The independent. (Harrisonburg, La.) 1853-18??, 1858-03-24
The INDEPENDENT.
THE ISLAND OF CUBA


THE ISLAND OF CUBA.
The following information respecting the
extent, population and resources of the Is
land Of Cuba, we extract from the Washing
ton Globe :
Cuba is the largest and most important Of
the West India Islands, and commands the
entrace to the Gulf Of Mexico, whence it has
been called tho Key of the West Indies. 1t
is about seven hundred miles in length and
seventy in breadth, and contains, with its de-
tendencies, 3l,sO7 square miles, being near
ly equal in extent to Great Britain.
The climate is delightful and. very healthy
for which reason it is a ~fayo,ite resort for
i~nvalids, even IN the top Of the Grand Antil-
Ia, the chief range of mountains running
through the Island from end to end, there
has scarcely ever been ice, and then only a
few lines thick The seasons are not distin-
guished as summer and winter, but as the
wet and the dry though the periods at which,
they begin and end are not very well dein-
ed. The rainy seasons commonly begins in
May, but sometimes in April, and OCCASION
ally not till June.
The soil is very fertile, but as in many
other tropical countries, the people are too
sluggish to cultivate it to any great extent.
The chief agriculturate productions are sugar,
coffee, tabacco, manioc, and maize. The work
op the plantations is done almost exclusive
" by negroes, whose condition is worse than
that Of the slaves in the United States. The
whipping post is in constant use. AS an
instance of the great fertility of the soil;
Trumbull states that, in the district of Sagua
la Grande, a caballeria of land, which is near
ly equal to thir!y-three acres, has been
known to produce two hundred and eighty
thousand pounds Of the fair-colored Muscova-
do sugar Of the country, being nearly equal
to four moderate sized hogsheads per acre.
The population is made up Of Creoles
and negroes, the latter forming about one
third. The Creoles, like their Spanish an
cestors' are intelligent but indolent; the ne
groes arc not allowed to be either.
There are in the island several excellent
copper, iron and coal mines, which would
be very productive if well worked. Small
quantities of gold and silver have also been
found. Since the introduction of bees, be-
tween sixty and seventy years ago honey
and wax have been important articles Of
Observation-Disclosures have been much me-
elected.
The island is divided into several iurisdic-
tons, civil, Judicial. ecclesiastical and militia
ry. The civil Jurisdictions consists of two
distinct governors, entirely independent Of
each other; the supreme military chiefof the
whole island, with the title of Captain-Gen
era!, being the civil Governor Of the one pro-
vince only, called San Christopher de la Ha-
vana; while the other, Santiago de Cuba,
has a seperate Governor, who, in affairs pure
~ political or civil, is not in any way sub
ject to the Captain Governor. Besides, the
island is divided into three military divisions,
whose chiefs take their orders from the Cap
tain-General.
Some attention has been paid to educa-
ton by the governments, but very little has
been accomplished. In 1910 there were
99,599 free children in the island, between
the age Of Ave and ten, of whom only one
tenth were sent to school.
Authorities differ as to the population Of
Cuba, According to the census Of 1927,
witch was, we believe, the last taken, the pop
ulation was 73O,562. Of these the whites
numbered 3ll,o51; the free negroes, 1854;
and the free people %ofcolor, not negroes 49,
$50. The number Of slaves was s6,942, of
whom 1885, 9G was males, and lO3,G52 e.
males. Since 1927, the population has of
cource greatly increased, as is shown ty the
amount of imports since then, and the con-
stantly increasing production of the island.
1t now amounts, probably to about $780,
900.
The trade Of Cuba is excellent. It's situa-
ton, the fertility of the soil, and the short
distance-not more than thirty miles from
any point from the %interier to the sea shore
all teudI to give it great commercial pros
perity; and, if the many injurious restraints.
now imposed upon its trade were removed,
it would soon become one Of the richest spots
on earth.
Within the last ten years the interior of
the country has been much improved, and
the means of communication increased by
railroads, &c, The first railroad laid in the
island, running from Havana to the most
important Of the sugar districts, was con-
1tructed by Alfred Cruger, Of the United
States.
W- That was a wise niger, who in
speaking of the happiness Of married people,
- sNn.A ..nl, oltorofbo. 1a,, L. -.