od and enforced. Not so the Chinese
coolies. Their importers are _lege soluti_. Some say the government will
insist on their being returned. But the prevailing impression is that
they will be brought in debt, and bound over again for their debts, or
in some other way secured to a life-long servitude.

Mr.----, a very wealthy and intelligent planter, tells me he is to go
over to Regla, to-morrow morning, to see a lot of slaves offered for
sale to him, and asks me if I have ever seen a sale of slaves. I never
have seen that sight, and accept his invitation. We are to leave here at
half-past six, or seven, at the latest. All work is early here; I
believe I have mentioned that the hour of 'Change for merchants is 7.30
A.M.

XX.

HAVANA: Slaves, Lotteries, Cockfights and Filibusters

Rise early, and walk to the sea-baths, and take a delightful float and
swim. And refreshing it is, after a feverish night in my hot room, where
I did not sleep an hour all night, but heard every quarter-hour struck,
and the boatswain's whistle of the watchmen and their full cry of the
hour and the weather, at every clock-strike. From the bath, I look out
over the wall, far to the northeast, in the hope of catching a glimpse
of the "Cahawba's" smoke. This is the day of her expected arrival. My
New York friends and myself feel that we have seen Havana to our
satisfaction, and the heat is becoming intense. We are beginning to
receive advice against eating fruit after _cafe au lait_, or bananas
with wine, and in favor of high-crowned hats at noon to prevent
congestion from heat, and to avoid fogs in the morning. But there is no
"Cahawba" in sight, and I hear only the bray of trumpets and roll of
drums from the Morro and Cabana and Punta, and the clanking march of the
chain-gang down the Paseo, and the march of the guard to trumpet and
drum.

Mr.---- is punctual at seven, his son with him, and a man in a suit of
white linen, who is the broker employed by Mr.----. We take a ferry-boat
and cross to the Regla; and a few minutes' walk brings us to a small
nail factory, where all the workmen are coolies. In the back-yard of
this factory is a line of low buildings, from which the slaves are
brought out, to be shown. We had taken up, at the ferry-boat, a small,
thin, sharp-faced man, who was the dealer. The slaves are formed in a
semicircle, by the dealer and broker. The broker pushed and pulled them
about in a coarse, careless manner, worse t