The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1850-10-13
POLITICAL.


The Cuban expedition had scarcely begun II
TO an end One mail apprlzed OF the sailing OF the In
vanefs The next announced their retreat. We bad
scarcely recovered IRON bewildermen al the wick
eunsss anu audaciy OF the project surprise was
eAeed py he suddenness OF lis discontinue. Never
enterprise al once unusable in its inception and SO
!ngior,ous IN ais termination Could il be regarded
isolated iac detached IRON other rdiCule
Wouu ptedoha'e over every other feeling in cont1mpa
ting 1t and II would be consigned TO speedy oblivion "A
Transaction too insignificant in this age of grand and
stirring events to attach itself any historic
But treat neither accident nor as an nde-
pendent fact, beginning with and ending itself II had
direct with circumstances which still exist
and views which still entertained The causes
which, il they did not originate, at least promoted its
growth still in active operation; and is this re6ec-
ton whch attaches posthumous importance Ia
which would otherwise have excited but a mopentary
interest f.lH8 95 as lEi lis#. .a9tiW
The fate OF Cuba has long Involved a9uesiion Of the
deepest interest," only to Spain but also TO the Two
great Ang To- Saxon powers Like all questions dhcult
OF adjustment, and affecting interests Of the greatest mag
nitude, has been left 10 sumber long nothing has
occurred excite the eaouses the apprehsnsons OF
those Interested its settlement But aitli0ugh
Tor years past has seldom obtruded itself into the
arena OF public dscnsson II has nevertheless obtained
considerable share of attention from statesmen both
sides oil the Atlantic An event like that which has Just
occurred all that was needed to the public to
consciousness OF ITS Importance and difficulties. The
Cuban question: IN lis broader is which that
event did no, originate II shed temporary light upon
it, developing its real character and illustrating its ten
denotes The importance OF the question does sub
side with the defeat OF the bandits and the termination of
their expedition That desperate and nearious project at
end the question revers 10 its former position, with
this exception, that the attempt has invested it with add
onal urgency in the minds of all thinking men, by dis
closing the extent to which lis dangers being multi
piled by its natural growth and development. In
iquous il was, the expedition will have done some
good precptates attention upon the subject and leads
10 speedy understanding reference To question
arrangement which only be indefinitely post
poned the cost OF additional dangers and difficulties in
the way Of final settlement Recent events have demon
srated the imprudence of much longer leaving the mat
ter to the hazards of fortune. We have had lesson
read us, the moral OF which cannot safely ever
look and avoiding Tor the moment, the details OF the
late praca descent upon the coast OF Cuba, we propose
TO draw the attention Of readers to the connexion OF
that with the question involved in the fate OF the
island to the real bearings of that question, and to the
circumstances which chiefly influence it. 9at sldaq
The island Of Cuba, which, from its extent. position,
beauty and fertility, has been POLITICALLY, and map
propriaely, termed the "Queen of the Antlss.Y aex
ceeds in length by fully one-thrd the entire length OF
Great Britain From It's easlenmost point to its extreme
western limit, ii measures within traction OF 500 miles.
10 wdlh it at no point attains 1870 miles, but its super
fetal is about seven-eghths that OF all England
From end to the other Its surface varied and undu
lang but towards its extremity its undulaons
swell into bold and lofty hills which at some points hng
down their masses into the Towards the west, and
chiefly along the southern coast there long belts OF
swampy lowland. extending between the sea and the
higher ground inland Still further west, there are large
flat tracts in the interior, which extremely fertile and
which, with parts of the owand the coast, form, in
the maia the cultivated region of Cuba But in its most
billy part is nersecied with fine fertile valleys, whsch,
in the hands o energetic peoples would soon be turned
to the best account From its conformation II II evident
that Cuba have rivers oil any magnitude. lhe
greater part OF lis coast inaccessible but has many
points at which be safely approached and boast
of many excellent Larbors Its climate il not cooler
than that OF many OF the adjacent islands, s at all events
much agreeable and saubrious than that OF the
parts OF the continent TO which il lies contiguous. pro-
duces none OF the ordinary grain Crops sugar being It's
chief product Ii also produces cotton, but generally OF
inferior quality to the best American But this may
arise from cotton cultivation having been comparatively
bat little attended 10, Cuba possessing seacoast tracts
which cotton equal 10 the finest sea-isand might sp-
parenty be grown
Such is the island which for three centuries and half
has submitted the dominion OF the Crown Of Spain.
Discovered by Columbus during his FIRST voyage II was
not formally coonzed for nearly twenty years after
wards. The Anglo Saxon race owe much TO Caea Tor
having preserved for them the valuable regions OF
the continent Columbus sailed along its southern coast
under the impression that II part OF the continent
| The perseverance OF a few hours In westerly
would have enabled him double its wesernnost
point when Spanish conquest and settlement would have
tax en- a northery direction instead OF that which Il inn
mediately afterwards assumed This left the whole re-
gion between the Gulf of Mexico and the ST. Lawrence
to be afterwards sven for by the French and English
struggle the results OF which will place the Eng
ish in undispued possession OF the entire con
made in 1911 from which time II began to ee that sys
Tern OF grinding tyranny which the foreign
OF Spain were ever subjected, and which Caba ~ s.,
lated 10 endure. In less than fifty years after the first
settlement Of the island the aboriglnes were exerm-
mated, the responsibility OF their determination resting
upon single generation of Spanish coon'sts The
treatment experienced by the aborgines has since been
extended To their wrelced successors the who
would also have speedily disappeared were not that Al
has been made regularly TO supply be gaps whch he
bruiaes inflicted upon them have annually occas'oned
IN their ranks.
The population of Cuba has steadily but not very rap
idly advanced. In l775 il amounted TO about 10000
SOULS and in s0 the period OF the Mexican revolution,
1t somewhat exceeded half million In isil IL had in
creased TO ,007 02i, and may be taken at about
100000 An Grated notion very generally prevails
TO the proportion borne by the slave To the free pula
ton OF the island Those who have not examined into
the led ioto the belief that the slaves in Cuba
vastly prepondeale in point o numbers the free in
habans. THIS Is great mistake. may he shown by
their relative proportions as LAID down in the census OF
lS4l III rs true that that time events have occued
which have unquestionably given impetus TO me
slave trade in Cuba and which may therefore have d's-
urbed the proportions given IN ISL Bat the disturb
ance, though sensible have been very great 80
that, with the allowance OF slight increase IN the pro
portion of slaves the classification made OF the popua-
ton IN ls4l will serve TO Indicate ITS peseot aPpon'on-
ment The total free population oi he sana was h snst
year 57 ,l29 the total slave popnlaion' asossL me
excess OF free slaves was ihsH l5s,oss but
whilst the free population did not consist solely OF
whites the slave population not confined TO negroes
OF The Tree population, the whites alone numbered
AIS 2gi; whilst, OF the slave population, the negroes
alone number red 1854 Thus the free whites
within a fraction OF being fhe black
slaves The free co0red inhabitants amounted 10 about
81 900, and the free negroes 6a,00o The coIofed
slaves scarcely amounted to / 0OD The Whole negro
population, both free and bond, did not exceed the whites
by than sixth whilst the whole negro and cot
ored population, both tree and bond exceeded them by
but little more than third. II thfs be faken as
an indication OF the proportions now borne ,ows,us
each other by the different classes oi ,he Popu's
ton, it is evident that. whatever may be 'he iee-
lngs and ASPIRATIONS OF the blacks, tqe uau,c =, w