Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume V.djvu/555

 CUBA 551 each from the other's decrees. The revenues are derived from two sources, maritime and inland. The former comprise customs and lighthouse dues, ship visits, &c. ; the latter direct and indirect taxes upon almost every- thing assessible, and lotteries. There are no statistics accessible later than those published in 1862. The following exhibits the income and expenditure for the three years preceding that date : 1859. 1860. 1861. Income $25,310,222 70 $25,979,088 42 $26,423,228 69 Expenditure. . 20,808,21T 30 22,173,900 68 26,490,219 50 Since the outbreak of the civil war the ex- penditure has far exceeded the revenues. It was stated in the Spanish cortes, Oct. 27, 1871, that the cost of the war during the pre- ceding year had been $62,000,000, and that the colonial deficit for the same period was $11,000,000. Even in time of peace the greater part of the revenue is absorbed by the expenses of the army and navy. In ordinary times there are stationed in Cuba, besides the dis- ciplined militia and the militia of Ferdinand VII., 20,000 regular troops, who are either drafted or enlisted by bounty in Spain. This force has been much increased since the break- ing out of the war. According to official data published in Madrid in 1870, the regular troops in Cuba amounted to 23,000, the expeditionary corps to 33,000, and the militia in active service to 4,000, making a total in the field of 60,000. Besides these there were 70,000 volunteers in garrison, who seldom went into the field. The Spanish navy in the Antilles is never less than from 25 to 30 vessels, carrying over 200 guns and 3,000 men. Since the outbreak of the war 30 light-draft gunboats, built in the United States, have been added to this fleet, to be used in guarding the coasts against filibustering ex- peditions, and other vessels for a similar pur- pose have been purchased as late as 1873. The active military force has been considerably decreased by sickness and by the casualties of war, but partial reinforcements from Spain are continually arriving. For facility of exchange the government established in 1854 a bureau of discount (caja de descuentos), with a capital of $800,000, on the reserve of the treasury. It resulted in nothing, and was soon abandoned. In 1840 various companies were started by private capital, which discounted notes, re- ceived deposits, and loaned money on mortgage. The first was the Havana bank of savings, dis- count, and deposit. The Spanish bank was organized by a joint-stock company in 1856, with a capital of $3,000,000. It issued bills payable to bearer on presentation, and at first its issue was limited to a part of its capital; but it has increased to such an extent that its bills now represent several times the amount of its capital. It suspended specie payments in 1868. In 1871 it began to issue fractional bills to supply the deficiency of coin. Up to 1868 the acceptance of its bills was optional ; since then it has been imperative, and any one who refuses them is regarded as an insurgent. Previous to the issuing of notes by this bank there was no circulating medium on the island but gold and silver. Internal communication was formerly very difficult on account of the want of good roads, but has much improved since the introduction of railways, which were used in Cuba before they were in any other Spanish-speaking country, the first, that from Havana to Guines, having been opened in 1837. There are now (1873) 829 miles in operation in the island, comprising the following lines: Havana, from Havana to Union, 77 m., with branches from Guines to Matanzas, 36m.; Sa- bana de Roble to Madruza, 4 m. ; Rincon to Guanajay, 32 m. ; San Felipe to Bataban6, 10 m. ; the Marianao railway, from Havana to Ma- rianao, 7 m. ; railway of the bay, from Havana to Matanzas, 56 m., with a branch from Ma- tanzas to Bemba, 44 m. ; the Matanzas, from Matanzas to Bar6, 68 m., with a branch from Navajas to Torriente, 16m.; the Cardenas and Jucaro, from Cardenas to Navajas, 36 m., with branches from Bemba to Macagua, 45 m. ; Car- denas to Palmillas, 51 m. ; Macagua to Santo Domingo, 37 in. ; to Itabo, 14 m. ; the Western, from Havana to San Cristobal, 63 m. ; the Sagua la Grande, from Sagua to Las Cruces, 48 m. ; the Puerto Principe, from Puerto Prin- cipe to Nuevitas, 52 m. ; the Cienfuegos and Villa Clara, from Cienfuegos to Villa Clara, 51 m. ; the Caibarien and Santo Espiritu, from Caibarien to San Andres, 24 m. ; the Santiago de Cubaj from Santiago to San Luis, 28 m. ; the Cobre, from Santiago to Cobre, 11 m.; the Trinidad, from Casilda (port) to Trinidad, and Trinidad to Guines, 19m. Among the project- ed railways are roads from Carahatas to Ma- llarquin, from Santo Espiritu to Sasa, and from Gibara to Holguin and Manzanillo. These roads are all controlled by private companies. The first steamboat in Cuba was taken to Havana by Don Juan O'Farrell, a planter of Irish de- scent, who purchased it almost as soon as steam was applied to navigation. Steamers now ply between Havana and all the chief ports on the coast and the other West India islands. There is also a mail steamship line to Cadiz twice a month, and lines to New York, New Orleans, Baltimore, Southampton, Liverpool, Havre, Hamburg, and the ports of Central America. The first telegraph line was built in 1852. The submarine cable between the island and Flori- da was laid in 1867-'8, and that to Jamaica in 1870. The latter is connected with other West India islands. A third cable, laid in 1871, con- nects Batabano and Santiago de Cuba. Cuba was discovered by Columbus, Oct. 28, 1492. It is generally thought that he entered the island near Nue vitas, on the N. coast, by the river Maximo. He believed that it was a part of the continent, but later, in a letter to San- chez, he accepted the opinion of the Indians and called it an island. On his return to Cuba,