822 



SPAIN. 



in Cuba, and to abolish slavery in the Antilles, 

 and with the assistance of the Cortes the Gov- 

 ernment would endeavor to assimilate the posi- 

 tion of the colony to that of a province of Spain. 

 On June 26th the Marquis of Orovio, Minister 

 of Finance, presented the estimates for 1879- 

 '80. The expenditure was put at 828,000,000 

 pesetas, and the probable revenue at 812,000,- 

 000. The estimates showed an increase of ex- 

 penditure, owing to the interest on the debt and 

 the heavy military outlays. The Minister fixed 

 the probable revenue at a higher sum than the 

 returns for the current year, admitting a deficit 

 on the estimates as well as on the floating debt 

 of the Treasury. The address was voted on 

 July 14th by 247 against 44. The Cortes were 

 prorogued on July 26th, without having done 

 any work of importance. 



The Chambers reassembled on November 

 3d. The principal question before them in 

 this session was the abolition of slavery in 

 Cuba. On November 4th the Minister of the 

 Colonies read in the Senate the Government 

 bill providing for this measure. The bill com- 

 menced by declaring that slavery will cease 

 from the date of the promulgation of the law 

 in the " Official Gazette " of Havana. All 

 slaves will be compelled to remain for a pe- 

 riod of eight years in the service of their pres- 

 ent masters, who will act as their protectors, 

 tending them when sick, paying them wages, 

 and instructing the most capable. After the 

 lapse of five years one fourth of the freed men 

 will be completely emancipated from the con- 

 trol of the masters, the choice in this case be- 

 ing determined by lot ; and on the expiration 

 of the eighth year the power of the masters 

 over the freed men will entirely cease. Cor- 

 poral punishment will then be no longer per- 

 mitted, and any offenses committed by the ne- 

 groes will be dealt with by the public prosecu- 

 tors, any act of rebellion being, however, pun- 

 ished by court-martial. In explaining the ob- 

 ject and intention of the bill, the Minister said 

 that slavery was contrary to the laws of nature, 

 and could no longer be maintained in the civil- 

 ized world. Owing to the impoverished state 

 of the Spanish Exchequer, it was impossible 

 to pay an indemnity to the owners of slaves, 

 and the Government deemed it indispensable 

 that the freed negroes should remain for a cer- 

 tain period under the patronage of their for- 

 mer masters ; for by adopting this course the 

 dangers which might ensue from the immedi- 

 ate and simultaneous emancipation of all the 

 slaves would be avoided. He added that the 

 Government considered that the scheme for 

 the gradual enfranchisement of the slaves was 

 contrary to the laws of 1870. Bills were also 

 introduced by the Government for assimilating 

 Cuba to the provinces of the kingdom, for tariff 

 legislation, and other reforms. As it seemed 

 impossible to obtain a majority in favor of 

 these measures, the Ministry resigned, and a 

 new one was formed on December 8th, under 

 Canovas del Castillo. As soon as this Ministry 



had assumed office, it substituted in place of the 

 abolition bill of the former Ministry a new one, 

 which provided for the gradual emancipation 

 of the slaves in Cuba after eight years of pro- 

 visional servitude under their present masters, 

 in 1886, 1887, and 1888. In this shape it passed 

 the Senate on December 26th, although the 

 West Indian deputies declared that it would sat- 

 isfy neither the owners nor the slaves. Both 

 Houses then adjourned. 



On November 24th the King was married 

 to the Archduchess Maria Christine of Austria. 

 The new Queen of Spain, who is the second wife 

 of Alfonso XII., was born July 21, 1858. She 

 is a daughter of Archduke Charles Ferdinand 

 of Austria, who died in 1874. Her relation- 

 ship to the Emperor of Austria is shown by 

 the genealogical table given in the article Aus- 



TBO-HUNGARIAN MONARCHY. 



Juan Oliva y Moncasi, who attempted to as- 

 sassinate King Alfonso in 1878, was executed 

 on January 4th, in spite of numerous petitions 

 for his pardon. Another attempt on the life 

 of the King was made on December 30th. As 

 he was driving from the palace with the Queen 

 for his usual evening ride, two shots were fired 

 at him by a man named Gonzalez. The would- 

 be assassin, who was a waiter by profession and 

 but nineteen years of age, was seized by the 

 attendants. 



A new rebellion broke out in Cuba in Au- 

 gust. On the 27th of that month two insur- 

 gent bands appeared in the districts of Hol- 

 guin and Santiago. General Blanco at once 

 dispatched 2,000 men from Havana, and or- 

 dered the most energetic pursuit of the dis- 

 turbers. The rebels were afterward joined by 

 slaves who had demanded their liberty, and fail- 

 ing to get it had run away. The negroes soon 

 assumed the lead, and began waging an indis- 

 criminate war upon the whites, both Spaniards 

 and Cubans. In imitation of what the Cubans 

 did during the last insurrection, they consti- 

 tuted a so-called government in almost impen- 

 etrable woods and mountains, having at their 

 head three mulattoes, ex-chiefs of the former in- 

 surrection Maceo, Grombet, and Guillermon. 

 Immediately upon the beginning of the disor- 

 ders, Captain-General Blanco issued a decree 

 in which he declared the province of Santiago 

 de Cuba in a state of war. Another decree 

 was published which, after describing the mis- 

 erable condition of the inhabitants of the prov- 

 inces of Puerto Principe and Santiago de Cuba 

 in consequence of the last insurrection, di- 

 rected that $50,000 be appropriated for the 

 assistance of the province of Puerto Principe 

 and $100,000 for that of Santiago de Cuba. 

 The insurrection continued during the remain- 

 der of the year, although the Government de- 

 nied that any importance was attached to it. 



A new treaty with China regarding the im- 

 migration of Chinese to the island of Cuba 

 was published in the " Official Gazette " of 

 Havana in the beginning of July. Its princi- 

 pal points were as follows : 



