'In 1492, C., which is often spoken of as the "pearl " or " queen of the Antilles," was discovered by Columbus during his first voyage. In 1511, the island began to be permanently colonized, becoming, within ten years, the base of all the various operations against Mexico. While, in the first quarter of the present century, every continental portion of Spanish America established its independence, C. remaining, like Puerto Rico, faithful to the mother country, largely profited by the intestine broils of the revolted provinces, for, when the old Spaniards were expelled in mass from the main land, many of them naturally took refuge in the still loyal islands, enriching them with their -capital, and energy, and skill. C. has long been coveted by other nations. In 1762, Ilavana was captured by a British armament, but was restored in the following year. During the present age, the island has been an object of cupidity to the United States—a cupidity checked more powerfully by jealousy on the part of France and England than by Spain's own resources; and, in tact, it has been twice attacked—in 1850 and 1831—by individual Americans without success. They were commanded by a Spaniard of the name of Lopez, who, being taken prisoner, was executed as a traitor. The termination of the American war had an unexpected effect on the position of Cuba. The island had been coveted because it was the only market from which slaves could be imported into the southern states, and this trade was at an end. This was not, however, the only effect of the war. It destroyed the production of sugar in the southern states. and C. supplied the want. Great interests were created in New York which favored the perpetuation of slavery in C., and its existence as an independent state, or a depend ency of a foreign power, became more desirable for the Americans than its annexation. The Spanish revolution of 1868, when queen Isabella was driven from the throne, effected another change in Cuban politics. The Madrid ministry, is 1870, passed a measure kncwn as the Moret law, from Senor Moret y Prendergast, the colonial minister at the time, which declared that every slave at the age of 60 should become free—and emanci pated all the unborn offspring of slaves. This law never was enforced, its publication even having been prohibited by the " peniwiulares:" and the Madrid government have never been in a position to enforce it or any other measure which meets the disapproval of the " loyal party" in Cuba. Instead of doing so, it has accepted their alliance, and aided them by sending troops to crush the creole and negro insurrection, which broke out in 1868. The struggle was carried on with varying success, and often with unex ampled ferocity, for ten long years. It was not till the spring of 1878, that Martinez Campos, partly by military energy, partly by terms of compromise, succeeded in quell ing the rebellion. He offered pardon to rebels laying down their arms, and restoration of confiscated property. See The Pearl of the Antilles, by A. Gallenga (Lend. 1873). For a picturesque description of Cuban life and manners, see another work also called 2he Pearl of the Antilles, by W. Goodman (1873). Sec also The Hanibi-land, by James J. O'Kelly (1874).
CUBA. (ante), "the ever-faithful isle," as it has been called by the Spaniards, has a remarkable history. Discovered by Columbus on his first voyage to the new world, and regarded by him at first as a part of the western continent, it was not long before the docile harmless race of Indians who inhabited it were overrun and reduced to slavery by the Spanish adventurers, who gained great wealth by their unpaid toil. Las Casas, the Roman Catholic apostle to the Indians, seeing that they were rapidly being exterminated by cruelty, was moved by compassion to appeal to the home government for their protection. Cardinal Ximenes, the Spanish regent, sent three monks to the island
to correct the abuses complained of; but they did not accomplish much, and Las Casas procured for himself the appointment of " universal protector of the Indians." Finding it impossible, even with this additional authority, to check the cruelties which he deplored, and having observed in St. Domingo that the negroes had shown a capacity for endurance superior to that of the Indians, this humane missionary, in order to save the former from the swift extermination that threatened them, proposed that men and women of the latter race should be imported to take their places in the mines and cane-fields. The colonists were not slow to act upon this suggestion, and thus negro slavery, by sanction of religious authority, gained a foothold in the western world, which it did not lose until the slave power in the United States was overthrown in the war of 1861-65: The Indians of Cuba, however, did not escape the extermination which Las Casas was so anxious to avert, while the negroes were subjected to cruelties that checked their natural increase and made it necessary to recruit their numbers by constant importations. There was a period between the substantial extirpation of the Indians and the introduction of the negroes when the planters did not prosper, but the African slave-trade revived their drooping fortunes. Meanwhile Havana was twice destroyed by the French. In 1762, it was captured by the English, who retained pos session for only one year; but prior to this date 60,000 slaves had been introduced, and they were imported at the rate of 1,000 annually for the next 25 years. The slave-trade up to this time had been a monopoly, but now, all restrictions being removed, importa tions rapidly increased. The whole number of slaves introduced into the island from that day to the present must be immense, for they die off with great rapidity. Even now the trade has hardly ceased. British statistical writers, making up their reports from authentic data, say the number imported between 1817-42 was 335,000; and between 1842-52, 45,000.
The government of the island has always been autocratic, being lodged in a captain general, receiving his appointment from the home government, and therefore in no way responsible to the people over whom he rules. In the 18th c., there were two insurrec tions, both of which were suppressed, and twelve of the leaders in the last (1723) were hanged. Printing was introduced about 1724. From 1790, and onwards, under a cap tain-general named Las Casas (probably of the same family as the missionary before mentioned), the island enjoyed great prosperity. Tranquillity was preserved during the bloody revolution of St. Domingo; newspapers were established, and industry promoted. When the royal family of Spain was deposed by Bonaparte in 1808, Cuba took the side of the crown and made contributions of money and soldiers to sustain it. Since that (lay, the captain-generals have for the meet part adopted the course which promised to advance their own particular interests, with only a subordinate regard for the powers at Madrid. By a royal order, ratified 1836, the captain-general was empowered to rule at all times as if the island were in a state of siege. At the same time a military com mission was appointed, which took cognizance of offenses in general, and particularly of those involving disloyalty. The slave-trade was nearly suppressed by captain-general Valdez in 1845-47, but an increased demand for sugar soon afterwards revived it, and it was carried on more extensively than ever before.