The Weekly Tallahasseean., 1901-08-22

"ACh Un0 SeHCle aDOrlglneS,
added to by the Buccaneers. negro
slaves, emigrants and traders fIom
all other countries as well as Spain,
the Government had a task in form
ing for this, her richest and most
important colony, the laws that
would suit this heterogeneous peo-
pie, which even now show six diff
ferent types, although the "color
line" has quite disappeared, leaving
only two classes, the very rich and
the very poor. The first are the
intelligent, refined, sensitive, aspir-
ing people striving to establish an
independent republic. The second
cla@, whose illiteracy registers SO
per cent. of the Cuban people, are
the deeply ungrateful, revengeful,
treacherouS element that Spain tried
in vain to civilize; and now are wait
ing only for the declaration of in
dependence to 'drive every Amer
ICdu OIL Lu6 lSlduQ.
This, together with the experience
of Spain, has led the United States
to promise the world that Cuba shall
have stable government, and that
she will keep control of the island
even to annexation if that is neces-
sary to protect the lives and prop
erty of American citizens, as well as
the capital of all other people now
seeking investments on her prolific
shores.
At the present time through war
and famine she lies desolate and
practically depOpulated. Only
rim of country comprising the cities
and adjacent country are, properly
speaking, inhabited. There are thou
sands of plantations whose owners
have been exterminated, and thou
sands of acres of grazing, coffee and
tobacco land for sale by Spaniards
who have returned to their own
country; besides thousands of other
plantations for sale by resident own
ers because they have no capital.
There is vast field for many
bright business men in opening up
hundreds of enterprises so necessary
to the development of this rich coun-
try. The establishment of the Ma
tional Bank OF Cuba, organized with
capital of $l,OOO,00O, U. S. gold,
is calculated to bring into harmon
ious association all ntesests-com-
mercial, political and agricultural i
and is happy augury of immediate
development and prosperity of the
island. There are practically no
manufacturers; and land and prop
erty of all descriptions can be pur-
chased at extremely low prices. OF
its 35,G00,O0O acres but 100000
acres are under cultivation; while
100000 are virgin forests contain
ing most valuable timber-mahog-
any, ebony, rosewood, redwood, blue
cedar, logwood, eucalyptus and six
ty-fve varieties of softer woods The
soil is black or red loan, 16 to is
inches deep; can be cropped for sew
eral successive seasons without re-
newal even on tobacco lands, while
cane is planted once in a lifetime.
Sugar, tobacco and coffee are the
present chief exports, but the quick
est returns for the least capital are
found in buying and stocking the
grazing lands. Such land can be
bought from 81 to IS per acre, and
stocked at cost of about SIS per
head. Mining is yet in its infancy,
but very profitable. There are large
deposits of magnetic ore of an ex-
tremely fine quality, great beds and
seams of fine coal and good evidence
of gold, silver, antimony, mangan-
ese, nickel, ochre, kaolin, FulIer's
earth, salt and petroleum; while i'm
pOrtant industries in the mining of
copper, iron and asphalt are now in
operation. The latter near the CITY
of Santa Clara manufacture the as
phaltum in brick form 4x10, besides
furnishing gas for the city.
Among the most quickly estab-
lished businesses for which there is
a great demand all over the island
may be mentioned saw mills, sugar
mills, brick, tile and cement factor
les, foundries and machine shops,
rice and grist mills, starch factories.
salt works, tanneries, fish fertilizer
factories, soap works, castor and palm
oil extracting mills, furniture factor
les, fibre and broom straw works,
etc. The climate is uniform, with
an average temperature of II to IA
degrees.
There are about $50 rivers, some e
of them navigable for sixty miles.
Two ranges of mountains at each
end of the island and about 220 har-
bOrs. Several lines of steamers
leave Havana every few days for all
the principal Cuban ports, while