JREVEKUE or CUBA. 
269 
of Colum'bia, and it exceeds tte revenue of all tlie custom- 
houses of trie United States * before the year 1795, when 
that confederation had 4,500,000 inhabitants, while the 
island of Cuba contained only 715,000. The principal source 
of the public revenue of this fine colony is the custom- 
house, which alone produces above three-fifths, and amply 
Bufiiees for all the wants of the internal administration and 
military defence. If in these latter years, the expense oi 
the general treasury of the Havannah amounted to more 
than four millions of piastres, this increase of expense is 
solely owing to the obstinate struggle mamtained between 
the mother country and her freed colonies. Two millions of 
piastres were employed to pay the land and sea forces, which 
poured back from the American continent, by the llavannah, 
on their way to the Peninsula. As long as Spain, unmindful 
of her real interests, refuses to recognize the independence 
of the New Eepublics, the island of Cuba, menaced by Co- 
lumbia and the Mexican Confederation, must support a mili- 
tary force for its external defence, which ruins the colonial 
finances. The Spanish naval force stationed in the port of 
the Havannah, generally costs above 650,000 piastres. The 
land forces require nearly one million and a half of piastres. 
Such a state of things cannot last indefinitely, if the Pe- 
ninsula do not relieve the burden that presses upon the 
colony. 
From ,1789 to 1797, the produce of the custom-house at 
the llavannah, never rose to more than 700,000 piastres. 
In 1814 it was 1,855,117. From 1815 to 1819, the 
royal taxes, in the port of the Havannah, amounted to 
11,575,460 piastres ; total 18,284,807 piastres ; or, average 
year, 3,657,000 piastres, of which the municii)al taxes 
formed ‘36. 
The public revenue of the Administracion general de 
Hentas of the jurisdiction of the Havannah, amounted in 
1820 to .... 3,631.273 piastres. 
1821 3,277,639 
1822 3,378,228 
* The custom-houses of the United States, which yielded in 1801 to 
■1808, sixteen millions of dollars, produced in 1815 but 7,282,000. 
