The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1846-05-22
ISLAND or lIisN.

rom two Letters now before us,
from wanderer in this lovelest of
all the islands of the West, we cx-
tract a couple of passages which re-
late to the social and political con-
dition Of that region. The first has
reference to the proposition made
by Mr.. Yulce in congress for the
purchase of Cuba from Spain, and
the second has some affinity with the
first. These extracts SHOW how diff
fcuIt it is for politician--to deter
mine, from the surface, upon the real
wishes of any community.
FEB. l6.-Wc had quite a suJducd
excitement here among the intclli-
gent Creoles, when the news arriv-
ed that proposition had been made
in congress to buy the Island of Gu
ba. III public, they scorned the idea
of belonging to any nation but Spain,
and boosted that the land should re-
main siempre fei always faithful
but among themselves, and with
us, Americans, they could not con-
tain their joy at the bare mention of
such happy prospect. They even
declared that they would assume the
debt themselves, and amused them
selves by calculating how soon the
revenues, now wasted on an army
of twenty-thousaud men, and on the
legion of civil harpies that prey on
the vitals of the island, would re-
deem the debt. Cuba is not,
however, fit for a republican Gov
eminent, and the Spanish and An
glo- Saxon races would never ANAL
gamate.' True but one of them
might absorb the other. The Span
ISL damsels are said to smile very
literally on children Of the north.
The same letter says I'VE have
had pleasant winter with occasion
al Northers to cool the burning vault
overhead, ard burst open the cells
, of buds by their misty showers. The
crops of cane are fine and bid fair to
, yield an abundant har, est of the
, Chinese salt and the plantations
are so abundant that, for dollar,
two households are given,-and
they load horse here not lightly
A pretty effective check has been
, given to the slave trade, and It's be-
5 lieved that that property will soon
increase in value and that the plan
ter will soon have to change his sys-
TEN Of treating them or see his b.
+ HAS depopulatcd. Still, very late
Iy, a number were landed not far
from hence. IL * But few visitors
have come to Cuba this winter. The
, country is.yery quiet, and but one
; opinion prevails on the extent Of the
, last insurrection--that the danger
( and magnitude of the affair were
/ greatly overratcd, and that many in
. nocent negroes were sacrificed to
the fears of the foreign Spaniards.
$ Mdrch 2l.-Another letter of this
t date contains the foliowing-'Agrce-
e ably to late instructions from Spain
the Captain General ordered an en-
q rol!ment Of names for the orgariza-
ton Of the militia. Seven hundred
citizens came forward the first day
in Havana, which 50 alarmed that
officer, that he has postponed fur
. Their action, and has written to old
/ Spain Of tie ergcSsire rGirMiism O
' the sons Of Sicmpre feel cuba! Til,
n Jrco!cS are all wondering why gov.
rrument has sent an agent to exam.
1 Inc their sugars and its manufacture
aud like drowning men, catch a
=. StrlwS, they hope to find in it pre-.
lude to the bargaining for the island.
, -CiriyiGun PairiDk
} TIE Archbishop Of Canterbury has
, prepared a form OF prayer and thanks
= giving to God for the success of the
: British III the business Of wholesal,
. murder as detailed in the following
, desert ption Of one of their great anl
" glorious' victories in India:
AS our men advanced, Englishmci
q and liindoo side by side, the Sikh
{ appear to have redoubled their fire
and, to use the expression of an ey'
i witness, "a storm of iron hail desccn
: ded our ranks No force or power
!, however, could rep.css their valor
IS They pushed forward with irresisti
II bic enthusiasm, and after the mos
tremendous efforts succeeded in thei
Y attempt. The cavalry entered tn
d entertainments in single file, throug
| openings made for them by the sap
It pers and miners, and in short tim
IF the route Of the Sikhs became gen
l. eral.
AS they had shown no mercy (
id numbers of wounded men who ha
fallen into their hands, so no mere
ID was shown to them.--They wer
n driven in confusion toward the brilg
& and river, which having risen durin