CUBA is the largest of the islands which constitute the Columbian Archipelago, in the foreign West Indies. The objects raised for consumption and exportation are sugar, coffee, tobacco, cotton, cocoa, and indigo ; but the last three on a very small scale. As immense tracts are not cultivated, but only used as1 pasture ground, the number of cattle is very great, and hides form an article of exporta tion. About 2,000,000 acres, or one-four teenth of the whole surface of the island, is under cultivation. The uncultivated part con. tains large prairies of great fertility, on which great numbers of cattle pasture ; but the greatest part is overgrown with large forest trees, some of which supply excellent timber for shipbuilding. Gold and copper have been found in the Sierra del Cobre.
In few countries has commerce increased so rapidly as in Cuba. About 1780 the expor tation of its own produce amounted to little more than two millions of Spanish dollars in value : in 1760 the produce of sugar and coffee together amounted to 5,000,000 lbs.; in 1800, to above 40,000,000 lbs. In 1820 the exports of these articles reached 100,000,000 lbs.; and in 1847 the quantity of sugar alone exported had advanced to 256,800 tons, or 575,232,000 lbs. In 1842 the exports of Cuba amounted to 26,000,000 dollars. Havana is by far the largest port for foreign trade. The chief articles of importation are provisions, particularly flour, rice, and maize, butter, cheese, candles, tallow, jerked beef and hams, and salted fish and cod. Brandy and the wines
of Spain, France, Portugal, and Germany, also form a considerable branch of importa tion. As Cuba has no manufactures, cotton stuffs, woollen goods, linens, hardwares, and silk stuffs, are imported to a large amount. Of the whole exports, rather more than one third are to England, and one-fifth to the United States. Of the whole imports about one-eighth are from England, and one-fourth from the United States. The recent change in the sugar duties has largely increased the English consumption of Cuba sugar.
The exports from Great Britain to Cuba, in 1848, amounted in value to 733,1691. The chief items were:— Brass and copper manufactures ... 19,452 Coals 14,488 Cotton manufactures ... 228,988 Earthenware ... ... 24,411 Hardware and cutlery ... 38,578 Iron and steel goods ... 83,250 Linen manufactures ... ... 218,121 Woollen manufactures ... 41,207 Among the articles imported from Cuba in 1848 were:— Coffee ... 588,2501bs.
Molasses ... 42,511 cwts.
Rum ... 158,817gals.
Sugar ... 734,862mets.
Tobacco ... 512,981 lbs.
The internal traffic, formerly impeded by the badness of the roads, is much facilitated by the introduction of railroads, of which there were 800 miles open in 1847 ; the coasting trade is active, 4,000 small vessels being use to bring the produce of the neighbourhood ti Havana alone.