Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume V.djvu/553

CUBA 549 DESTINATION. SUOAR. MOLASSES. 1870. 1871. 1870. 1871. United States 846,222 203,539 387,428 73,151 178,751 14,801 19,929 189,437 8,991 2,790 Great Britain British provinces Spain and the Mediter- 52,583 34,970 9,662 12,960 37,901 10,032 7,258 5,171 Northern Europe Other countries 407 1,241 The value of exports for 1870 and 1871 was as follows : ARTICLES. 1870. 1871. Sugar $60,000,000 $50,400,000 Molasses 8,000,000 5 600,000 Leaf tobacco 8,941,186 4,640,000 Cigars . . . 6,659,480 6,611,440 Coffee, wax &c 4 000 000 4,000,000 Total $82,600,666 $71,251,440 These figures must be regarded as only an ap- proximation to the true amounts, as all the ex- ports are officially undervalued. The exports to the United States in 1871, according to United States official data, amounted to $58,240,584; in 1872, $67,720,205. The imports from the United States in 1871 were $15,840,202; in 1872, $14,751,956. No statistics of the values of imports for late years are accessible. The following table exhibits the quantities of some of the principal imports during three years : ARTICLES. 1870. 1871. 1872. Jerked beef, quintals Codfish, quintals 296,282 86340 240,454 44857 183,093 98019 Flour bbls 330 959 224 755 247726 Rice, quintals 717,135 507,836 547,671 Lard, quintals 205 456 84,246 58492 Wines pipes. 79 898 67366 64198 Boards, M. feet Box shocks, number Hhd. shooks, number Oats, tons 21,503 653,481 60,715 145,366 18,634 890,237 71,598 89,840 32,668 627,832 55,914 128,187 Olive oil, jars 382 726 863 004 437935 Coal oil gals 90100 84719 58298 Whale oil, gals 650 1,500 4,320 Of these articles, the lard, lumber, shooks, coal oil, and whale oil come from the United States ; the wine and olive oil from Spain ; the flour and oats from the United States and Spain; the jerked beef from South America; the codfish from the British provinces, the United States, and Europe ; and the rice from the United States, Spain, and the East Indies. In 1859, 42 per cent, of the commerce was under the Spanish flag, and 58 per cent, under foreign flags. The following shows the number and tonnage of the American, Spanish, British, and French vessels entered at the port of Ha- vana in the years 1870 and 1871 : YEARS. AMERICAN. SPANISH. BRITISH. FRENCH. No. Tons. No. Tons. No. Tons. No. Tons. 1870 1871 738 740 361,658 335,158 677 670 181,792 191,022 840 262 125,572 77,504 85 34 87,490 84,932 In 1872 the entries of vessels at Havana were 1,960, of 738,310 aggregate tonnage. Of the exports- of the same year, 70*75 per cent, were sent to the United States and 19 -27 per cent, to Great Britain. Under the system of discrimi- nating duties Spain was able for a long time to almost monopolize the trade in flour and provi- sions, but of late years she has gradually been losing ground. In 1863 Spain landed in Cuba 210,262 bbls. of flour, while the United States sent there but 1,180 bbls. ; but hi 1872 the shipments of the former had decreased to 195,- 205 bbls., and those of the latter increased to 52,521 bbls. During the same period Spain's shipments of rice fell off one half and those of the United States doubled. The system of education in Cuba originally conformed to that in Spain, but it has been modified from tune to time according to the personal characters of the rulers of the island. Under the house of Aps- tria laws were passed authorizing the creation of universities in the Indies. The university of Havana was established in 1722 by a pontifi- cal bull of Innocent XIII., which was approved by the Spanish government, Jan. 5, 1729. There had been classes many years before in the convent of the Franciscans in Havana, where Latin, philosophy, and theology were taught, but no degrees were conferred. Gov- ernment had no direct supervision of education till 1842. In that year the Dominican friars ceased to govern the "Royal and Pontifical university," which was declared a national es- tablishment under the name of " Literary uni- versity." The governor general nominated the professors, who were subsequently approved by the supreme government. The study of the natural sciences was introduced at that date. Gen. Concha, in connection with the professors, drew up a complete plan of public education ; but subsequently, in 1863, when he was minis- ter, the classes in philosophy were ordered to be suppressed, and the system was assimilated to that in Spain. Since then philosophical and transcendental studies have been confined with- in very narrow limits ; but the faculties in the ecclesiastical seminaries and in the colleges of the religious orders have been increased. There are two seminaries for the clergy, the college of San Carlos in Havana, and that of San Basilio in Santiago de Cuba ; the former is also the successor of the college of St. Am- brose and of the school of the Jesuits, where instruction was given to laymen. The expenses of education in the higher branches are de- frayed from the public revenues, according to official statements. The town councils pay the expenses of primary education. The amount disbursed for educational purposes in 1866 was as follows: primary schools, $1,131,354; gram- mar schools, $459,056; collegiate seminaries, $42,000 ; professional education, $73,619; uni- versity education, $71,600; total, $1,777,729. There are 209 public schools on the island, of which 93 are for girls, and 245 private schools. The whole number of children attending them