

into the Northern market* and are n- t kn..\\n in 



s Slates. Th.- natne voodfl ol the 

 hare been exploited to some extent. It > said that 

 the 17.000.000 acres of forest Inn. in furnish 1" 

 tie* of flue cabinet wood* among them mah 

 and lnr. The mineral resources are imperl 

 n. Valuable iron mines bare been dino> 

 ami worked profitably, r loeedingly 



,r <| unlit v. Mines have been 

 worked l.y two American oompaniea, the ore being 

 loaded dmi'tlv from the mines into vessels and 

 uk. > -.ited Slate*, where the metal is used 



in ih.- manufacture of limwcmer steel Lttfi 



. . I'- :. 



ibVore yielding in some instances 58j*-r c.nt. ,,f 



of a MM 



.,uality. About TJ miles from 

 Santiago there is a range of mountains known as 

 the Sierra del Cubre, in which are large deports ,,f 

 copper. One mine was worked by an Roglisll >m- 

 nany with great profit for many years, but other 

 deposit* remain untouched. Bituminous-coal d- 







Flimee*.-t'ntil lHfiH the finances of the island 

 .-:> prosperous. F,, r many years then- 

 was an excess of revenue over expenditure. From 

 1850 to 1H60 the Cuban t reasury was in such a pros- 

 perous state that with only a tax of ',' per cent. <>n 

 the product* of rural property and of 4 per cent, on 

 the r irban real estate, a small tax on the 



sale of realty, the stamp tax, and the custom dues, 

 its surplus never fell Mow f :t.ooo.ooo. while it rose 

 ears to $5,000,000. This favorable state 

 of affairs' cca.sed after 1^''.". I 'ilibustering attempts 

 us to IMS and the rebellion of 1868- < 8 

 caused a large increase in the estimates for the 

 army and the navy, which previously had been 

 slight. The revenues in consequence of the revolt 

 were much reduced, while the expenses rose to huge 

 pn.jN.rtioiis. Kxtraordinary taxes were levied, but 

 they proved insullicient. Loans were obtained, 

 first from the Banco Espaflol of Havana and sub- 

 sequently from other banks. Treasury notes and 

 bank notes guaranteed by the treasury were issued. 

 ' reasury issued bonds guaranteed bv the 



toms dues, and a floating debt for tin- liquidation 

 of previous exj>enditures was formed. All these 



i were consolidated by the issues of bonds 

 guaranteed by the Cuban treasury to the amount 

 of $124.000,000 in 1886 and to the amount of 

 f4<500,000 in 1*70. The revenue for the fiscal 

 year 1808-*94 was $30,488,764, and the expenditure 

 $26.230.1 76. The military ex|>enditure was $8,- 

 541.300, and the naval expenditure $1,097,385: the 

 cost of the civil administration, $3,663,909. In 1895 

 the expenses of the war added $122,500,000 to the 

 -.unt ing $10.000,000 of arrears of salaries 

 and unpaid obligations. In 1896 the war expenses 

 were $I<UMKHMHI or more every month. Th. 

 erment in 1895 and 1896, owing to the civil war, 



US, and the customs n-c -.: 

 Havana fell off to one quarter the normal amount. 



icst met ion of sugar estates and tobacco fields 

 took from the laboring class their prineipal i 



port, and deprived the Government of its main 

 sources of revenue for years to come. The 

 crop, which was 1.0T0.000 tons in 1894. wa> 

 mated at less than 200.000 tons in 1896. and the 

 tobacco crop at 50.000 bales instead of the normal 

 Mont of 400.000 bales. Ti > were 



valued at $60.000.000 in 1895. but in IS-.M; they were 



xpected to exceed $ir>.f)00,00o. TheGovern- 

 esti mates of expenditure for 1896-'97 were 

 $92,000,000, and of revenue $30,OfK.<KKi. The in- 

 crease of revenue over that -114 was ex- 



.o from a higher tax on in.; 



although the whole produce of the country would 

 hardly pay for the foreign breadMuffj* nee(i 



feed the via rv in i: population huddled in the cities. 

 When merchants and bankers exported all their 

 ii and the I'nited Slates and thousands 

 - and returned to Spain, the Span- 

 ish (i.. \ernmcnt authori/ed the Bank of Spain in 

 ;i to emit $rj.(MHi.<MMt of notes for the pay- 

 ment of current - in Cuba, to be -uaian- 

 teed by a reserve of $3,000,000 in silvn- ...in ,1- 



pOSitCi: -Illellt alld redeemed ill gold. 



When the merchant- ,-ur- 



except at a disvount the I'ajilain (J.n.ral 

 ordering all p. tin- 



bills on a par \vith gold, and end* a\ ored to en' 

 it against the i. :,til they began l . 



-hops; apa mtil they emi- 



grated; against the - bange am 



the bankers, including the I'.auk of Spain, which 



refused to accepl them in payment for geld .i' 

 on Spam, until the banks closed their cxdianp 

 partments. 



I he hisiM I'eetioli. .,1 is 



the higlie-t ollieial n| resenl at i\e of the National 



nmeiit in the island, having as \ice-ro\a; 

 roll all the powers inherent in the patronship of the 

 Indies. His power is aim -I of 



times, and his rule is that of a military < miamler. 



The laws of Spain are liberal, and tl 

 to deprive the native Cubai : the privileges 



enjoyed by her subject s born iii t'he peninsula, but 

 the administration of these law- ha- al\\ay- ' 

 bad. The Cubans thetusehes are a peace-]. 

 gentle race, but the despotic rule of many mil 

 chiefs, from the Captain (Jem-ral down. 'has L 

 them for generation^ ample ground for complaint. 



A few years ago a y. .un:_ p man, educated in Si 

 but a Cuiian by birth, tok upon his own sln.i. 

 the task of liberating his countrymen. l-'n-m a 

 student in Seville and a graduate at Madrid he 

 became a pdit ical con vict at Havana, and at length, 

 finding refuge in the United States, began his \\ 

 which has resulted in the present insurrection. 

 Finding no supjjort among the wealthier cla-s,.-. he 

 addressed himself to the humbler OOOS. I'.y his 

 power >f oratory he readily won the attention <>f 

 the latter, and knowing how many failures had 

 been due to the lack of proper organisation, In- 

 to organ i/.e. With 111, otivitj he 

 sought to bring together all the Cultan- resi.lii 

 the United States, Mexico, Central America, and 

 Colombia, for the purpose of accumulating funds 

 and carrying on a well-directed propaganda for the 

 independence of Cuba, The work >n to 

 bear fruit. Cuban art isans joined in making weekly 

 contributions to a general fund, n< 

 published, and I preparation was carried 

 on by the Cuban emigrants, inspired and effectively 

 OOnaUOted by .]<>^'- Marti, the father of tl 

 insurrection." In the island i 

 were formed and members were pledged for the 

 cause, with the special object of knowing the lead- 

 ers and their followers who coldd be depended Upoti 

 to support the movement when the time should 

 for it. When Marti thought the time had 

 I he issued an order fixing the d.v 

 Jl. 1 *!:.. for the uprisii ral 

 - and their few followers took the field in 

 but they remained inactive and unde. 

 The country people refused to join them, air: 

 cept in Santiago province, they were -oof, dis|er8ed 

 by Spanish troops, and those WOO Were not captured 

 surrendered a few . the first few 

 months the success of Marti's plans appeared doubt- 

 ful, but with the landingof Antonioand.J 

 followed by that of (tome/ and Marti, the aspect of 

 the uprising changed, and Spain. . that 

 the rebellion was assmnin. phase, sent her 

 most famous general, Martinez Campos, with re- 



