40 



humboldt's cuba. 



ence of those, countries by Spain, have not sufficed 

 to create any important political relations, between 

 them, to which their opposing systems of government 

 are also averse. Within a few years the queen- 

 dow T ager of Spain, Maria Cristina, has maintained a 

 private agent at Havana, who has been connected 

 with intrigues in Mexico, and other places, with the 

 supposed object of placing a Spanish prince on an 

 American throne. These movements, however, have 

 been of little importance. The community of lan- 

 guage, customs, and religion between Cuba and the 

 republics of Spanish America, together with their 

 relative geographical positions, indicate a probable 

 political affinity whenever the axioms of public policy 

 which now rule in Cuba, shall have been changed. 



The political relations of Cuba with the other 

 islands of the Antilles, have been very slight until 

 within a short time. For many years Spain did not 

 recognize the black empire of Hayti, and held little 

 intercourse with Dominica. Lately a treaty has? 

 been made with Soulouque and a diplomatic agent, 

 sent to Hayti, to act in conjunction with those of 

 England and France. Existing circumstances ex- 

 hibit a probable complication of these relations, at 

 no very distant day. The advancing age of Soulou- 

 que, combined with the absence of a direct male 

 heir to his crown, and the intrigues for the succes- 



