Chapter XV
Reading edition
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—Universities and schools—Education—Charitable institutions—Railroads—Temperature.
In addition to the statistical information incidentally contained in the preceding pages, we have prepared the following tables and statements from authentic sources, giving a general view of the resources, population, wealth, products and commerce, etc., of the island, with other items of interest and importance.
Area of Cuba.—Humboldt states the area of the island to be 43,380 geographical square miles. Mr. Turnbull puts it at 31,468, and, adding the areas of its dependencies, namely, the Isle of Pines, Turignano, Romano, Guajaba, Coco, Cruz, Paredon Grande, Barril, De Puerto, Eusenachos, Frances, Largo, and other smaller islands, makes the total 32,807 square miles.
Years.Population.
1775,170,370.
1791,272,140.
1817,551,998.
1827, 704,487, viz.:
Whites, male,168,653 Free colored, males,51,962
"female,142,398 "females,54,532
———— ———
311,051 106,494
Slaves, 183,290 males, and 103,652 females, = 286,942. Total colored, 393,436. Excess of colored over white population, 82,305.
Year 1841—
Whites,418,291
Free colored,152,838
Slaves,436,495
————
Total, 1,007,624
Excess of colored over white, 171,042
Year 1851—
Whites, 605,560
Free colored, 205,570
Slaves, 442,000
————
Total, 1,253,130
Year 1854—
Total population, 1,500,000
Proportions between the sexes.—In 1774 the white males formed 58 per cent., and the females 42 per cent., of the population; free colored, males, 52, females, 48; male slaves, 65, females, 35. Total, males, 58 per cent., females, 42.
In 1792 the proportion was—
Whites, males,0.55
"females,0.45
Free colored, males,0.47
"females,0.53
Slaves, males,0.56
"females,0.44
Total, males,0.53
"females,0.47
In 1817—
Whites, males,0.55
"females,0.45
Free colored, males,0.52
"females,0.48
Slaves, males,0.62
"females,0.38
Total, males,0.57
"females,0.43
In 1827—
Whites, males,0.54
"females,0.46
Free colored, males,0.48
"females,0.52
Slaves, males,0.64
Slaves, females,0.36
Total, males,0.56
"females,0.44
In Paris, the ratio is 54.5 per cent. males, to 45.5 females; in England, 50.3 per cent. males, and 49.7 per cent. females, and in the United States, 51 per cent. males, and 49 per cent. females.
The ratio of legitimate to illegitimate births, deduced from the observations of five years, is as follows:
2.1136 to 1 among the whites; 0.5058 to 1 among the colored; 1.0216 to 1 in the total.
That is to say, establishing the comparison per centum, as in the proportion of the sexes, we have:
Whites,67.8 per cent. legitimate, and 32.2 per cent. illegitimate.
Colored, 33.7""" 66.3""
Total,50.5""" 49.5""
No capital or people of Europe, Stockholm alone excepted, offers so startling a result, nearly one half the number of births being illegitimate.
Taking the average from the statements of births for five years, we find that in every 100 legitimate whites there are 51.1 males, and 48.9 females; and in an equal number of illegitimate, 49 males, and 51 females. Among people of color, in 100 legitimate births, 50.6 males, and 49.4 females; and in the illegitimate, 47.2 males, and 52.8 females. And finally, that, comparing the totals, we obtain in the legitimate, 51.6 males, and 48.4 females; and in the illegitimate, 47.1 males, and 52.9 females. Consequently these observations show that in Cuba, in the illegitimate births, the number of males is much less than that of females, and the contrary in the legitimate births.
Ratio between the Births and Deaths for five years.
1825 1826 1827 1828 1829
Births, Deaths, Difference, 3,129 2,698 431 3,443 2,781 662 3,491 3,077 414 3,705 3,320 385 3,639 3,712 73
Agriculture.—The total number of acres comprising the whole territory is 14,993,024. Of these, in 1830, there were used
In sugar-cane plantations,172,608
" coffee trees,184,352
" tobacco,54,448
" lesser or garden and fruit culture,823,424
————
Total acres,1,234,832
Leaving over 13,000,000 of acres uncultivated. Some of these uncultivated lands are appropriated to grazing, others to settlements and towns; the remainder occupied by mountains, roads, coasts, rivers and lakes,—the greater part, however, wild.
Total value of lands in 1830,$94,396,300
Value of buildings, utensils, etc.,55,603,850
The different products of cultivation were valued as follows:
Sugar canes in the ground,$6,068,877
Coffee trees,32,500,000
Fruit trees, vegetables, etc.,46,940,700
Tobacco plants,340,620
—————
Total value of plants,85,850,197
Total value of wood exported, consumed on the island and made into charcoal,$3,818,493
Minimum value of the forests,190,624,000
Value of 138,982 slaves, at $300 each,41,694,600
Total value of live stock,39,617,885
RECAPITULATION.
Lands,$94,396,300
Plants, including timber,276,774,367
Buildings, engines and utensils,54,603,850
Slaves,41,694,600
Animals,39,617,885
—————
507,087,002
—————
Representative value of capital invested, 317,264,832
VALUE OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS.
Sugar,$8,132,609
Molasses,262,932
Coffee,4,325,292
Cocoa,74,890
—————
Carried forward,$12,795,723
Brought forward, $12,795,723
Cotton,125,000
Leaf tobacco,687,240
Rice,454,230
Beans, peas, onions, etc.,257,260
Indian corn,4,853,418
Vegetables and fruits,11,475,712
Grapes,5,586,616
Casada,146,144
Charcoal,2,107,300
Woods or the products of woods,1,741,195
—————
Total value of vegetable productions,40,229,838
Total value of animal productions,9,023,116
—————
49,252,954
Total net product of agricultural and rural industry,22,808,622
Capital invested, $338,917,705, produces, 48,839,928
COMMERCE AND COMMERCIAL REGULATIONS.
Import duties.—The rate of duty charged on the importation of foreign produce and manufactures in foreign bottoms is 24½ and 30¼ on the tariff valuation of each article, while the same articles in Spanish bottoms, from a foreign port, pay 17½ and 21¼ per cent.
Export duties.—Foreign flag for any port, 6¼ per cent. on tariff valuation.
Spanish flag for a foreign port, 4½ per cent. on tariff valuation.
Spanish flag for Spanish port, 2¼ per cent. on tariff valuation; except leaf tobacco, which pays 12½, 6¼ and 2¼ per cent., according to the flag and destination.
An additional per centage, under various pretexts, is also levied on the total amount of all duties.
Foreign flour is subject to a duty that is nearly prohibitory.
Gold and silver are free of import duty, but pay, the former 1¼ and the latter 2¼ per cent., export.
Every master of a vessel, on entering port, is obliged to present two manifests of his cargo and stores,—one to the boarding officers, and the other at the time of making entry and taking both the oaths, twenty-four hours after his arrival, with permission of making any necessary corrections within the twelve working hours; and every consignee is required to deliver a detailed invoice of each cargo to his, her or their consignment, within forty-eight hours after the vessel has entered port, and heavy penalties are incurred from mere omission or inaccuracy.
The tonnage duty on foreign vessels is 12 rials, or $1.50, per register ton.
On vessels arriving and departing in ballast or putting in in distress no duty is levied.
Besides the tonnage duty, every foreign square-rigged vessel entering and loading incurs about $85 expenses, besides $5.50 for each day occupied in discharging. Foreign fore-and-aft vessels pay about $15 less port charges.
The tonnage duties and port charges are very high. Foreign vessels pay $8.50 per ton. In the port of Havana an additional duty of 21-7/8 cents per ton is levied on all vessels for the support of the dredging machine.
The wharf charges on foreign vessels are $1.50 for each 100 tons register.
The light-house duties, officers' fees, etc., vary at the different ports of the island, but are exorbitantly high in all. At Baracoa, for instance, the following is the tariff of exactions:
Tonnage duty, per ton,$1.50
Anchorage,12.00
Free pass at the fort,3.00
Health officer,8.00
Interpreter,5.00
Inspector's fee for sealing hatchway,5.00
Inspecting vessel's register,8.00
Clearance,8.00
The actual expenses of discharging a foreign vessel of 160-4/95 tons, which remained a fortnight in the port of Havana, amounted to $900.
IMPORTS AND EXPORTS OF CUBA FOR A SERIES OF SIXTEEN YEARS.
Years. Imports. Exports.
1826 $14,925,754 $13,809,838
1827 17,352,854 14,286,192
1828 19,534,922 13,114,362
1829 18,695,856 13,952,405
1830 16,171,562 15,870,968
1831 15,548,791 12,918,711
1832 15,198,465 13,595,017
1834 18,511,132 13,996,100
1835 18,563,300 14,487,955
1836 20,722,072 14,059,246
1837 22,551,969 15,398,245
1838 22,940,357 20,346,407
1839 24,729,878 20,471,102
1840 25,217,796 21,481,848
1841 24,700,189 25,941,783
1842 24,637,527 26,684,701
During the last year (1842), the imports from the United States were,
In Spanish vessels,$474,262
In Foreign do., $5,725,959
Exports to the United States for the same year,
In Spanish vessels,$243,683
In Foreign do., $5,038,891
Total imports from the United States, $6,200,219
" exports todo., $5,282,574
Total number of arrivals in Spanish ports (1842), 2657
"clearances from do., 2727
The following table exhibits the exports from the principal towns in 1848:
North Side of the Island.
Havana. Matanzas. Cardenas. Sagua la Grande.
Sugar (boxes) 671,440318,93113,90034,628
Coffee (arrobas, 25lbs. each)93,79761,2511,094
Molasses (hhds.)25,88661,79360,5088,327
Rum (pipes)10,479 1
Cigars (thousands)136,980 62
Mariel. Gibaro. Remedios. Neuvitas. Baracoa.
Sugar (boxes) 1,6485,5954,293
Coffee (arrobas) 16,241 114
Molasses (hhds.)8,33616,2011,8805,030
Rum (pipes) 223
Cigars (boxes, 1000 each) 588882,061247
Tobacco (lbs.) 1,867,736 2,267102,168
South Side.
Manzanilla. Trinidad. St. Jago de Cuba. Cienfuegos. Santa Cruz.
Sugar (boxes)115 69,65631,29859,215198
Coffee (arrobas) 3,609548,432128
Molasses (hhds.)1,47526,17585714,160997
Rum (pipes) 60554379181
Tobacco (lbs.)315,570 1,208,5365,0002,669
Cigars (thousands)5423994,57541155
Copper ore (lbs.) 571,826
Universities, Schools, etc.—Besides the Royal University at Havana, there are several other learned institutes, such as the Royal Seminary of San Carlos y San Ambrosio, founded in 1773; a seminary for girls, founded in 1691; a free school for sculpture and painting, which dates from 1818; a free mercantile school, and some private seminaries, to which we have before referred. The Royal Economical Society of Havana, formerly called the Patriotic Society, was established in 1793, and is divided into three principal sections, on education, agriculture, commerce and popular industry; a department of history has been added. Several eminent and talented men have given eclat to this institution.
The Medical School was organized in 1842.
The means of general education are very narrow and inadequate. No report on the state of education in the island has been published since 1836. At that time, there were two hundred and ten schools for white, and thirty-one for colored children. In 1842, the public funds for educational purposes were reduced from thirty-two thousand to eight thousand dollars. Nueva Filipina, in a rich tobacco-growing district, with a population of thirty thousand souls, had but one school for forty pupils, a few years since.
Charitable Institutions, Hospitals, etc.—There are several charitable institutions in Havana, with ample funds and well managed. Such are the Casa Real de Beneficencia, the Hospital of San Lazaro and the Foundling Hospital,—Casa Real de Maternidad. In other parts of the island, there are eighteen hospitals, located in its chief towns.
Railroads.—The first railroad built in Cuba was that from Havana to Guines, forty-five miles in length, completed and opened in 1839. In 1848, there were two hundred and eighty-five miles of railroads on the island, and the capital invested in them has been computed at between five and six millions of dollars.
Climate.—The diversity of surface gives rise to considerable variation in temperature. On the highest mountain ridges, at four thousand feet above the level of the sea, ice is sometimes formed in mid winter, but snow is unknown.
The mean temperature of the hottest months (July and August) is about 83° Fahrenheit. The coldest months are January and December.