HAVANNAH is the principal town in the island of Cuba. It is situated on the north coast of the island, about 45 leagues from Cape Sable, and 80 coastwise from St Antonio, in a fertile and agreeable tract. It is built in a semicircular shape, the shore forming the chord, ana is nearly two miles in circuit. The town is, upon the whole, regularly built, but the squares are irregular, and the streets narrow ; some of the principal ones being paved with iron-wood, which is very durable. Near the middle of the town is a spacious square, enclosed by uniform buildings. The houses are disfigured with heavy balco nies and wooden railings, and are by no means elegant. The town contains 11 handsome and richly ornamented churches, two hospitals, and other public buildings. The Recollects church has 12 beautiful chapels, and in the monastery are cells for 50 fathers. The church of St Clara has seven altars, adorned with plate ; and the nun nery contains 100 women and servants. The church of the Augustines has 13 altars, and that of St Juan de Dios. 9. The arsenal is a very superb edifice. The harbour, which is about a league in breadth, is capable of contain ing all the navies of Europe ; and it is so safe that they could lie without cable or anchor. There is generally a depth of six fathoms of water in the bay. This harbour is strongly fortified, both by nature and art. The entrance to it is through a very narrow channel, about 1200 yards long, and confined by rocks. The entrance is guarded by platforms and various works, mounted with artillery. The mouth of the channel is also defended by two strong forts. The fort on the east side, situated on a rock, is called the Morro. It is of a triangular form, and is fortified with bastions and 40 pieces of cannon. The other fort on the west side, and adjoining to the town, is of a square form, and is called the Punta. The other forts are El Fuerte, a square fort, mounting 22 pieces of cannon, the battery of the 12 apostles, and the shepherd's battery mounting 14 guns. As the town can only be attacked on the landside, it is strongly defended in that quarter ; but the forts are commanded by several eminences, of which an enemy would readily take advantage. The Punta, the El Fuertc, and in a great measure the Morro, are commanded by the Cavannas, on a part of which the Marna is built. The north side of the eminence, on which the church of the suburb called Guadaloupe is built, flanks the Punta gate, while its south-east side commands the dock-yard. It is said that the works cover such a vast extent, that 15,000 men, who arc the most that could be employed, are not sufficient to invest them. There are no fewer than 800 cannon mounted on all the works. An enemy's squadron can only anchor at the foot of the castle of St John D'Ulua. This celebrated fort contains no other water but that of the cisterns, which have lately undergone a great improve ment, having been subject to split, from the discharge of artillery. The town was taken by the Buccaneers, under Captain Morgan, in 1669, and on the 13th August. 1762 by the English, under Lord Albemarle and Sir George Pocock. The Morro was in this case taken by storm. It was, however, restored to Spain, at the peace of Paris in 1763.
The Havannah is the most important of the Spanish settlements in America, and is considered as the key of the West Indies. All the ships that came from the Spa nish settlements, and formerly the galleons and flota, as sembled at the Havannah.
There are large dock-yards at the Havannah for build ing ships of war. The masts, the iron work, and the cordage, are brought from Europe. The other materials are obtained in abundance in the island.
The trade of the Havannah consists in skins, tobacco, wood, sugar, dry confections, and generally of all the pro ductions of the island of Cuba. Humboldt gives the fol lowing statement of the trade of the Havannah: Exporta tion in native produce eight millions of piastres, of which 31,600,000 kilogrammes (69,678,000 lb. avoirdupois), or 6,320,000 piastres in sugar (valuing the chest of sugar at 40 piastres), 525.000 kilogrammes (1,157,625 lb. avoirdu pois), or 720,000 piastres in wax (the arroba at 18 piastres), 625,000 kilogrammes (1378,125 lb. avoirdupois) or 250,000 piastres in coffee (the arroba at five piastres. The expor tation of sugar, which was next to nothing before 1760, amounted in 1792 to 14,600.000 kilogrammes, in 1796 to 24,000,000 of kilogrammes, and from 1799 to 1803, at an average, to 33,200.000 kilogrammes annually. In 1802 the harvest of sugar was so abundant. that the exportation rose to 40,880,000, kilogrammes (90,040,400 lb. avoirdupois) ; so that this branch of trade has been almost tripled in ten years. The customs of the Havannah amounted, between 1799 and 1803, at an average, to 2.047,000 piastres an nually ; and in 1802 they exceeded 2,400,000 piastres. The total amount of the trade is 20,000,('00 piastres.
On the 19th January 1796, the city of the Havannah was honoured with the remains of the illustrious naviga tor Columbus. In consequence of an order contained in his will, his body was removed from the Carthusian con vent of Seville, and deposited, along with the chains with which he had been loaded at Cuba, on the right of the high altar of the cathedral of St Domingo. When this island was ceded to the French, his descendants directed that the brass coffin, in which the whole was contained, should be removed to the Havannah, which was clone on the 19th January 1796. The coffin was carried down to the harbour in procession, and under the fire of the forts, was put on board a brig, which conveyed them to the Havannah, where it was deposited without any monument. The city is supplied with water by the small river Lageda, which has its origin in the hills on the south-west side of the town. One of the three streams into which it divides itself runs into the sea to the east of the town, while the other two flow through the city. The population of the Havannah has been recently stated at 25,000 ; but Morse informs us, that an intelligent traveller has lately estima ted it at 70,000. There are no fewer than 3000 cabriolets in the town. The position of the house of Don Antonio Robredo at the Havannah, according to the newly publish ed observations of M. Ferber, is West Longitude 82° 5' 47", and North Latitude 23° 8' 16". See our article Cron.