, 1873-11-20
The Spanish Volunteers, and
Their Conduct in
Cuba.
Battles Fought Since the 1nsurrec-
tion Commenced.
General Description Of the
Campaigns.

nave noLrecantly luoAeA w Ito ocuiicctbto6tAEA-
lcal position It viii bo soon that tile nearest |
point Of our territory Is tho low chain Of keys
upon ono Of which ia etuatod tho town OF Roy
West. THIS distance ia about 90 miles, and those
brilliant Htrategists WHO talk about the guns Of
Fort Jefferson commanding the straits OF Flori-
da would do vol to mention what kind OF g1n
they proposo to t.so for TINT range.
THE 1snaXD OF CUBA
is Of very irregular shape, extending from lou
gitudo n deg. 7min. IT,, to 81 deg. 81 min. W.,
and it's grcatest length through tho contrc is
about 7os mlos. It's greatest width is about 1877
miles measure at about 80 rniloo wcst Of San
tiago. Together with it's surrounding islands
and koys, It contains 4S,4s9 square miles, tho
eroater part of which is highly fertile. Tho
mountains contain gold, load, aud antimony in
moderate quantities as far as known, and copper
has boon extensively mined near Santiago sinco
the seventeenth century. Among tho most val
uablo productions aro tobacco, sugar-cane, cedar,
mahogany, lignum-yitp, cotton, and coffee. and
it is thought that its productive capacity Of
many Of these articles could be increased tom
fold under good government and q more culti-
vatei population.
THE CLIMATE
is 4 very equablo one, the temperature vary
ing during ono year only % degrees in Havana
ind only IA degrees in tho interior. Tho range
of the thermometer for three yoars in Havana
was between G1 md sc degrees. There il
but ono record Of snow having fallen In Cuba,
TINT instance bolug Dec: a aud 25, 1856, the
thermometer being at a. degrees tno iowes1
cur in tho Western District, but rarely IN tho
Eastorn, Heavy hurricanes arc common in tho
fcll mouths, particularly along the coast. but
their approach is forotold for some time proyl-
GUS. and they are no longer mach afeaooq @ te'a e.
erapl-cablo to st. Thomas and tho W1ndTard
islands, these terrific storms can bo elgnalod
several daya in advance Of their arrival
THE POPULATION
SCI, 754; FREQ colored. 225,995; Slaves, $685.
Tho free colorcd includes all Chinese, lndlauH,
aud FREQ blacks. and aB the majority nro coolies,
and ere really slaves under different name. the
total slave population may DO conaiaoron aaanG ~
ants of Spanish ancestors, but they arc divided
into two classcs the Creoles, who. by reason Of
their descent from propriotorB Of TIC , !aad
through several generations, consider them-
uothinr in common with Spain nor the later
3panish immigrantg. The other class arc tho
ato immigrants from Spain or their Immediate
dcscondants and, us have but little intorost in the
hold Office, they, look down upon the
iitlo attention to their wishes. Thia
class being moro rough aud bold than
the mild, easy y-going uatiyc. whom generations
Of exposure to the el,eryating climate have made
earcleae Of their rights, has always maintained
tue supremacy, and tho probability is that moth
ing short OF a complete separation OF the colony
from it's dependence upon Spain would ever
ro,so the Cubans. as WHOLE to net for tnem-
selyea.
THE sys7EM OF PROTECTION
has nowhere been so faithfully observed Is In
Cuba, nor In such fullness of measure. Tho au-
thorities have proceeded Oh tho BuppoBltion that
II a amall impost would gi'o protecnon to tne
interests OF any country, surely lnr6o r tx to;
ought to be 40 nluch mora beneficial. Tho I'M
port duties On -four, for instance, in lsGo, "ero
s.. 80 per barrel when brought in Spanish or cl-
han vessels from Spain, $3.50 wnen 90 brought
from any foreign country, and ~ S95o ~ whom
brought BY Il foreign vessel. In 1887, tho ro-
col..ts wora: From customs, 910, ,4D5, 1858 from
taxes, s5,1sG,20o and from tho lottery, 81, ,esl,"
40; making Il total of 917 ,3Ga, sos. Over four,
1ftha Of tho receipts from customs were received
on imports.
In the middle Of March, 1869, Capt. Con
Dulce isaued proclamation making important
changes in taxation. The direct taxcs on plan
ta.ona, cattle, ant country real estate, aud tat
mon, we're reduced 90 per cont, aud no Govern
ment contribution loyiod in tho Inst quarter Q
tho fiscal year 1866 was to he collected. IA
revenue thus Loot was malo mp by imposing tl'
sugar skipped under tho Spauiah Gag, 1G cents
and, under d foreign flag, 20 cents per 100 iba
on ovory box OF sugar under the Spanish flag, u
oonte, and, under q foreign flag, 81 centn; o.
every hogahead of sugar, 81 aud SLIP, respect
irely on n1olaasos, 60 cents per hogshead, and
on raan 81 per hogshcad' ao :.
Tho budget for tho fiscal year 18G8-'G9 oati
mated tho expenditures OF the island 1924 025, 417
and tho revenue Mt $50, 1G4. .662.
caaks or Eoesheas. lid ESQ. 74s, 900 lbs in boxes
of Which IS por cent wont to the United 6tates
81 per cent to Great Britain, and onl
per cent to Spain, tho remaining po
cent going to other countries; Iho exports
l790C2,90o wcrc exported, and 222oo 87o
tobacco in othor forms. For the Haulo year, til
uunber Of American slips trading IN Cuba
ports were 721, with tonnago ct q S3o: 60 Fl Ei
gsh ahpRoe t0n6ee Ss s1nors and anor
from Havana alone amounted to ovt
&40000,009.
SLAVERY HAS EXISTED
in Cuba ever since 1904, when Spanish oi'lcth
applied 10 tho Vicoroy Tor leave to introdus
tho Indiana oeaBcl to exist. The alavo trat
was continued openly, in spite Of all oppositio
nd notT!tstsndns spa'na tteas with t;, Gfa iaa
when q Inv was passed. making the introdMctlt
Of sla1os criminal offeuso. Tho surreptitio.
introduction Of slavos. by couniyauco with tt
oiIlcials, continued until tho overtime
OF Queen IBabolla in 1868. Sin
which tilno SO far rs ls known, only two cargo
nayo been landed, and the negroes in both !
stances wore shortly aftorward taken posaeBsi'
Of lytho Government and carriod buck to Afrie
Recently tho abolition q slavery has boon q
Cuban insurrccslonists, but Of thcbpanish sla,
holders do not rogola tho decree, and a.a as
yerv limited part Of tho iSin1,a, It would hart
bo correct to LAY TINT slnycry docs not exist
Cuba. ,>,
torol through an
If tho spaniHl Grown, called tho oaptain'G,
orai. wlloao authority was, IN fact. nero II
tlat Of his aosorolf haying an9sor no 70 oooF o0f
to reatrain him, nor l,gher po%os %to 10 ,"t S"'
a cbtainoa not from SPUN: nambsr of enloss s.
hayo beou nado by the United statos 81 70 tno on'
PROJECTS OF tl,o elayeooraey ln YEAR, pass, TO
tod our territory In eny srooi9n haf Il "o%!d
utotfn IL iatg President Polk offered to r