CHAPTER XI.

THE WEST INDIES REPRESENTED.

Hayti Has a Roomy Building — An Interesting Place Throughout — A Comprehensive Exhibit of Hayti's
Natural Resources and Arts — Many Historical Relics — Metals, Minerals, Agricultural Products
Woven Textiles and Fibres — Saddlery and Other Horse Equipments — How Men, Women and
Children Were Driven Into the Mines — The Introduction of African Slavery — How Hayti Moves
With the Rest of the World— Great Credit Due to Fred Douglass.

AYTI has no typical architecture, so its commissioners selected
a design having the suggestion of colonial style. It is very
roomy, and represents the first separate building ever erect-
ed by the republic in an exposition. Besides being the
home of the Haytien commissioners it is a comprehensive
exhibit of Hayti's natural resources and industrial arts.
One of the most interesting of the historical relics shown is
the anchor of the Santa Maria, which was wrecked off the
north coast of the island Dec. 14, 1493, on Columbus' second
voyage. Its mate is in the convent La Rabida. A pre-Col-
umbian relic is an odd piece of sculpture which was used by
the French for a baptismal font. It was made by an extinct race,
the people found by Columbus. They numbered 3,00x3,000 when
he landed, but fifteen years of Spanish rule reduced the race to
16,000. Men, women and children were driven like dogs to the gold mines. This
introduced African slavery into Hayti, a fact which adds great interest to the first
sword drawn for the freedom of the slaves, which occupies a prominent place in
the Hayti building. It is the rapier of Toussainte 1'Ouverture, held in fond
memory by his countrymen.

In the center of the main room is a marble statue called " Reverie," by La
Forrestry, a native of the island. It secured a gold medal in the Paris salon of
1873. One section of this room looks as if part of the forestry department had been
moved into the building. All the native woods, well mounted and handsomely dis-
played, are grouped together. On the other side of the room is a fine block of ma-
hogany which weighs three tons, rough on one side and highly polished on the
other.

Hayti show thirty-four different kinds of coffee, various qualities of cotton,
cocoa, and all the cereals. In the industrial section is a fine display of saddlery
and horse equipments, and raw and tanned leathers, from the roughest shoe leather
to the finest Russian. Several large showcases are filled with the women's exhibit

I

548

HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR.

of fine embroideries and dresses. The metals, minerals, woven textiles and fibres
displayed show that Hayti is rich in natural resources, and the finished product
demonstrates a decided advance in the industrial arts during the last decade.

The Hayti building lies to the southwest of the German building and adjoin-
ing that of New South Wales. It is in the Greco Colonial style, surmounted by a
gilded dome which is copied after the state capitol of Massachusetts. The struc-
ture has a frontage of 126 feet, including piazzas 12 feet wide which surround three
sides of the building. In the center of the fa?ade is the coat-of-arms of the Repub-
lic of Hayti in a medallion surrounded by a scroll bearing the following inscription:
"Republique Hatitenne" and the dates 1492 (the discovery), 1804 (date of Haytien

HAYTI BUILDING.

national independence) and 1893 (the present anniversary). On entering the
building one comes into an exhibition hall 50x50 feet, in the center of which are
eight Doric fluted columns supporting the dome. The decorations consist princi-
pally of red and blue bunting, the national colors, with flags and escutcheons. The
exhibits in the pavilion consist principally of agricultural and forestry products,
with some specimens of native industry in a general way. There is also displayed
some pre-Columbian relics and the authentic anchor of the Carevel Santa Maria,
the mate to which was loaned by the Haytiens to the Columbus collection in the
Convent of LaRabida. The sword of Toussaint L'Ouverture is also shown among
other relics of the struggle for independence. Opening from the main hall through
a ten-foot archway is another exposition hall, at the rear of which Haytian coffee,
prepared by native hands, is served. The entire left wing is given i>p for reception
rooms and executive offices.