Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1851-05-22

numbers.
| This island is divided into several distinct
! jurisdictions, civil, ecclesiastical, and mill
tary. The civil jurisdiction consists of two
provinces, with two distinct governors, en-
tirely Independent of each other; the su-
preme military chief of the whole island,
with the title of Captain General, being
the civil governor of the one province only,
called San Cristobal de la Havana; while
the other, Santiago de Cuba, has a sep
arate governor, who, IN affairs purely po-
! litical or civil, is not in any way subject to
the Captain General. Besides, the island is
divided into three military divisions, whose
chiefs, take their orders from the Capt. Gen
eral. At Matanzas, Trinidad de Cuba, Puer-
TO Principe, and Cienfuegos, there are also
officers with the title of governor named by
the Captain General, whose Office is of ju-
dicial nature, extending to disputed points of
every sort, CIVIL criminal, and military. Sub
ordinate to these are eight lieutenancies.-
The Captain General has appellate jurisdic-
ton In military matters. In the cities and
towns there are also municipal bodies, called
ayuntGn1ientos perpetuOs, or, perpetual un-
ions; and In the rural districts, jueceS peda-
neoS, or petty judges, who are named by the
local governors. These exercise both Judi
cial and ministerial functions. The Captain
General presides at the meetings of the Ha-
vana Union, consisting of twelve members
The chief secular tribunals of Havana are,
first that of the captain general, who has, in
military Matters an auditor of war, and in civ
il disputes general assessors, who likewise
exercise the duties of the civil magistracy.--
The tribunal of the ordinary alcades has also
cognlzance in the first instance of civil and
military disputes. The union has also a GER
tain judicial jurisdiction. There is, besides,
a commercial tribunal, whose jurisdiction ex-
tends only 70 mercantile affairs The Judges
of the island are all paid by fees instead of
salaries. The judges fees depend on their
rank, and their number and length of their
sittings; they are, therefore, remarkably sed-
entary! Judicial proceedings, as on the con-
tinent of Europe, are wholly conducted in
writing; uiUa uOce pleading and trial by Jury
being alike unknown The lawyer is paid
according to the number of pages he writes:
long pleas are, therefore, by no means uncom-
+mon The suter in Cuban Court cannot
move step without paying fee to a Judge,
lawyer, clerk, interpreter or crier.
;. Some attention has been paid to education
by the Government, but those under whose
IL Has UScH pldCSus HUI dCCOll-
plished much. In 1910 there were 99,590
free children in the island between the age of
/ five and ten, of whom only one-tenth were
sent to school.
There is no such thing as liberty of
the press in Cuba. Everything is sub
jected to the strictest censorship. In
the year 1887, there were eight newspa-
papers published in Cuba, of which four
were daily. During the constitutional
crisis in Spain, when the censorship was,
for time, suspended, number of pa
pers with the most singular names, which
are some index to the opinions and
wishes of the people, were started at Ha-
vana; such as: The Constitutional Tailor,
The Roar of an African Lion, Brilliant
Strokes of Tyranny, The Mosquito, The
Fly, The Wasp, The Skif, &c.
Authorities differ as to the population
of Cuba According to the census of
1927, which is, We believe the last that
; has been taken, the population was
730 ,562. Of this number the whites a
mounted to 3ll ,051, and free negroes to
81, ,5l4, and the free people of color not
negroes, to $3.50. The number of
slaves was 2s6, ,942, of whom 183,290
were males, and 1O3, ,652 females. Since
1927 the population has greatly increas-
ed, as is shown by the amount of imports
since then, and the constantly increasing
production of this island. The popula-
ton at present amounts, probably, to a.
bout 200, 900.
The trade of Cuba is excellent. Its
situation, the fertility of its soil, and the
short distance-not moro than thirty
miles-from any point in the interior to
the sea shore, all tend to give it great
commercial prosperity; and, if the many
injurious restraints now put upon Its trade
were removed, it would soon become ono
of the richest spots on earth.
The island is very heavily taxed by the
mother country. The greater portion of
the revenues from customs is derived from
duties ON imports. There is great diff
ference made between goods from Spain
and those from other countries. The du-
ty on -four, especially on that from the
United States, is very heavy. If from
Spain and in Spanish vessels, the duty Is
two dollars per barrel; but if the same be
in foreign vessels, the duty is six dallors
per barrel. If the flour be foreign, but
under the national flag, the duty is 50 80
per barrel; but if it be foreign and under
foreign flag, the duty is 50 50per barrel.
The United States -four is, however, so
far superior to the Spanish, that, inde-
pendently of the difference in price caus-
ed by the discriminating duties laid, it
always commands much higher price,
selling, very frequently, for So more per
barrel The only effect of its high tar
iff on American flour has been, to in
crease smuggling for the -four is more
lL,rnd thrnnoho,,t tho nnuntru fhnn IL Uaa