216 SCHOOLS AHH irrSTITHTIOXS AT THE HATAUHAH. 
at least that are bathed by the Atlantic — seem alike to have 
drawn nearer to the continent. Sucli are the changes which 
a few years have produced, and which are proceedin'^ with 
increasing rapidity. They are the eflects of knowledge, and 
01 long-restrained activity; and they render less striking the 
contrast in manners and eivilization, which I observed at 
the beginning of the century, at Caracas, Bogota, Quito, 
Buna, Mexico, and the Havaimah. The influences of the 
Basque, Catalanian, Galician, and Andalusian origin, be- 
com^e every day more imperceptible. 
.The island of Cuba does not possess tho.se great and mai’'- 
nifieeut establishments, the foundation of which is of very 
remote date in Me.xico; but the llavannah can boast of 
institutions which the patriotism of the inhabitants, ani- 
rnated bj a happy rivalry between the different centres oi 
Amenean civilization, will know how to extend and improve, 
whenever political circumstances and confidence in the pre- 
• servation of mternal tranquillity may permit. The Patriotic 
boeiety of the Havannali (established in 1793B those of 
fsanto Espiritu, Puerto Principe, and Trinidad, which depend 
on it; the university, with its chairs of theology, juris- 
prudence, medicine and mathematics, established since 172S, 
m the convent of the J?adres Predicadores ;* the chair of poli- 
tical economy, founded in 1818; that of agricultural botanv; 
the museum and the school of descriptive anatomy, due to 
the enlightened zeal of Don Alexander Bamirez ; the public 
library, the free school of drawing and ])aintiug ; the na- 
tional school; the Lancastrian schools, and the botanic 
garden, are institutions partly new, and partly old. Sonic 
stand in need of progressive amelioration, others require 
a total reform, to place them in harmony with the spirit of 
the age, and the wants of society. 
Agkicultuee. — When the Spaniards began their settle- 
ments in the islands and on the continent of America, those 
* rBrgy of the island of Cuba is neiliier numerous nor rich, if we 
except tlie Bishop of the Havannah and tlie Archbishop of Cuba, tlie for- 
mer of whom has 110,000 piastres, and the latter 40,000 piastres per 
annum. The canons have 3000 pia.stres. The number of ecclesiastics 
does not exceed 1100, according to the official enumeration in my 
possession. 
