New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-04-16
RErlEWS OF NEW BOOKS.

S.~--. 3 3- arr . 7 fli1Er 4rf
Every dav tie subject Of Cuhs attracts more AID
more attention. Tie pablo ey.nced The integrity
~ "a nora sense 81 vel q, ~ ss-soity. indeed II
hesr: s s1rPo-,.Hg - prompt sni vigorous pro-
c.ed.nr ry vs. IN the Government crushed The a.
r~ess.v. al ioonsidered projects ls'ely o. loo' .
s,r the disaeuberoen' u the Island froEs spa I
bat men have been I'd n think Of the condition I
and a.. Of C4bs-ber grievances, her iadePen-
fsrcs. AID her annexation We s-e. TX people /
10 some respects co1tioUs, psrtcu'sr! 10 such
nome. to7s movements n involve great infi' l1ai
Or general -4as or .osfes AID o. thinking lea1s /
% sc-taiss AMI csref1lst rooons!dera'iols before
ACTIONS; s.l upon this question Of Cuba the iir''
impulse being passed. viii msPs and statistic aoa
other facts Be ore T. iho community y forming rs
solid and -r-esersinle Judgment The v inter o. the
booh before 1s, thoroughly Informed disPsss'naie'
al r i.cisl ia is fairness, submits the is'ues ID
/ v9lvad % the common undertaking ro' y afsr
/ ocnls bltJy simple exhibition. lie takes no SIDE
/ hsis 10 partisan, be is ony witness and u IS
IN al ,si-3icat.ons TIE witness more than the ed
y,ca.o dat induces AID controls decisions
/ IT, .te f-s. and Second chapters the author rivcs
/ , t,ef by, comprehensive hstorica sketch Of
Cuba. from is discovery to the appointment Of the
nrcse,t Captain General md from tins recital o.
1nqa sCo-ed acis alone, i Is sufficiently apparent
tfatshe may be regarded as r child 70 be taken
from an ignorant and brutal parent aui placed IN
! der acceptable aud suitable guardianship. The
/ third chapter is chiefly occupied with tic geogra
/ ply. topography snd natural resources o. the isl.
/ aad Thc fourth md fifth are upon It's society and
manners, md they disclose habits and customs and
a staio ID, morals that VII pain much as they
Will interest The reader Closely related to these
subjects is that of the sixth chapter, which is upon
the religious condition Of ttcpnesthood and The peo
ule Of which Vs. shall observe only that i i spps
rently altogether authentic and impartial, and dat
il reveals a condition Of profigato degradation
scar civ 10 be psrtllcled. thank God nj this time
iuan, o,herpsr Of he world The author is explicit
and particuIar, giving freely names and dates with
Circumstances and chsllc ngins and suggesting pro
cesses lor their cxaminat on. Describing with tie
feeling Of Chrstan, profoundly lmbped with
religious spirit the ailpcrVsd ns and al-demoraiz
ing infdolity and tracing it to the administration Of
affairs rather than 70 thc creed which is established
by authority. he oFcrs the following notorious aot''
in illustration and confirmation of his more general
statements
The country cufa,es may. ~ general. as class.
be- set down an example OF oil that IS corrupt IN
immoraity all that is disgusting IN low and brutal
vice o. the number there is Onc-Dou Felix de-
| PUo-too Notorious too iriteratc, and too shame.
less to care for this puhllraton Of his name
whose career presents so shocking and tri5huul an
example OF wee that viii mention few OF its char
acteristic traits rs proof Of what IS possible IA
the Island Of Cuba at The present day. This man.
/ who is the CuTHtC OF az interior town., is Ia NC
habit Of exaciing 500 for an insignia ant pretended
attempt st the great ceremonies Of funeral Va
! one occasion. at meeting d! his low associates
he announced that he was prevaring Tor pleasure
trip O. the City Of Havana. and IN reply To their IN
qurics as 10 the pccuuary means on which he re-
lied iog that object be AMPLY answered that
certain respectable old woman whom he named. /
was on the eve Of death and that her funeral ex
penscs would supply him the means. Having At
tcrward ascertainod that she was Unexpectedly |
improving. be vowed that she Shouid die, and has
tened to her bedside. where prcstltuling the rights
of his sacred ministry, he lsbored 10 dIssuadc her
from any hopes Of recovery AMI harrasscd her mind
with such agonIzing and terrible pictures, Ia such
a tone aud with such evidently cNl design, that !
the friends Of the poor dcspsning sufferer ielt com
PEELED 10 interfere, aud rescGe her from his guilty /
bands On another occasion u, informed couple |
" 10 wished b. marry, hat whose family relation OF
cons snennity required dispcnsaton from Rome, |
Havana He therefore went 10 that city, and |
shortly nitcrw6rd returned with the fall license, as
be pretended, 10 perform the marriage t. which |
however hc Insisted on naming the attestlng VII
nesscs the c0ffGticT and gof'70fhcr OF the cere
m0ny He accordingly married the parties and
received 5000 MS his reward. When the couple.
at later day discovered that no such authority |
could be procured AZ HRvans and that they bad
been MADE the victims OF a lul deception. they
called on him aud were met with a cool denial OF
his having had any thing Ia do in The matter In sup
port Of winch he exhibited his books, whore he had
carefully omitted TO set down the case. lie was.
however, arrested for time in consequence, but
no more serious penalty ever onsucd. His last &C,
was one which, indeed, can handy be credited,
though rs truth is beyond question. In a letter
coarely written. IN the most obscene and revolving
language, 20 his brother IN Havana. be expHtiates
on The yi0. alton OF a young white female, Tor whom
he bad paid 10 her own father. aud says that the
occosion OF his first possession OF her be had or
dercd the bells OF his church 10 be runt The sisns-
ture OF the letter he acknowledged 70 be his and
the young girl, ony thirteen ycsrs Of age, was
found at bis house. aad the truth OF the case So
fully proved by her testimony, aad other corrobO-
rating evidences, rs q cause the imprisonment Of
the father and tie suspension Of The priest IRON the
office So 'ouiy scardalizcd OF course u must not
be under stood that thcre many priests Ia Cuba
" 20 have reached such depth OF corruption as 10
exhibit q by this rovotinc snd h.dcous instance :;
bat the general degradation Of the clergy and the
church aud the deep Decentralization OF The country
where such monster q not al once visited with
signal punishment, mast be sad indeed This
wretch may, on the contrary. be- seen even now,
though suspended from his parish cure. attending
m his CLERICAL robes on the public ceremonie, Of the
Church at Havana"
Hardly less painful than this picture is that offer.
ell in the seventh chapter, in which the author
treats of pubic education. and the frauds and
abuses 10y which it is retarded. perverted. or pre-.
vented But the most carefully prepared, import.
ant and significant portion Of tic book IS the eighth
chapter, which is upon the special grievances OF
the Cubaus. aud most particularly those connected