270 EXPENDITUEE. 



The royal and municipal taxes of importation at the 

 custom-house of the Havannah, in 1823, were 2,734,563 

 piastres. 



The total amount of the revenue of the Havannah, in 

 1824, was 3,025,300 piastres. 



In 1825 the revenue of the town and jurisdiction of the 

 Havannah, was 3,350,300 piastres. 



These partial statements shew that, from 1789 to 1824, 

 ehe public revenue of Cuba has been increased sevenfold. 



According to the estimates of the Cajas matrices, the public 

 revenue, in 1822, was in the province of the Havannah 

 alone, 4,311,862 piastres; which arose from the custom- 

 house (3,127,918 piastres), from iheramos de directa entrada, 

 as lottery, tithes, &c. (601,808 piastres), and anticipations 

 ' on the charges of the Consulado and the Deposito (581,978 

 \ piastres). The expenditure in the same year, for the island ol 

 Cuba, was 2,732,738 piastres, and for the succour destined 

 to maintain the struggle with the continental colonies de- 

 clared independent, 1,362,029 piastres. In the first class of 

 expenditure we find 1,355,798 piastres for the subsistence of 

 . the military forces kept up for the defence of the Havannah 

 and the neighbouring places ; and 648,908 piastres for the 

 royal navy stationed in the port of the Havannah. In the 

 second class of expense foreign to the local administration, 

 we find 1,115,672 piastres for the pay of 4234 soldiers, who, 

 after having evacuated Mexico, Columbia, and other parts of 

 the Continent formerly Spanish possessions, passed by the 

 Havannah to return to Spain ; 164,000 piastres is the cost 

 the defence of the castle of San Juan de Ulloa. 



I here terminate the Political Essay on the island of Cuba, 

 in which I have traced the state of that important Spanish 

 possession, as it now is. My object has been to throw light 

 on facts, and give precision to ideas, by the aid of compa- 

 risons and statistical tables. That minute investigation of 

 facts is desirable at a moment when, on the one hand enthu- 

 siasm exciting to benevolent credulity, and on the other, 

 animosities menacing the security of the new republics, 

 have given rise to the most vague and erroneous statements. 

 I have as far as possible abstained from all reasoning 

 on future chances, and on the probability of the changes 





