COMMERCE. The commerce of Cuba, under the Spanish regime, notwithstanding the restrictions placed upon it, was, relatively speaking, exten sive. By a system of heavy protection, which had grown out of the monopoly idea of the seventeenth century, 1119st of the commerce IN as diverted into Spanish channels, although only few of the demands of the island could be sup plied by Spain from its domestic products. But the adoption of it reciprocal treaty between the United States and Spain gave an impetus to commercial relations between the former power and Cuba. The exports of merchandise from the United States to Cuba rose from $12,224,888 in 1891 to $21,157,698 in 1893, while the im ports of Cuban products into the United States increased during the same period front $G1,711, 395 to $78,706,506. With the expiration of this treaty in 1894 and the beginning of the Cuban war in the following yeaT„ the commerce of the island began to decline, and the exports and imports in 1899 amounted to $65,000,000 and $45,300,000 respectively, as against $64,000,001) and 893,000,000 in 1892. Thus the exports had remained practically the same, whit(' the im ports had fallen off over 50 per cent. The figures for 1900 showed but a slight increase over the preceding year. The principal imports into Cuba in 1900 were as follows: provisions and liquors (45 per cent.) ; textiles (15 per cent.)
metals, manufactures, anti machinery (about 9 per cent.) ; and live stock (about 6 per cent.). The exports for the same years consisted of sugar and its products, over 36 per cent.: tobacco and its products, 53 per cent.; the rest made up of iron ore, fruits, wood, etc. Comparing the mean annual value of imports by countries for 1894-95 (867,335,800) with that for the period of 1899-1300 ($64,965,800), we find that Spain's share fell off from about 44 to less than 16 per cent.: that of the United States increased from about 33 to over 45 per cent., while that of Great Britain practically remained the same, ever 15 per cent. The export trade of Cuba for 1900 was distributed as follows: United States and possessions, GS per cent.; Kingdom and possessions, 12 per cent.; Spain, 2 per cent.; and Germany, 11 per cent. The United States buys almost the whole of Cuba's sugar and a large portion of her tobacco and mineral prod ucts, and sends to the island in return live stock and animal products, flour, and metal manufae tures, including railway supplies. Havana was visited in 1900 by 3276 vessels of 2,078,126 tons.