PRELIMINARY ESSAY. 



25 



island. The propositions sustained by General Con- 

 cha are, that " The prosperity of Cuba is not due to 

 the so-called laws of the Indies ; nor does it prove 

 the social welfare of the island ; nor the excellence 

 of its government." The result of this evil political 

 system has been to create a feeling of dissatisfaction 

 among the people of Cuba, and a direful determina- 

 tion on the part of the government, which is thus 

 expressed by General Canedo in his farewell address 

 to the people of Cuba, on resigning the command of 

 the island to General Pezuela, in December 1853. 



" Remain then impassive in the love which you 

 profess to our august queen, and to the mother coun- 

 try ; remain obedient to the supreme government 

 and to the authority which represents it, and never 

 forget that the very existence and name of Cuba 

 depends upon its continuing to be a Spanish pos- 

 session." 



The political relations of Cuba towards the other 

 continental nations of Europe, partake of the passive 

 antagonism inherent in the communities of America; 

 but as this is entirely absorbed by its submission to 

 Spain, these relations exhibit only the character of 

 those of the Spanish crown. 



With Great Britain a severe contest has been car- 

 ried on for several years, during which the mother 

 country, up to a certain period, defended the interests 



2 



