PREFACE. 



That portion of Baron Humboldt's " Personal Narrative " of his 

 travels with Mons. Bonpland in the equinoctial regions of America, 

 which relates to the Island of Cuba, has been published as a separate 

 work both in the French and Spanish languages ; but I believe no 

 complete version has ever been presented in English. The following 

 translation is from an excellent rendering of the original work into 

 Spanish, which modestly gives only the initials of the translator ; 

 D. J. B. de V. Y. M. 



I have been stimulated to undertake this labor by the oft-repeated 

 request that I would state which is the best book on Cuba, and by 

 the fact that a long continued residence in the island, and a study 

 of its condition and resources, have convinced me that Baron 

 Humboldt's work is the best that has been written on the subject. 



In order to bring the information in this volume as nearly as 

 possible down to the present time, I have added notes, which are 

 placed in brackets in the body of the text, or without signature at 

 the foot of the page, as seemed most conducive to a clear exposition 

 of the present condition of Cuba. The notes of Baron Humboldt 

 have the signature H. affixed in the following pages. 



J. S. T. 



New York, December, 1855. 



