, 1875-12-11

of an excuse, except perhaps that some
liberated Cuban slaves have been settled
on this African island. The immense adj
vantages of the relief gained by tie
mother country in the maintenance OF her
military, naval; consutar,>and colonial ser
vices by the forced contributions of Cuba
are obvious. But in addition, Caba sent
to Spain as a direct tribute a sum estimated
in 1866 at 9l,47O,0 600. We have
only to add together the special charges
above enumerated and the amount OF me
tribute, making il all 43,S70,O 900, to cali
culate the amount Of the spoiIs divided
among the Spanish Cubans. The total
Weld Of taxation being computed at
&c, $40, 900, it follows that q sum of two
millions aud three-quarters sterling was
annually absorbed by the tunclionaries
who collected the taxes and governed the
island. It must not, however, be supposed
that this mod st profit suficed to satisfy
the harpi,s Da'ive-born or exported from
Spain, who fattened upon the natural
riches of T" the Pearl of the Antilles" The
expenditure on the Army, the Navy, and
the State Department was everywhere
burrowed into by fraudulent officials.
In the Army, especially, there was room
for immense iIlegitimate profits. The
p~ay-rolIs charged upon the island a stand
ing force Of 25, 900, but it is probable thar a
reckoning of $4,000 would have been In
excess of the actual numbers. The surplus
was devoured by a "Government RING"
at Havana, backed, it is asserted, by a
powerful political club in Madrid. Ano-
Their DEVICE was more easily accessible 10
n,b,.I;,ot, T. =, gtoF.1 fbnt g In lima Df
peace OF least onr-hnlf OF the mar were
allowed by their commanding officers to
accept places as p%orters, house-servants'
or other assistants, from which they earned
from $50 to $40 per mouth, with board
and lodging. The pay and rations OF these
men were dawn by the Office and dlvld-
ed among themselves" And it is OF
course likely enough that the same prac-
tees are found equally lucrative in the
naval service and tie Civil Departments.
1t is plain, from this statement, that the
Madrid Government, apart from the I'M
mense direct Contributions 1T drew from
the revenues Of Cuba, was able to make
Cuban administration a pasture-land, IN
which persons whose political support or
acouiescence was valuable could be turn
ed out to make their fortunes. But If we
look at the system from the point of view
ofafl Spanish Cubans, except the Rings"
in Havana and elsewhere who have shared
in the profits of The system above descrlb-
ed, the planters of the island must have
been almost crushed by the burden of taxa
ton. The taxes had been increased in
amount six-fold siuce Concha's time ; and
as, according to the Census returns, the
population of the island was only $4,000
in 1867, of whom 36S, 900 were slaves, add
$3.50 0 penniless freedmen without any
:. assessobIe property. the entire load fell
exclusively upon the whites, who num-
bered about 700, 600, and who therefore :,
contributed. not far from go a head to the
Colonial .Exchequer. The fact that this
taxation was endured-nay, that the plan
ters have shown themselves ready to make
immense sacrifices for the support OF q
system under which e~xtortion of the kind
was possible,-may give an indication how
gainfull was the institution OF slavery to
the slave-owners, where it was iavoured
by a soil and a climate like those of Cuba.
The cost of the war, however, has been
astounding; the Madrid Ministry have
confessedto an expenditure of ESQ, 900, 900
in the island, and the destruction of
private fortunes by the burning of plan
tations and machinery is out of all com