IGO 
THE MOr.O AND FOETB. 
have heen larger and bettor planned. Spanish engineers, 
who have been waging war for thirty years past with the inha- 
bitants of the suburbs (arrabides), have convinced the govern- 
ment that the houses are too near the fortifications, and that 
the enemy might establish himself there with impunity. 
But the government lias not courage to demolish the sub- 
urbs, and disjierse a population of 28,000 inhabitants col- 
lected in La Salud only. Since the great fire of 1S02 that 
quarter has been considerably enlarged ; barracks were at first 
constructed, but by degrees they have been converted into 
private houses, flie ddeuce of the llavannah on the west 
IS of the highest importance : so long as the besieged are 
masters of the town, properly so called, and of the southern 
part of the bay, the Morro and La Cabaiia, thev are impreg- 
nable, because they can be provisioned by the llavannah, 
and the losses of the garrison repaired, l' have heard well- 
informed Prench engiueera observe, that an enemy should 
oegni his operations by taking the town, iii order to bombard 
the Cabana, a strong fortress, but where the garrison, shut 
up in the casemates, could not long resist the insalubritv of 
the climate, Lhe Buglish took the ]\Torro without beinc* 
masters of the ILavaiiuah ; but the Cabana and the Fort 
No. 4 , which commands the Morro did not then exist. The 
most important works on the south and west, are the 
Castillos de Atares y del Principe, and the battery of Santa 
Clara. 
We employed the mouths of December, Januarv, and 
February, in making observations in the vicinity 'of the 
llavannah and the fine plains ol Griiines. A\ e experienced, 
ill the family of Sofior Cnesta (who tlien formed with Senor 
Santa Maria, one of the greatest commercial houses in 
America), and_ in the house of Count OTleilly, the most 
generous hospitality. IFe lived with the former, and 
deposited our collections and iiistruments in the spacious 
hotel of Count O lleilly, wheie the terraces fiivoured our 
astronomical observations. The longitude of the Havauuah 
was at this period iiioro than one fifth of a degree un- 
certain.* It had been fixed by M. Espinosa, the learned 
• 1 also fixed, by direct observations, several positions in the inter! or of 
the island of Cuba: vii. Rio Lilanco, a plantation of Count Janico y Jlope-Xi 
