h parties are chargeable, but
which, for obvious reasons, are carefully concealed from the traveller's
eye.

Among the curious anomalies of some people, is that of a dislike to be
called by the national name, if they have a local one. The islanders
feel quite affronted if you call them Espanoles; and a native of Old
Spain would feel even more affronted if you called him a Cubano or an
Havanero. The appellations are as mutually offensive as were in the
olden times those of Southron and Scot, although Cuba is eternally
making a boast of her loyalty. The manner of a Cuban is as stiff and
hidalgoish as that of any old Spaniard; in fact, so far as my short
acquaintance with the mother country and the colony enables me to judge,
I see little or no difference. Some of them, however, have a dash of fun
about them, as the two following little squibs will show.

It appears that a certain Conde de ----, who had lately been decorated,
was a most notorious rogue; in consequence of which, some wag chalked up
on his door in large letters, during the night, the following lines,
which, of course, were in everybody's mouth soon after the sun had
risen:--

En el tiempo de las barbaras naciones
A los ladrones se les colgaban en cruces;
Pero hoy en el siglo de las luces
A los ladrones se les cuelgan cruces.

A play upon words is at all times a hopeless task to transfer to another
language; nevertheless, for the benefit of those who are unacquainted
with Spanish, I will convey the idea as well as I can in English;--

Hang the thief on the cross was the ancient decree;
But the cross on the thief now suspended we see.

The idea is of very ancient date, and equally well known in Italy and
Spain; but I believe the Spanish verses given above are original.

The following was written upon a wealthy man who lived like a hermit,
and was reported to be very averse to paying for anything. He had, to
the astonishment of everybody, given a grand entertainment the night
before. On his door appeared--

"El Marquis de C---- Hace lo que debe
Y debe por lo que hace."

It is useless to try and carry this into Saxon. In drawing it from the
Spanish well, the bottom must come out of the translationary bucket. The
best version I can offer is--

"He gives a party, which he ought to do,
But, doing that, he _does_ his tradesmen too."

I am aware my English version is tame and insipid, though, perhaps, not
quite as much so as a tran