western conquests. The valley is now
fruitful in sugar-canes, and surrounded with hills and woods; and the
_coup-d'oeil,_ when seen in the quick changing lights and shadows of the
setting sun, is quite, enchanting. Continuing our ride, we crossed the
valley as the moon was beginning to throw her dubious and silvery light
upon the cane fields. A light breeze springing up, their flowery heads
swayed to and fro like waving plumes, while their long leaves, striking
one against the other, swept like a mournful sigh across the vale, as
though Nature were offering its tribute of compassion to the fettered
sons of Adam that had helped to give it birth.

There is a very important personage frequently met with in Cuba, who is
called _El Casero_--in other words, the parish commissariat pedler. He
travels on horseback, seated between two huge panniers, and goes round
to all the cottages collecting what they wish to sell, and selling what
they wish to buy, and every one who addresses him on business he styles,
in reply, _Caserita_. This pedlering system may be very primitive, but
it doubtless is a great convenience to the rural population, especially
in an island which is so deficient in roads and communication. In short,
I consider _El Casero_ the representative of so useful and peculiar a
class of the community, that I have honoured him with a wood-cut wherein
he is seen bargaining with a negress for fowls, or _vice
versa_,--whichever the reader prefers,--for not being the artist, I
cannot undertake to decide which idea he meant to convey.

There is nothing in the town of Matanzas worth seeing except the views
of it and around it. The population amounts to about twenty-five
thousand, and the shipping always helps to give it a gay appearance. My
chief object in visiting these parts was to see something of the sugar
plantations in the island; but as they resemble each other in essential
features, I shall merely describe one of the best, which I visited when
retracing my steps to Havana, and which belongs to one of the most
wealthy men in the island. On driving up to it, you see a large airy
house,--windows and doors all open, a tall chimney rearing its proud
head in another building, and a kind of barrack-looking building round
about. The hospitable owner appears to delight in having an opportunity
of showing kindness to strangers. He speaks English fluently; but alas!
the ladies do not; so we must look up our old rusty armoury of S