i ^ii iiliiii II if 1 pi m 1 r (|ilil''iliiii|illliif -4 i HISTORY OF CUBA; ^qUb 0f a fratrelkr iit i^t fropirs. BEING A POLITICAL, HISTOEICAL, AND STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF THE ISLAND, FROM ITS FIRST DISCOVERY TO THE PRESENT TIME. BY MATURIN M. BALLOU. «i L'iLe de Cuba seule pourrait valoir un royaume. L'Abb^ Raynal, ILLUSTKATED. BOSTON: PHILLIPS, SAMPSON AND COMPANY. NEW YORK: J. C. DERBY. PHILADELPHIA : LIPPINCOTT, GRAMBO & COMPANY. 1854. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, by PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO., Li the Clerk's OflSce of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. stereotyped by HOBAET & ROBBINS, New England Type and Stereotype Foundery, FRANCIS A. DURIVAGE, ESQ., ^3 a small Jlokcn cf Ur^arti for HIS EXCELLENCE IN THOSE QUALITIES WHICn COXSTITCTE STERLING MANHOOD ; AS A TRCK AND AVORTHY FRIEND ; AS A RIPE SCHOLAR, AND A GRACEFUL AUTHOR, IS COROIALLY l^KDlCATIiX) B Y THE AUTHOR. *>/B tJK^vi'^yn PREFACE. The remarkable degree of interest expressed on all sides, at the present time, relative to the island of Cuba, has led the author of the following pages to place together in this form a series of notes from his journal, kept during a brief residence upon the island. To these he has prefixed a historical glance at the political story of Cuba, that may not be unwor- thy of preservation. The fact that the subject-matter was penned in the hurry of observation upon the spot, and that it is thus a simple record of what would be most likely to engage and interest a stranger, is his excuse for the desultory character of the work. So critically is the island now situated, in a political point of view, that ere this book shall have passed through an edition, it may be no longer a dependency of Spain, or may have become the theatre of scenes to which its former convulsions shall bear no parallel. In preparing the volume for the press, the author has felt the want of books of reference, bearing a late date. Indeed, there are none ; and the only very modern records are those written in the desultory manner of hurried travellers. To the admirable work of the learned Kamon de la Sagra, — a monument of industry and intelligence, — the author of the following pages has been indebted for historical suggestions and data. For the privilege of consulting this, and other Spanish books and pamphlets, relative to the interests and history of the island, the author is indebted to the Hon. Edward Everett, who kindly placed them at his disposal. Where statistics were concerned, the several authorities have been carefully collated, and the most responsible given. The writer has preferred to ofifer the fresh memories of a pleasant trip to the tropics, to attempting a labored volume abounding in figures and statistics ; and trusts that this summer book of a summer clime may float lightly upon the sea of public favor. M. M. B. 1* CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. The Island of Cuba — Early colonists — Island aborigines — First importation of slaves — Cortez and his followers — Aztecs — The law of races — Mexican aborigines — Valley of Mexico — Pizarro — The end of heroes — Retributive justice — Decadence of Spanish power — History of Cuba — The rovers of the gulf — Havana fortified — The tyrant Velasquez — 0_ffice of Captain-general — Loyalt^of the Cubans — Power of the cap- tain-general — Cupidity of the government — The slave-trade — The British take Ha- vana -^ General Don Luis de las Casas — Don Francisco de Arranjo — Improvement, moral and physical, of Cuba, .—.... 9 CHAPTER II. The constitution of 1812 — Revolution of La Granja — Political aspect of the island — Discontent among the Cubans — The example before them — Simon Bolivar, the Liber- ator — Revolutions of 1823 and 1826 — General Lorenzo and the constitution — The assumption of extraordinary power by Tacon — Civil war threatened — Tacon sustained by royal authoi'ity — Deyiair of the Cubans — Military rule — A foreign press estab- lished — Programme of the liberal party — General O'Donnell — The spoils — Influence of the climate, 25 CHAPTER III. Armed intervention — Conspu-acy of Cienfuegos and Trinidad — General Narciso Lopez — The author's views on the subject — Inducements to revolt — Enormous taxation — Scheme of the patriots — Lopez's first landing, in 1850 — Taking of uardinas — iieturn of the invaders — Effect upon the Cuban authorities — Roncali recalled — New captain- general — Lopez's second expedition — Condition of the Invaders — Vicissitudes — Col. Crittenden — Battle of Las Pozas — Superiority of courage — Battle of Las Frias — Death of Gen. Euna— The fearful finale of the expedition, 38 CHAPTER IV. Present condition of Cuba — Secret treaty with France and England — British plan for the Africanization of the island — Sale of Cuba — Measures of General Pezuela — Registration of slaves — Intermarriage of blacks and whites — Contradictory procla- mations — Spanish duplicity — A Creole's view of the crisis and the prospect, ... 54 CONTENTS. VII CHAPTER V. Geographical position of the island — Its size — The climate — Advice to invalids — Glance at the principal cities — Matanzas — Puerto Principe — Santiago de Cuba — Trinidad — The writer's first view of Havana — Importance of the capital — Its literary institu- tions — Restriction on Cuban youths and education — Glance at the city streets — Style of architecture — Domestic arrangements of town-houses — A word about Cuban ladies — Small feet — Grace of manners and general characteristics, 66 CHAPTER VI. Conrrast between Protestant and Catholic communities — Catholic churches — Sabbatli scenes in Havana — Devotion of the common people — The Plaza de Armas — City squares — The poor man's opera — Influence of music — La Dominica — The Tacon Paseo — The Tacon Theatre — The Cathedral — Tomb of Columbus over the altar — Story of the great Genoese pilot — His death — Removal of remains — The former grciit wealth of the chui-ch in Cuba — Influence of the priests, 80 CHAPTER VII. Nudity of children and slaves — The street of the merchants — The currency of Cuba — The Spanish army in the island — Enrolment of blacks — Courage of Spanish troops — Treatment by the government — The garotc — A military execution — The market-mon and their waves — The milk-man and his mode of supply — Glass v/indows — Curtains for doors — The Campo Santo, or burial-place of Havana — Treatment of the dead — The prison — The fish-market of the capital, 90 CHAPTER VIII. The story of Blarti, the smuggler, 103 CHAPTER IX. The lottery at Havana — Hospitality of thg^aniards — Flattery — Cuban ladies — Cas- tilian, Parisian and American politeness — The bonnet in Cuba — Ladies' dresses — The fan — Jewelry and its wear — Culture of flowers — Reflections — A most peculiar narcotic — Cost of living on the island — Guineas — The cock-pit — Training of luo birds — The garden of the world — Birds of the tropics — Condition of agricultur*: — Night-time — The Southern Cross — Natural resources of Cutrar^^^ller wrongs and oppressions, 11 '3 CHAPTER X. The volante and its belongings — The ancient town of Regla — The arena for the bull- fights at Havana — A bull-fight as witnessed by the author at Regla — A national pas- sion with the Spanish people — Compared with old Roman sports — Famous bull-fight- ers — Personal description of Cuban ladies — Description of the men — Romance and the tropics — The nobility of Cuba — Sugar noblemen — The grades of society — The yeomanry of the island — Their social position — What they might be — Love of gam- bling, 131 VIII /X CONTENTS CHAPTER XI, A sugar plantation — Americans employed — Slaves on the plantations — A coffee plan-| tation — Culture of coffee, sugar and tobacco — Statistics of agriculture — The cucullos^. or Cuban fire-fly — Novel ornaments worn by the ladies — The Cuban mode of har- nessing oxen — The montero and his horse — Curious style of out-door painting — Petty annoyances to travellers — Jealousy of the authorities — Japan-like watchfulness — • Questionable policy — Political condition of Cuba, 14;' CHAPTER XII. Tacon's summary mode of justice, 161 CHAPTER XIII. Consumption of tobacco — The universal cigar — Lady smokers — The fruits of Cuba — Flour a prohibited article — The royal palm — West Indian trees — Snakes, animals, etc. — The Cuban blood-hound — Mode of training him — Remarkable instinct — Importa- tion of slaves — Then- cost — Various African tribes — Superstitious belief — Tattooing — Health of the negroes — Slave laws of the island — Food of the negroes — Spanish law of emancipation — General treatment of the slaves, 171 CHAPTER XIV. Pecuniary value of the slave-trade to Havana — The slave clippers — First introduction of slaves into Cuba — Monopoly of the trafi&c by England — Spain's disregard of treaty stipulations — Spanish perfidy — Present condition of Spain — Her decadence — Influ- ence upon her American possessions — Slaves upon the plantations — The soil of Cuba — Mineral wealth of the island — The present condition of the people — The influences of American progress — What Cuba might be, ' 185 CHAPTER XV. Area of Cuba — Extent of cultivated and uncultivated lands — Population — Proportion between the sexes — Ratio of legitimate to illegitimate births — Ratio between births and deaths — Agricultural statistics — Commerce and commercial regulations — Custom- house and port charges — Exports and imports — Trade with the United States — Uni- versities and schools — Education — Charitable institutions — Railroads Temper- ature, 201 CHAPTER XVI. Retrospective thoughts — The bright side