518 HAVANA de cristallographie (1822). He also contribu- ted numerous papers to many of the scientific journals of the day. He was a member of the French academy, and of the principal sci- entific and learned associations of Europe and America. II. Valentin, a brother of the pre- ceding, celebrated as an instructor of the blind, and as the inventor of apparatus for their education, born at St. Just, Nov. 13, 1745, died in Paris, March 19, 1822. He was called in France the "apostle of the blind," and commenced his labors in their behalf in 1784. For an account of his career, see BLIND. HAVANA (Span. La Habana, or, San Cristobal de la Habana), a fortified maritime city, capi- tal of the Spanish colony of Cuba, and of a dis- trict of the same name, ranking among the fore- most seaports and commercial marts of the world. It is situated on the W. side of a beauti- ful bay of the gulf of Mexico, on the N. W. coast of the island ; lat. 23 8' K, Ion. 82 22' W. The population is represented in the official returns of 1871 as being only 169,184, compri- sing 108,754 whites, 37,623 free negroes, &c., and 22,807 slaves; but it is really at least 200,- 000. The Spanish government has always in its official census returns underrated the popu- lation of its colonies. The city stands on a sort of peninsula, formed on one side by the bay and on the other by the waters of the gulf; and it is commonly distinguished into two portions, the intramural or old town, be- tween the bay and the site of the ancient walls, and the extramural or new town, beyond the walls. In the former the streets, though for the most part regular and well paved, are ex- tremely narrow, and, being lowest in the mid- dle, favor the accumulation of great pools of Havana. water hi the rainy season ; and the sidewalks are barely wide enough for one pedestrian. The macadamized thoroughfares of the other portion, rather resembling roads than streets, are ample, well ventilated, and fringed on either side with rows of graceful palm trees. Some of them are among the principal prome- nades or drives of the city. The prevailing style of architecture is identical with that of the south of Spain. The houses are solidly built of stone, with very thick walls, often painted within and without in showy colors, especially blue, green, or yellow, and some- times a mingling of all three ; they are either of one story and roofed with tiles, or of two stories with a flat roof of substantial masonry, at times surmounted by a mirador (lookout), affording at once a magnificent view and a cool and agreeable retreat after sunset. The windows, which are extremely high, are never glazed, but defended on the outside by strong iron bars, and within by wooden shutters se- cured, like the doors, with massive bars or bolts. The doors, almost always double, are very ponderous, and open either directly into the sala or parlor, or into a large gateway (zaguari), guarded by a portero or janitor, and leading into an open patio (courtyard) whence a spacious staircase leads to the apartments above. All the rooms open upon a covered veranda which surrounds the patio. In the dwellings of the rich the floors and stairs are usually of marble, the decorations and furni- ture luxurious and tasteful, and the patio is generally embellished with a parterre of exotic flowers and an elegant fountain in the centre. Many of the residences in the extramural por- tion of the city are constructed in a mor<
