File:An illustrated history of our war with Spain - its causes, incidents, and results (1898) (14743065886).jpg

Identifier: illustratedhist00russ (find matches)
Title: An illustrated history of our war with Spain : its causes, incidents, and results
Year: 1898 (1890s)
Authors: Russell, Henry Benajah, 1859- Thurston, John Mellen, 1847-1916 Proctor, Redfield, 1831-1908
Subjects: Spanish-American War, 1898
Publisher: Hartford, Conn : A. D. Worthington
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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EF account of tlie political, social, and economiccondition of the island of Cuba, just between the Ten-Years War and the late struggle for freedom ending inhostilities between Spain and the United States, will enablethe reader to better appreciate the reasons for the outbreakand the real character of the patriots. Cuba has an area a little larger than that of the State ofVirginia, but fully one-fifth of the land is either unreclaimed,covered with forests, or unexplored. Its population in 1894was also about that of Virginia, from which it is apparent thatthe habitable portions of the island were fairly well settled.The population at that time consisted of about 1,200,000 whitepeople and 500,000 blacks, among the latter being com-monly reckoned those having one-half and even three-fourthswhite blood in their veins. After 1868 the black populationdecreased both relatively and absolutely, and it is now prob-ably not more than 25 per cent, of the total population. It (183) MAP OF CUBA 183
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184 POWERS OF THE CAPTAIN-GENERAL lias been estimated that of the white people of the islandabout one-fifth were Spanish-born: that is, peninsulars, asdistinguished from the insulars, or those born on Cuban soil.The peninsulars were found principally in the western prov-inces, and especially in and about Havana, where the popula-tion is densest. According to the official census of 1887 thepopulation of each of the provinces and number of people persquare kilometer, or 250 acl-es, was as follows: Provinces. Inhabitants. Density. Havana, 481,928 52.49 Matanzas, . 359,578 30.59 Santa Clara, 374,122 15.34 Pinar del Rio, 225,891 15.09 Santiago de Cuba, 273,379 7.76 Puerto Principe, 67,789 2.10 The government of Cuba after 1879 showed evidences onpaper of some liberality, but the evidences were misleading.The head was still the Captain-General, appointed by thecrown usually for a term of from three to five years, and whowas ipso facto the Governor-General. In his militarycapacity, which was

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