about forty f'cet long. and twenty wide. with thatched root, ground floor, ne story high. and parted oííinto three aparmients. The iamily eonsisted of hall a dozen children, three young Indies, and two young gcnilemcn, besides the host and hostess. The ladies were employed in inaking eigars, which they did with ninch dexterity and grace. In fact, the Spamsh wonnen, however uneducated they mny be. do all things witha nniural grace and ease, that cannot be surpasscd by any people. One of these ladies 8moked at least half a dozen cigare in the course of the evening; nearly all smoke, even the young children. Oursupper, which consisted ot dried beef and pork, served up with garlic and onions, eggs and coflee, with a littie dned baker's bread, which is the only kind I have ever seen, (no family makes its own bread, however ar they may live in the country,) was prepared inanout-building. by one of the young ladies; f rom t henee it was brougbt in, and n was necessary to stop the cigar business, as the only tablc in the house was used for that purpose. With some difficulty, they succeeded in mustering plates, cups aud saucers for our company of three. In knives and lorks, including all broken ones, they wero not so successful. Our guide, however, made up the deficiency by taking a knife from his belt, which the Spaniards carry, not only to eat with, bui for a weapon of defence. Supperbeing over. we intimated that we wished to retire. They could give us only two cots: these were placed in a shed attached to the kitchen, and entirely open on two sides. We took the bedding that we had the precaution to provide ourselves with, and putit upon the cots, nnd retired. First, however, I took my pistoU from my holsters, and examined them to see il all was right, and placed thetn undermy bead. This is the kind of living in Cuba, except in the large towns. and on some of the Iarger plantations. The other building is a kitchen; the cooking utensils are a lew pote and ketiles, set upon a few bricks, placed in the centre of the building, so as to put fire underneath, and without flucs to conduct off the smoke. In this way cooking is genrally done. Cooking stoves and chimneys arenot known. A negro man, with . uarse Russia trowsers coming down as far as the knee, and instened about ihe hip. without suspendere or shirt, (sometimes he wears a frock of the same material,') and 6 woman, wiih a short-sleeve frock. coming down jusí below the knce, (ornied ul tlie same material, neither oí whích had the npiearmce of having boen wnshed or even taken offfor uionihs, ífo theco-king tor the mechanica, :md act as survanta íór the lauíily. waiting upon ihe able, &c. The building thnt the proprietor occupics is sniail, only one story, wiih two apartments. a brick floor, and window-ghmters. There is scarce!y a house in the whule country that has a glasd window in it The propí ietor comee to the estáte about oncea munth. The other ihree buildinírs are one story, with 'hatched roofs and ground floors: one is a kitchen tor the necjroes. ne .or the male and the othcr for the female negroes 10 live in. At night they are löckéd up separately in these, except Smurday nights. at which time üp door thnt is made for a communication between the tvvo buildings; is opened. and the gentlemen allowed to pay their respects to the lidies. The rrfnrringè ceremony a extremely simple, it only requiring theconsent of ihe mnster to makc m;m and wife. - He is supreme nmongst 'hem - they knów of no Iaw but liis Incotiotnncy in the husband or wife is punished by whipping; and a reward of fuur dollars is given for every living child. and alsoa release trom field lnbor of the mother, from the hirth of the sixth living one, and the ennic reward to all the feinnles. So prosti'.ution is encournged. It is seldom that any one receives the reward of release from field laborj from two causes; one is. ihat the lemales are so consianily exposed. and keptso eonstnntly ut woru, that il is difficult to raise their chilJren; they work in the field tintil a few days bcfore they are conflnecl. - The other is, that many ol them will not allow heir children to live nirl hecome slaves like themselves. There aro but six children on this esate. The labor of male and femnle is the same; both work in the field fnm four o'clock in the morning ti'l eight at night every day, exept Sundays. of which day ihey are allowed only wo hours at noon for themselves. They have wo meáis a dny. one at twelve o'clock. M.. and he other at six o'clock. P. M. The clothing of the male is a pair of Russia rowsers, fastened ahout the waist, a frock and cap: (the frock and cap they seldom use in the ay time, ) and that o" the females is a short-sleeve "rock, coming down as far a. the knee. and o ap. They are allowed two suiis n year, and n jlanket. The children wear no cloihes until the ge of four or five years. The blanket constiutes their bedding, and a few boards put up round tho building, about two "eet high and four vide, their bedstead. Their food is dried Souih nierican beef, cracked corn, rice, and plantams; his is served out to them in messes on boards. II sitiing down on the ground, and eating oif rom these with their fingers.There wëre scnrcely nt any time less than three or four negroes in ihe woods. some run away for bemg overwoiked, and kept long in the morning without food: others to get out of the way of flogging, &c. They liowever seldom succeed in reniaining awny long; the dogs of the estáte are so well trained, thut they scent the track of a negro cqunlly as well as that of a fox or deer. Often alter caiching thetn, they bite them in a shocking manner, before those in pursuit can prevent it. If they ire bitten badly. they receive no otlier punishnrept; if not. they are put into the stocks, chains put upon their legs, or osrged. and somethnes all of them. The bloodïuund is a most powerful juxiliary to slaveholdrs, in keeping the negroes under subjeciion. - hey are large, and extremely forocious, and are Iways as ready to chase or bite a negro, os a 'ilil animal. All estates have eight or ten of ïem. Wlien a negro is to be flogged. the whole are rawn up in a line; the one to be flogged is ca!ld out by the mayoral, and four others. who throw i.m down - two of them holding hia arms. and ie othei two his legs. while the mayoral turns own his trowsers. and puts on the whip, makng it crack nearly as loud as a pistol. and felchng blood at every blow - givi ïg hini from fifty o two hundred. If she is a female and shn is 'ar advanccd in pregnnncy. a hole is dug in the round to receive her belly, to prevent injuiing ie child.All the ncgroea ex'-ept 16 of this estáte are 'rom África; therc is nhout the same pruportion n all the estales thnt I in acquainted with. vhich to my mind is conclusive evidence, that 'rom excssive labor and oiher causes there is no itural increase nmong them. One of the great Jvftntnges uiowing out of the stopping of the nve trtule, wjll be theamelioration of tbeir conition; ptherwise, the slave population of Cuba ill soon btcome exiinct. The oxcn of Cuba are ftrlly equnl to any thnt I ïaveever seen; they are large. well iormed, and ocile. Tne horse is fvither small, but beautilly formed, fleet and kind. Therc are for;y oke of oxen, and ten or twelve horse? on this state. The farming utensils are of the rudest nd; the oxen draw by ropes and poles. instead chnins. I believe diereis but oue shovel on ie glacé, and but few hoes: the matchen is al- ïost the only kind of tooi used by the negro. - Vheelbarrows and hnndcarts are not used; the egroes carry near!y every ihingon their hends - even a bottlethny will carry diere. There are earl twenty carie, and not one of ihcni niade to P UPDuring my residenee here. the weather has een delightful; the thermomer has seldom gone ligher than eighty degrees. at all times a fine re'reshing breeze. with cool andcomfortable nights. 'he as3ertion that a white man cannot withsiand ie sun of Cuba is for effect, and not true. The ïechanics cmployed on this eatnte are froni sevral different nations; most of them worked in ie sun without nuieh apparent - 'ho natives appenred to have no choice; besides, ïere ore many people here who carry 'on their 'arms wilhout slaves, and many planters who lire white men to cut their cane and do other 'ork. Cuba has advantages by nature ihnt but few. if ny other countries have. A fine climate, scarcey at any time oppressive. and a soil rich andprouctive in the extreme, producing at all seasons theyear. and capable of sustaining iifteen milions of peopie. Notwithsianding. she does not irosper, either in wealih or refinement, or knowl)dge, as oiher places of far less advantages do. - Borne of the laws and instuutions aro good. - 'he great difficulty, however, is not in tbe lnws, ut in their execution and the people. When ie laws are trampled upon by the people. and Ííicer8 from the highsat to the lowest deviate rom the duties of their s'ation, nnd justice is deeated by bribery and corruption, the people canot go onward with prosperity. for there is no ecurity to property. nor prorection to life itsell'.