Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1873-11-27
QUEEN OF THE ANTILLES
The Island of Cuba "A Short Geo
graphical and Historical
-i- Sketch.

| 1 Sketch.
Just at this interesting period of Gu
ban affairs anything that relates. even
ia the remotest degree. to the island o
Cuba, is read with deep interest /; there
fore we lay the following before oul
readers
Owing to the fact that it is the lar
gest of the West India Islands, Cubs
has received the pOetical application Ol
"Qaeen, of the Antilles" The figure
of Cuba is long and narrow, approach.
| ing to that of q crescent, with the con.
tveX side looking towards the north
its western portion lying between
Florida and the peninsula of Yucatan,
leaves two entrances into the Gulf Oi
Mexico. The creates length of the
island, following the curve, is about six
hundred and sixty miles; its breadth
which Is very irregular, varies from
eleven to one hundred and thirty-five
miles, while the coast line, may be es-
timated at eighteen hundred miles
English square miles. The coast is
surrounded with many islands, keys
and reefs, but Notwithstanding the diff
ficulty of approach to its shores, it has
several excellent harbors, that of Ha-
vana being one Of the best in the world.
AS respects the civil Jurisdiction, Cuba
is divided into three provinces or de-
partments, comprising within their
limits l66 partidos or counties. These
three departments, the Eastern, Central
and Western, have Santiago, Trinidad
and Havana as their respective capitals.
The Government is vested in Captain
General, appointed by the mother
country, who is supreme military COM
mandant, and also civil governor of the
western division of the island. The
remaining provinces have each u Gov
.ernor, who has Independent civil power,
responsible only to the Court of Spain.
The island is also apportioned into
three military divisions, indentical in
Typographical distribution with the
three civil provinces, the chief or gov
ernors of which are of course subOrdi-
nate to the Captain General. The royal
court of Puerta Principe, OF which the
Captain General is the er-06Scio Presi-
dent, has the supreme jurisdiction in
all criminal and civil affairs. The pop
ulation of Cuba, according to the most
recent statistical authority 1882 num-
bers 1,370, ,2ll people, of which 764, $50
are whites and the balance cOlored
persons. The total population is at the
present day variOusly estimated at
from 1000, 600 to 100000. Cuba, the
!" richrst jewel in the crown of Spain,"
was discovered by Columbus, October
%, 1892. II was first named Juana,
then Fernandina. and afterwards San
tiagO and Ave Maria. The natives
called it Cuba, which name has since
come to general use. The first Spanish
settlement was formed in 1911. The
cOlOnists carried on continual war with
the aboriginal Inhabitants, who were
almost exterminated by 1860. General
Lopez having, in spite of the prohibi-
ti0ns from the government of the
United States, invated Cuba at the head
of an expedition of the American fiIli-
busters, May IL, 1850, aud again Aug.
II, 1851, was captured by the Spanish
and executed at Havana,
l, 1851. Cuba, as is we'll
known, has always been considered by
BILE mine for the replenishment of her
treasury. Whenever money was need
ed by the Spanish Government the
purse Of this lever faithful isle" was
invariably taxed to its uttermGst;when-
ever men were required to fight the |
battles of Spain, Cuba sent forth more
than her fair quota of her royal sons 81
aLy other burden had to be
borne the Pearl of the Antilles un.
com plainingly offered her shoulders to
bear the heaviest portion Oft, without
reaping any other recompensS for her
many sacrifices than oppression of the
most tyranical kind. The Spanish
Government always looked upon Cuba
as upon foreign country-or rather as
upon a conquered and hostile territory,
and so did every Spanish official that
was sent to chat fair isle, from the Gov
erner General down To- the meanes.
that followed in his suit. The
country had long painted for liberty,
when, upon the receipt of the news oil
the Spanish revolution, Sept.-Oct.,
1858, an insurrection broke out in this
colony on the 10th of the last named
month, and on the same day q declar-
alton of independence was issued at
and national Junta form
ed This revolutionary movement rap
idly spread over the whole ofthe eastern
and central divisions of the island.
The insurgents appointed Don Carlos
Manuel Cespedes, native Cuban, their
com mauder-in-chief, and their Junta
or provisional government applied to
the United States for their recognition
as beiligerents. Numerous skirmishes
and minor engagements occurred be-
tween the Spanish troops and the rebels
with varying and unimportant results.
Whether the endeavors of the Cubans
to gain their independence from the
Spanish rule will finally succeed, or
whether the Spanish arms will triumph
over the insurgents, will mainly de-
pend upon the part which tho Govern
ment of the United States will deem it
to the interests OF this country to take
In this question. .t. .
LEANNA WATSON, one door east of
the Chronicle Building, prepares the
atest styles of ,.
"I,l HUMAN HAIR,