294 



humboldt's ouba. 



CHAPTER X. 



COMMERCE. 



Causes of its importance — Wealth of Cuba — Relation of Havana to 

 Spanish- America — Present state of commerce — Official valuations 

 (Note) — Fallacies of tables of trade — Remarks thereon — 

 Balanza de Comer do — Imports and exports, 1816 and 1823 — 

 Character of imports — Of exports — Merchant ships and men-of- 

 war at Havana — [Note. — Imports and exports. 1852 — Character 

 of imports, and proportion from United States — Exports — Propor- 

 tion to the United States — Vessels entered and cleared — Propor- 

 tion of commerce of Havana.] — Reflections on the character of 

 importations — Large amount of woven fabrics — Of provisions and 

 liquors — State of society, and want of subsistence — Mines and 

 cereals a necessity — Surprising importation of meats and pulse — 

 Probable future deduced — Error of the deduction (Note) — Evil 

 colonial policy of Europe — Not adapted to Cuba — Probable 

 increase of population — Social theory — Law of public welfare 

 and of future of Cuba — [Note. — Error of social theory demon- 

 strated by Jamaica — Transition of blacks from slavery to freedom 

 — Its sad results — Tendency of free negroes to abandon the fields 

 — Natural results — Sustains Baron Humboldt's law of public 

 welfare and of future of Cuba.]— Flour trade— Mexican competi- 

 tion—State of public wealth in 1800— Its increase— Cuban defence 

 of free trade— Influence of commerce upon society— Progress not 

 to be measured by tons — Lives of nations. . 



It has been alreacty stated, in the beginning of 

 this work, that the importance of the commerce of 



