ious effluvia, (if such there are,) will suffice, one would think, to occasion, in frequent instances, a fatal catastrophe.-The common sailors reside on board their vessels; are often exposed, in the season of fever, to both sun and rain; have little regard to the kind, or quantity of their food; make an excessive use of liquids; expose themselves to be cooled on deck by the breezes and dews of evening; and, when wearied, not seldom fall asleep where they are chilled by a cold stream of the midnight air. The enlargement of the mole, within a few years, by facilitating the progress of business, and lessening the amount of exposure, has, it is said, diminished materially the mortality among seamen. Without the walls of the Havana, where there is a numerous population, and where circumstances are more favorable, the danger is said to be much less, than in the city. It is thought to be less, also, at Matanzas. I could not find that the internal parts of the island are liable, in any extent worthy of notice, to the yellow-fever. If strangers avoid the midday sun, the chilling damps of the night, exposure to rain, and intemperate eating and drinking, I think they might dwell there, through the year, as secure from sudden, fatal disease, as in New England--and these precautions are easily taken. The more common diseases among the inhabitants, are dysentary, intermittent fevers, complaints of the liver, and ophthalmia. Dysentaries sometimes occasion great mortality, especially among the slaves. Intermittents are common to the low grounds. The liver complaint is a frequent evil and cases of partial blindness, I was assured, not seldom occur. Children have a healthful appearance, but need considerable care. The general manner of living, however, being simple, health is a blessing greatly prevalent. Old age is often to be seen. Hypochondriacs are rare. The yellow fever is not regarded by the natives as at all contagious; but the consump tion (1 suppose because it is rare,) is thought to be so: and when a person dies of that disease, the precautionary measures, which are taken, are very many. Having broken my thermometer, and being unable to replace it at the Havana, I despaired of coming to a precise knowledge of the temperature of the climate. But just before my departure, a gentleman of great accuracy, who had come to the island for the same reason with myself, was so kind as to transcribe for me a thermometrical journal, which he had kept from December to March last inclusive. The gentleman resided, during that time, about 30 miles south of Matanzas, on ground, which, as to its elevation and surrounding country, would render the temperature there, a fair specimen of the temperature in the interior generally. The extremes of Fahrenheit's thermometer, in these months, were as follows: When the thermometer was depressed below 50°, it was owing to what is termed a Norther; that is, a northerly wind, which is generally attended with showers. At the Havana, in February, I found these northers uncomfortably cool. Humboldt somewhere says, that, during these winds, the thermometer at the Havana has been seen to fall as low as 32°, or to the freezing point, only 262 feet above the level of the ocean.-The mean heat of the summer months, according to the representations of the inhabitants, cannot very much exceed 75°. The atmosphere is tempered by the rains. The Though the four months above mentioned were a part of the dry season, there were a few showers in each of them. In April these showers became more frequent, and still more so in May. The rainy season commences in June, and continues till November. morning is usually fair; but about noon dark clouds arise, the lightnings play, the thunder is frequent, loud and terrific, and the waters come down in torrents. Now vegetation advances with wonderful rapidity, and nature puts on her richest attire. But the deep loam in the roads, saturated with water, yields to pressure, and is almost impassable. A considerable number of invalids from the United States resort to this island, in the winter. Those, who go before their constitutions are broken down, and who attend properly to their diet and exercise, usually derive benefit. But some go to the island when it is too late to find health any where; and others derive no benefit from the change, because they suppose that the climate alone will do every thing, and act accordingly. In no country can it be easier to adhere to a mild and salutary regimen, than it is in Cuba. No invalids should proceed to the West Indies, unless acquainted there, without good letters to some merchants or planters. With such letters, they will be hospitably and kind. ly entertained; for no people are more hos. pitable and kind than the merchants and plan. ters of that island. Of this I had abundant experience. A passport will of course be prooured before leaving this country, which must be endorsed, according to the laws of Cuba, by some Spanish Consul residing in the United States. Population. The population of the island is estimated, in the "Stranger's Guide" before mentioned, to have been, in the year 1819, as follows: The mean temperature, at each of these times of day, with the mean temperature of Amount of the colored population, 340,959 Excess of colored population above the white, 50,938 That is; in every 100 inhabitants, 46 are whites, 18 are free colored people, and 36 are slaves. According to Humboldt, there were, in 1804, 234,000 whites, 90,000 free people of color, and 108,000 slaves; or, in every 100 inhabitants, 54 whites, 21 free people of color, and 25 slaves. The more obvious classification of the inhabitants is into foreigners, (consisting chiefly of emigrants from the United States, Great Britain, Germany and France,) European Spaniards, Creoles, free people of color, and slaves. The settlement of foreigners upon the island is favored by the present Governor-General of Cuba, and by the Governor of Matanzas, whose characters, for enlightened views and strict integrity, are deservedly held in high estimation. Many of the principal mercantile houses are composed of foreigners, and not a few plantations are owned and conducted by them. The European Spaniards are numerous, and possess great influence; but whether they have a monopoly of offices and privileges, as was formerly the case in the Spanish provinces of South America, I am not well informed. The Creoles are the native white population; and although excelled, as a body, by their European brethren, in intellectual acquirements, they are not excelled by them in original capacity. They possess great quickness and shrewdness of perception. The population of free colored people has risen from the humanity of the Spanish law. Every slave has a right to his freedom, when he pays his master a sum of money equal to his value. The master cannot demand more than he gave for the slave, unless he has taught him a trade. Slaves may, also, purchase a part of their time, in which case they may soon obtain money to redeem the whole. They generally have certain privileges. Each one is allowed a small piece of ground for his own use; and to some extent they are permitted to raise hogs and poultry, which they sell to their masters. The number of the free colored people, twenty years ago, was 90,000. During the fifteen subsequent years it augmented, as we have seen, to about 115,000; which is no more than might be expected from the natural increase. The slaves are thought to be treated better on this island, than on most of the other West India islands. In general, their usage is better than I had supposed. Several enlightened planters confessed, however, that slavery is an evil not confined to the slave, since it really diminishes the value of the island. "Were there no slaves," said they, "we could procure more efficient labor from the white population." But I must be allowed to question, whether the Spanish emancipation-law, as it now stands, confers any advantage either upon the slave, or his master. It has set loose from restraint more than 100,000 blacks, to dwell in the island, with no love for the whites, without education, without moral principle, without good habits, and destitute of character. Make but another law, providing effectually for the Christian instruction of the slave; then will the law, which provides for his liberty, have an excellent effect; especially since it gains its object by a gradual operation, VOL. XX. Chief Places.-I visited the Havana, Matanzas, and Madruga. My descriptions will be confined to these places, and must be very general. The Havana is to be ranked with the principal cities of our hemisphere, as well on account of its population, as its commerce. The number of whites residing within the walls of the city is about 44,000; and the suburbs and dependencies of the city, contain about 40,000 more. It stands on a plain, west of one of the most beautiful of harbors, and its walls, which enclose about a square mile of ground, are between 20 and 30 feet high. Cannon are mounted at suitable distances on the walls, and, in case of an attack from the land, there is a wide ditch without, that can be filled with water from the canal which supplies the city. Perhaps the entrance to few ports, if any, in the world, is more strongly fortified, than the port of the Havana. Although there is an admirable bay of deep water within, its mouth is so narrow, that but one ship can enter at a time. Proceeding into this bay, a ship first passes a lofty castle, called the Morro, situated at the extreme point of land on the left. A light-house rises from a corner of this fortification. From the Morro, for nearly half-a-mile up the harbor, the elevated bank is crowned with immense batteries, denomi nated the Cabanas, erected, it is said, at an expense of more than 30,000,000 of dollars. On the opposite side, is another strong fort, called the Punta, connected with the walls of the city; and within the walls, is the citadel. These most expensive fortifications arose from a belief, very properly entertained by Spain, that the dominion of Cuba was essential to the preservation of Mexico, which possesses no good harbor on its eastern shore. The city is divided into solid squares, and its streets, though narrow, are straight, and intersect each other at right angles. The houses are quadrangular, having a court in the middle. All the rooms have a direct communication with each other, and also open into this court. Most of the houses have two stories. The lower one is commonly used for a ware-house, shops, &c. The materials for building are small, irregular fragments of stone, which are united by a strong cement, and the wall is then plastered and white-washed. The roofs are tiled. Many of the inhabitants possess vast wealth, and have costly habitations. There are, also, 41 rich and spacious monasteries, convents, and churches. The convents of St. Domingo and St. Francisco were the only institutions of the kind, which I visited. Each of them oc cupies an entire square, having an open court in the middle, which is surrounded by piazzas in the first and second stories. The walls facing the courts, are covered with historical paintings, representing transactions in the lives of their patron saints. Both the buildings and paintings are now going to decay. The convent of St. Francisco had been converted into barracks for soldiers, and had suffered wanton abuse. This is one of the 12 convents, that were suppressed during the reign of the Constitution. But the Cathedral interested me more than any other edifice. It is a massive, Gothic structure; and for magnitude and taste, is incomparably superior to the other places of worship. Even a Protestant might survey its walls, and pillars, and even its altar, and find little to offend. There is no tinsel, no parade. Every where is simplicity. The paintings seem to have been placed where they are, rather by the artist, than by the divine; and such are the subjects of them, and such their execution, disposition, and moral effect, that, as they seemed not to be objects of worship, I should be sorry to have them removed. The images are few, consisting only of crucifixes, which are so small that they must be near, in order to be seen. The churches in general, however, abound with images, large as life, and gaudily decorated. The Cathedral is the more interesting, as it contains the ashes of Columbus, which were brought to the Havana in 1796. They are deposited in the wall, on the right side of the altar; and the urn is concealed by a marble slab, on which is sculptured, in high relief, a front view of the memorable man. Beyond the walls is the Paseo, or Promonade, to which the citizens resort morning and evening, for exercise and air. It is a broad avenue for carriages, about a mile in length, with shaded walks on each side; and was designed for a beautiful place. But it was left unfinished, and now suffers for want of repairs Contiguous to this, is the Botanical Garden, which, more strikingly than the Paseo, exhibits an elegant plan, left but imperfectly executed. The Garden was formed under the patronage of the "Royal Patriotic Society of the Havana," an institution, which has been of much service to the island. A greater curiosity is the country-seat of the Bishop of Havana, which is about three mites from the gates of the city; and, for beauty of situation, elegance of design, and perfection of order, is perhaps equalled by no One of the country-seats around the metropolis of New England. But this is the only thing of the kind near the Havana. After quitting the suburbs, though there are many fine sites, nothing is beheld, for several miles, but the thatched cottages of a few peasantry. Whether the reason assigned for this, by a very intelligent citizen of the Havana, be well founded, namely, -the insecurity of a well furnished, but insulated residence, so near the city,I am not competent to decide. The church is the Bishop's heir at law; but the apprehension of sacrilege, is said not always to defend this estate from encroachments. true. Matanzas. The import of this name is slaughter. Tradition reports it to have been given to the place, on account of a bloody battle with the natives, which happened there. It is not material to inquire whether this be The city, as to its principal growth, is modern. The amount of its white population is 8,400. It is situated at the bottom of a bay, which penetrates several miles into the land; and, for the most part, stands on more elevated ground than the Havana. It has also cleaner streets than that city. A large proportion of its houses consist of a single story, and perhaps two thirds of them are thatched: but the thatched houses do not border on the harbor. Much American society is always found in this place, and our language is understood, in various degrees, by many of the inhabitants. The city has but one church, and that is a plain building, furnished in the plainest style. The mercantile importance of Matanzas is considerable at present, and is annually increasing. Madruga. This is a noted watering-place, 30 miles from Matanzas, and 45 from the Havana. It is situated on the south side of the hills, or mountains, which bear the same name. There are about 500 respectable houses in the place, and during April and May the crowd of persons in pursuit of health and pleasure, is very great. It is a singular fact, that there is no hotel in the place. Every man owns a house, or else hires one, or a part of one, for the season. The church is a very decent building, much superior to the usual style of churches in the interior. The ground is uneven, and on three sides is barren. On the south it is fertile, descending beautifully towards the plains of San Luis. I was shewn three mineral springs, called the Paila, Tigre, and Castilla. At each there was a bath. The Paila is most celebrated. It smells and tastes strongly of sulphu. retted-hydrogen gas, and deposits sulphur. The Tigre has less of these indications, and the Castilla none. The waters are transparent, and flow not in great abundance. Although an oxide of iron is very observable in the neighboring soil and rocks, I perceived no traces of iron in either of the springs. The waters have been analyzed, but I could not learn the results. I desired to ascertain the temperature, but there was no thermometer to be obtained. Invalids have found these waters beneficial in cutaneous diseases, and in cases of debility. The Padre of Madruga gratified me—as did, also, an older priest at Matanzas-by his kindness of disposition, amiable manners, the humble piety which he seemed to possess, and the excellent character which he sustained. He called at my lodgings, while I was out, and before my letter to him had been delivered, and inquired of my friends, if I was a Physician. They answered, that I was not, but an Ecclesiastic. "Of what denomination?" They answered, “a Presbyterian.” ply of the priest was characteristic. "It по matter; if he be an enlightened man, he will not fail to be liberal." (To be continued.) said he. The re Donations FROM AUGUST 17TH, то 31ST, INCLUSIVE. Abington, (3d par.) Ms. Mon. con. by Mr. J. Holbrook, Alstead, N. H. Ed. for mis. so. for ed. hea. chil. Mr. J. Newell, Tr. Amherst, Ms. Miss. so. in Acad. for Zenas Clapp at the Sandw. Isl. by Mr. J. Eastman, jr. Tr. 13,50; indiv. in Rev. D. A. Clark's par. by Mr. Z. 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