480 



CUBA. 



Cuba. tobacco, wax, ginger, long pepper, and other spices, 

 •"V"""' mastic, aloes, vanilla, cassia, fistula, manioc, maize, co- 

 coa, &c. The sugar cane was introduced into Cuba 

 from St Domingo, and has been cultivated here with 

 such success, that no fewer than 480 sugar engines have 

 been erected. In the year 1803, there were exported 

 from the Havannah 158,000 caxas (or chests), of 16 

 arrobas, or 200 kilogrammes ; and from the Port of the 

 Trinity and Santiago de Cuba, including the contra- 

 band, 3000 caxas : so that the total exportation of sugar 

 from Cuba, in 1803, was 37,600,000 kilogrammes. The 

 average amount of the export of sugar from the Havan- 

 nah, from 1801 to 1810 inclusive, has been 2,850,000 

 arrobas, or about 644,000 cwt. per annum. The con- 

 sumption of sugar in the island amounts to from 25,000 

 to 30,000 caxas. When M. Humboldt visited this is- 

 land, he found, from the most exact calculations he 

 could make, that a given hectare of ground yields, 

 at an average, 12 cubic metres of vczou, from which 

 is drawn by the processes hitherto in use, in which 

 much saccharine matter is decomposed by fire, at the 

 utmost from 10 to 12 per cent, or 1500 kilogrammes 

 (3310 pounds avoirdupois) of raw sugar. At the Ha- 

 vannah, they reckon that a caballeria of ground, which 

 contains 18 square cordeks (at 24 varus), or 133,517 

 square metres (1,437,163 square feet), yields per an- 

 num 2000 arrobas, or 25,000 kilogrammes (upwards of 

 50,000 pounds avoirdupois). The average produce is, 

 however, only 1500 arrobas, or 1400 kilogrammes 

 (3089 pound avoirdupois) per hectare (107,639 square 

 feet.) 



The establishment of a great sugar plantation in Cuba, 

 wrought by 300 negroes, and producing 500,000 kilo- 

 grammes (1,103,500 pounds avoirdupois ) of sugar, an- 

 nually requires an advance of L.83,340 sterling, and 

 brings in from L.12,500 to L. 14,600 sterling. Two 

 hundred negroes are required to produce 250,000 ki- 

 logrammes of raw sugar • and the purchase of these 

 negroes amounts to L.12,500 sterling. The mainte- 

 nance of a slave amounts to more than 16s. 8d. per 

 month. 



The tobacco manufactured in the island of Cuba is 

 of most excellent quality ; and though the cultivation 

 of this article has of late years suffered a considerable 

 diminution, yet it forms one of the chief branches of 

 the royal revenue. It is exported to Europe in the 

 form of leaf, snuff, and cigars ; and is deemed superior 

 to the tobacco from any other part of America. The 

 best comes from the town of Trinity and from Santi 

 Espiritus ; and it is from this that the European Spa- 

 niards manufacture the celebrated tobacco of Seville. 

 The preference given to the cultivation of coffee, and 

 the vexations which the planters experience, have great- 

 ly reduced the produce of the tobacco farms in Cuba. 

 In 1803, the island scarcely supplied 150,000 arrobas, 

 whereas, in good years, before 1794, the crop was esti- 

 mated at 315,000 arrobas (7,873,000 pounds*), of 

 which 128,000 arrobas were exported to Spain, and 

 160,000 consumed in the island. About 56,000 pounds 

 are annually sent to New Spain. 



After the destruction of the coffee plantations in St 

 Domingo, coffee began to be cultivated in the island of 

 Cuba; and in the year 1804 it produced about 12,000 

 quintals. Bees were introduced into the island in 1763 

 by some emigrants from Florida; and such was the 

 rapidity with which they multiplied in the hollows of 

 «ld trees, that there was soon sufficient wax for the 



annual consumption. In 1777, 715,000 pounds were 

 exported from the Havannah, of a quality equal to 

 the wax of Venice. Including the contraband, Cuba 

 exported, in 1803, 42,670 arrobas of wax, the price of 

 which was then from 20 to 2 1 piastres per arroba ; but 

 the average price, in time of peace, is only 15 piastres, 

 or L.3, 2s. 6d. sterling. A small part of this wax is 

 produced by the wild trigones, which occupy the trunks 

 of the cedrela odoraia ; but the principal part is the 

 produce of the common bee. 



When Cuba was first conquered by the Spaniards, a 

 considerable quantity of gold was found in the parts 

 now called Jagua and the city of Trinidad ; and Herrera 

 affirms that it was more pure than that of St Domingo. 

 A small quantity is found at present at Holguin. An 

 assiento of the mine was established here under the 

 reign of King Don Juan de Eguiluz, when no less than 

 1000 quintals of gold were sent annually to Spain. 

 There are in Cuba mines of copper and loadstone ; and 

 in the jurisdiction of the Havannah an iron mine of 

 excellent quality has been lately discovered. Artillery, 

 similar to that which was in the fortified places of the 

 Havannah, Cuba, and the castle of Morro, were former- 

 ly cast here. On the road from Bayamo to Cuba are 

 found pebbles of various sizes, and so perfectly round, 

 that they might be used for cannon balls. There ivce 

 numerous warm baths in the island, and great numbers 

 of salt ponds. It contains also 982 herds of large cat- 

 tle, 617 inclosures for fattening swine, 350 folds for 

 fattening animals, 1881 manufactories, and 5933 culti- 

 vated estates. 



The whole island is divided into two governments, 

 viz. that of Cuba and the Havannah, which are again 

 subdivided into jurisdictions and districts. The go- 

 vernor of the Havannah is captain-general of the whole 

 island, and extended his authority as far as the pro- 

 vinces of Louisiana and Movila. The whole island 

 was one diocese suffragan to the archbishopric of St 

 Domingo ; and its jurisdiction comprehended the pro- 

 vinces of Louisiana, and had the title of those of Flori- 

 da and Jamaica. It contained 2 1 parishes, 90 churches, 

 52 curacies, 23 convents, 3 colleges, and 22 hospitals. 



The town of Cuba is, properly speaking, the capital 

 of the island, but the governor and captain-general re- 

 side at the Havannah. The following is a list of the 

 cities, towns, and settlements. 



Cut, 



Cities. 

 Havannah. 

 Cuba. 

 Baracoa. 

 Holguin. 

 Matanzas. 

 Trinidad. 



Santa Maria del Rosario. 

 San Juan de Taruco. 

 Compostela. 



Towns. 

 Bayamo. 

 Puerto del Principe. 



S. Felipe and Santiago. 

 S. Juan de los Remedios. 

 Santi Espiritus. 

 Santa Clara, 

 ©uanavacoa. 

 Santiago de las Vegas. 



Settlements. 

 Consolacion. 

 Los Pinos. 

 Baxa. 

 Mantua. 

 Guacamaro. 

 Las Tuscas. 

 Yara. 



Las Piedras. 

 Cubita. 

 Vertientes. 

 San Pedro. 

 Pamarejo. 

 Cupey. 



Arroyo de Arenas. 

 Filipinas. 

 Jiguam. 

 Caney. 

 Tiguabos. 

 El Prado. 



The Abbe Haynal estimated the produce only at 4,675,000 pounds. 



