The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-12-27

Ing to ohNiate the Inconvenience which
might result, in extraordinary cases, from
a division OF command and from the later
ference of powers and prctogatives Of the
respective officers fos the important end OF
preserving in that precious island Ccuba)
his legitimate sovereign authority and the
public tranquility through public means,
has resolved in accordance with the onln-
ion OF his council of ministers to give 10
your oXccllcncy tthe captAln gcneraD the
fullest authority. bcstowiag upon yor Ill
the powers which by the royal ordinances
are granted to the governors OF hesieged
cities. In consequence OF this bis majesty
gives to your cXcelleucy the most ample
and unbounded power. not only 90 send
away from the island any persons in office.
whatever be their occupation. rank. class,
or condition, whose continuance therein
your eNcellency may deem injurious. or
whose conduct, public or privateihay alarm
you. replacing them with persons faithful
to his majesty, and deserving OF all the
confidence of your excolcncy; but also To
suspend the execution OF any order whatso-
ever or any general provision made con
corning any branch of the administration.
as your eXcellency may think most Suitable
TO the royal service.
This decree has been and continues 10 be
the fundamental law of government In
Cuba. IL Is not hard to trace to it the
origin of the Cuban revolutions
Savcry-that is, personal bondage came
TO an end in Cuba in 1857 by the operation
of law Of gradual emancipation passed In
1880 In 1915 Spain, as member of he
congress Of Vienna. bound herself TO for
BID the slave trade. she broke faith, and
in 1917 England gave her c 10 900 on con-
dition that the importation IL slaves lrH-l
Africa should stop. That it did cot stop
was demonstrated as late as 1870. when
midlle-uged. ana even young negroes OF
African birth, were plentiful on the is
land. England's interest in this matter. It
is .roper to stale. was commercial. She had
abolished slavery in her colonies and tho
planters OF Jnmloa with free labor could
n - compete with their slave holding rivals
in the Spanish colony.
One club Spain held over the Cubans was
the threat TO free the negro slaves and set
item against their former masters This
would have ruined the planters If it had
been done suddenly. But the result Of
emancipation has not been soothing to
Spain. The freed negroes have Joined with
their old owners and are Just as anxious
as they to drive the oppressor from the
soil
The AsiatIc coolie took the place of The
slave. The planter has found him good
investment, but the coolie has not thryed
In this population of Caucasian, African
and Indian the Monaghan finds that he Is
regarded by all rs an Inferior being.
The island of Cuba is long and narrow,
somewhat In the form OF an irregular
crescent, with its convex side toward the
north. 1t divides tho entrance 10 the Gulf
of Mexico into two passages that to the
northwest being 1870 miles wide at the mar
rowest part. between the points OF Ycacos.
IN Cuba, and Sable, on the Florida coast.
and the southwest passage OF nearly the
same width between Cuba and Yucatan,
The Bahamas, on the northeast, Hayti on
the east and jamaica on the southeast are
separated from it by narrower channels.
Cuba extends from latitude 10 degrees
north almost TO the northern limit OF the
torrid zone. its farthest point being Is de-
ereos north The length OF the island, fol-
lowing q curved line through its center IS
$50 miles. and It's average breadth is 50
miles. its area Is 1879 square miles.
taking In the small coastal Islands, tue to-
tai is i5,sS3 square miles.
The coast is generally low and flat, and
in consequence tho shore is subjected 10
frequent floods and foundations. There
are numerous large lagoong, especially on
the north side Of the island From these
a considerable quantity Of salt is obtained.
Although many low islands and danger
GUS reefs surround the island II has, IN
PROPORTION to i,s size, an unusually lar,e
number Of excellent hnrbors, or these tho
chief are the ports of Bahia, Ronda. MARCEL.
Havana. MatanZas, Cardenas. Movitas ana
Nipe on the northern side. and Guatanamo.
Santiago de Cuba, Trinidad and Cienfueges
or the southern.
There are two mountain ranges In the
island, one in the southeastern part. called
the Sierra or Montsnos de maestro or Co
bre. It's highest point, PHO dc 'rarqnlno. be-
ing 1870 feet above the level Of the sea; the
other ranges, bearing much smaller general
elevation extends from the Sierra west-
ward, following nearly the central line OF
the island. Besides the lofty Pico de Tar
quino there are several spurs Of the Sierra
half a mile or more in height The sum-
nit OF these are for the most part rocky
and naked, although the sides occasionally
present easy slopes. An almost isolated
mass. OF which the Pico dc Pairerlllo IL the
summit, 1890 feet above the sea rises i'm
medately behind the hafbor NJ Trinidad.
near the center OF the southern coastland.
The central and western parts Of the island