18 



humboldt's cuba. 



off all hope of a safe retreat in case of reverses to 

 the attacking enemy. The importance of Cuba in 

 this respect, in its relation to the United States, is 

 shown in the circumstances attending the English 

 expedition against Louisiana, during the last war 

 with England. The army and fleet of Sir Edward 

 Packenham were concentrated at Jamaica, and in 

 their advance upon the United States, were com- 

 pelled to sail for nearly seven hundred miles, almost 

 within sight from the shores of Cuba. When forced 

 by the battle of New Orleans to retreat, the British 

 fleet, with the remains of the army on board, fled to 

 Havana for succor and relief, and could not proceed 

 to Jamaica until it had remained there some time 

 to refit. Had Cuba at that time borne as intimate 

 political as it does territorial relations, to the United 

 States, the British fleet not only would have found 

 no port of refuge there, but it could never have 

 safely approached our shores. A similar instance 

 occurred in the attack by the French upon Vera 

 Cruz. The fleet of Prince de Joinville concentrated 

 at Havana before the attack, and returned there to 

 refit after it had captured San Juan de Ulna. 



The territorial relations of Cuba to the other 

 islands of the Antilles, give it a marked prepon- 

 derance. In area and population it exceeds all the 

 other islands together, while in its abundance of safe 



