Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume V.djvu/551

CUBA 547 DEPART- MENTS. Whites. Free colored. Emanci- pados. Slaves. Total. Western Central 601,636 46,884 116,260 1 1 at ion 125,862 13,358 82,207 4,028 247 246 802,880 15,287 50,383 1,034.396 75,726 249,096 Eastern Total pop 1,359,488 These figures include 34,050 Chinese, but are exclusive of the army and navy and other tran- sient population. It is supposed that the total population of the island has decreased to some extent since 1868, as the deaths and banish- ments in consequence of the civil war have been very considerable. Notwithstanding the most solemn treaty obligations, the slave trade is still actively prosecuted. Between 1817 and 1842, according to English statistical writers, who were furnished the data from their con- sulates, 335,000 slaves were imported ; a great- er number in 25 years than in the 31 years when the trade was legalized. Between 1842 and 1852, no fewer than 45,000 negroes were imported. The " mixed commission," presided over by an English judge, had little effect in suppressing the traffic. A slaver was occasion- ally captured, and, if a lawful prize, she was re- tained as such by her captors ; but her slaves were apprenticed, under the name of emanci- pados, to the planters, for terms of 8, 10, and 15 years, according to their ages. At a later pe- riod they were openly traded by the govern- ment. The emancipados were no better off than the slaves. When they went into the interior they were reported as dead, and the names of old and infirm slaves whom they sub- stituted were given to them. The late law concerning slavery, passed June 23, 1870, de- clares free all born after its passage, and all who had attained at that time the age of 60 ; but so determined has been the opposition of the slave traders that the government has not been able to enforce it. Chinese were first brought under contract from Amoy in 1847, by the royal society of public works, and were given out for the proportionate cost of their transportation. Afterward the business was converted into a new slave trade by companies and private persons, who raised the prices of importations. Over 50,000 had been brought in up to 1873, and the records of the courts afford abundant proof of the oppression and violence of which they are the victims. When the importation had reached 33,000 it was cal- culated that the annual mortality was 17 per cent. Indians from Yucatan were also import- ed at one time under contract, but the govern- ment of Mexico prohibited it by enactment, partly in consequence of a regulation passed in Havana authorizing flogging as a punishment. The largest city of the island is Havana, with 205,000 inhabitants. There are 1 3 other cities, 12 towns, and 324 centres of population known as pueblos (villages) and caserios (hamlets). Productive industry in Cuba is devoted mainly to sugar and tobacco raising. General agricul- ture was early hampered by many obstacles, the greatest of which was the scarcity of labor. The system of mesta or free breeding of cattle interfered much with cultivation of the soil. This system, which was instituted by Charles V., gave the common use of the lands for pas- turage after the crops had been gathered. In 1555 this law was modified, and many favors and privileges were granted to agriculturists. Loans of money ($4,000 to persons of known probity) were made by the government to those who devoted themselves to the raising of sugar cane, and the sale of sugar estates for debt was prohibited. The most noteworthy concession was the one authorizing the importation of 1,000 negro slaves. Special privileges were afterward granted to the cultivators of coffee, indigo, and other productions. The creation of the consulado (board of trade, public works, and agriculture) of Havana, and of the " eco- nomical society of the friends of the country," contributed to the progress of agriculture. The reports of the royal society, and the Papel pe- riodico (1790), which took the place of the Ga- ceta, (1763), directed the industry of the island into new channels; and the emigration from Santo Domingo and the continent added to its prosperity. But general agriculture has given place mostly to sugar making. The differen- tial duties imposed by foreign nations as an offset to the duties collected in Cuba reduced the production of coffee to little more than enough for local consumption. The only agri- cultural product which has not been super- seded by sugar as a chief article raised for ex- port is tobacco. Cotton is cultivated, but not to any extent compared with the great staples. The mulberry tree (morus multicaulis) grows to perfection, and is raised for silkworms. These worms were introduced into Cuba by Don P. Alejandro Auber, who affirms that they are more prolific and more productive than anywhere else in the world. The cactus, or cochineal fig tree, has been the subject of suc- cessful experiments by the economical society. Cacao is cultivated in Kemedios on a small scale ; and Indian corn, bananas, and other produce called in Cuba grains and mandas, are raised in quantities sufficient for home con- sumption. The only fruits raised for export are oranges and pineapples. The tobacco known all over the world as Havana tobacco is grown on the S. coast at the extreme W. end of the island, on a strip of country called the Vuelta Abajo, extending from Rio Hondo to Cuyaguateje and the river Mantua. The tract is of an irregular shape, about 80 m. long by 20 wide. Next in value to the tobacco of the Vuelta Abajo is that of Mayari, which grows over an extent of 54 m. from Mayari to Holguin. The tobacco of outlying districts (ta- baco de partido) is of good quality all over the island, and equal to any produced in Hayti or on the banks of the Magdalena in Colombia. A caballeria (33 acres) of land produces on an average the following crops :