CUBA. 



CURRENCY, BIMETALLIC. 275 



in this manufacture in Havana alone. No 

 really fine-flavored aromatic leaf has been har- 

 vested since 1881. Great hopes were enter- 

 tained of the 1885 crop, and it was admitted that 

 the quality was excellent and the yield large. 



In September severe measures were adopted, 

 both in Havana and Porto Rico, to prevent 

 the fraudulent importation into Cuba of low 

 classes of foreign tobacco as Porto-Rican pro- 

 ductions. 



Commerce. The American trade with Cuba 

 is shown in the following table : 



Decrease between 1885 and 1883 of $29,- 

 087,164, or 37 per cent., due nearly altogether 

 to the decline in sugar and temporary impov- 

 erishment of Cuban planters. 



The sugar exportation from Cuba in recent 

 years has been : 



Railroads. Powerful syndicates of European 

 bankers signified to the home Government in 

 July their readiness to advance $40,000,000 

 for the completion of the Cuban railroad sys- 

 tem, on guarantees by both the Madrid and 

 Cuban treasuries. The first lines to be built 

 are to measure 891 kilometres, as follow : 



Santa Clara to Ciego de Avila, via San Andres 150 kilo. 



Ciego de Avila to Puerto Principe 100 " 



Puerto Principe to Victoria de las Tomas 125 



Santa Cruz del Sur to Puerto Principe 78 



Victoria de las Tomas to Enramadas, via Bayamo. . 16?) 



" " " Holguin.. 159 



Bayamo to Manzanillo 54 



Cristo to Santa Catalina del Guaso 56 



Total 891 kilo. 



This will constitute the Cuban Grand Cen- 

 tral Railway. The entire line is to be finished 

 in six years ; the Government guarantees for 

 ninety-nine years an annuity of 8 per cent, on 

 the capital invested. Should the earnings not 

 cover the expense during a year, the railroad 

 company loses the difference ; if, on the other 

 hand, the net earnings exceed 8 per cent., the 

 Government is to receive 50 per cent, of the 

 surplus. The Government engages to pay its 

 8 per cent, subsidy in gold quarterly. The 

 syndicate estimates that the cost of the entire 

 line will reach $24,465,000. 



On March 16, the branch line of railway be- 

 tween Santo Domingo and La Esperanza, con- 

 structed by the Cardenas and Tucaro Railroad 

 Company, was thrown open to traffic, estab- 



lishing direct communication between Havana 

 and Santa Clara. On November 6 the rail- 

 road between Holguin and Gibara went into 

 operation. 



In May authority was given to the Jnragua 

 Iron Company (limited) to build a narrow- 

 gauge railway between the Jurugua mines and 

 Santiago de Cuba. 



New Steamship Line. In March the Catalan 

 Company of Havana established a new line of 

 steamships, under the Spanish fiag, between 

 that city and New York. 



New Mail Route. In June a daily mail line 

 was established between New York and Ha- 

 vana by rail to Tampa, and thence to Key 

 West and Havana by steamer. 



Yelfow Fever. During the year Dr. Carlos 

 Finlay, of Havana, experimented on the in- 

 oculability of yellow fever. The disease was 

 found to be transmissible only from the third 

 to the sixth day. Out of eleven inoculations, 

 six were successful, one doubtful, and four 

 negative. The inoculations were brought about 

 by the use of mosquitoes, which were first 

 caused to sting patients suffering from the 

 fever, and afterward allowed to sting persons 

 whom it was intended to inoculate. What- 

 ever may be the result of Dr. Finlay's inocu- 

 latory experiments against yellow fever, the 

 ease with which a disease may be transmitted 

 by the sting of an insect is an important addi- 

 tion to the history of zymotic diseases. 



Patriotic Contributions. Throughout the year, 

 in spite of the dull times and gloomy aspect of 

 affairs, both Spaniards and Cubans liberally 

 contributed their share toward alleriatiag the 

 sufferings of their fellow- subjects in the Penin- 

 sula. Large amounts of money were sent to 

 the sufferers by the earthquakes at Granada, 

 Malaga, and vicinity, and in the summer and 

 autumn to those from cholera. When German 

 encroachments in the Caroline Islands threat- 

 ened the friendly relations between the two 

 countries, private funds were immediately 

 raised in Cuba for building a man-of-war, and 

 for strengthening the coast defenses. 



The American Consul-General at Havana is 

 Mr. Ramon O. Williams. 



CURRENCY, BIMETALLIC. Gold and silver 

 have been chosen by the universal consent of 

 mankind in the past as the materials best suit- 

 ed for money, and until late years it has been a 

 matter of indifference which metal was used, 

 because both have remained more or less sta- 

 ble in value. Since 1850, however, the rela- 

 tions of these two metals have been seriously 

 disturbed, and we have consequently heard of 

 the difficulties to which they have given rise, 

 so that from this discussion has come the the- 

 ory of bimetallism. It aims to keep in con- 

 current circulation both gold and silver at some 

 fixed ratio, and proposes that both gold and 

 silver shall, at that ratio, have unlimited legal- 

 tender power. Advocates of this theory hold 

 that, if several states were to agree upon a 

 common ratio, this could be maintained with- 



