THE PEARL OF THE ANTILLES. HE distinctive characteristic of THE Spanish colonization is, that wherever it has been planted, the curse and blight of tyranny, superstition, and cruelty have been felt. Twenty-five years had not passed after Columbus discovered Cuba before the harmless Indians of the Island, unable to endure the exacting labor of the mines, languished under their taskmasters, and became virtually extinct. Their protector, the benevolent and philanthropic priest, Las Casas, whom his contemporaries vilified most shamefully, suggested that the remnant might be saved by importing a few negroes from Africa. His advice was followed, and, in 1524, the first cargo was landed in Cuba, and condemned to hopeless bondage. Thus began the iniquitous traffic in African slaves, on which corrupt officials fattened, and the horrors of which filled Las Casas with such selfreproach that he died broken-hearted. As though symbolic of her future destiny, Cuba, described by Columbus as "the fairest land eye has ever seen," was born in the throes of tumult and convulsion. For two centuries and a half her coast cities were sacked or burned by English, French, and Dutch pirates, while some of her early governors proved, according to the Spanish-American Encyclopedia (published in Barcelona, Spain), "veritable bandits." In 1762, a British fleet captured Havana. During the eleven months of English occupation, the port was thrown open to The the commerce of the world. eyes of the Cubans were opened, and they could never rest content under the old régime. By a fortunate accident, Spain herself came to be governed, in the latter half of the eighteenth century, by an enlightened line of French sovereigns, who did much to promote the welfare and industries of their transatlantic colony. For seventy years, a splendid ship and navy yard had existed in Havana, but in 1796, the monopolists of Barcelona, Cadiz, and other Spanish ports succeeded in having it closed, and one of the seeds of hatred between the Spaniards and the nativeborn Cubans was sown. Nevertheless, so strong was the bond between Cuba and the mothercountry, that she remained loyal to her during the fifteen years of insurrection (1810-1825) which cost Spain the loss of her vast Mexican, Central and South American possessions, and resulted in their independence. As a reward for her fidelity, Ferdinand VII. gave Cuba the title of "The Ever-Faithful Isle." She now enjoyed two brief periods of constitutional government (1812-1814 and 1818-1823). During the latter, one of her most eminent sons, Francisco de Arango, secured several beneficial commercial reforms. Had the Spanish sovereigns continued to pursue a wise and enlightened policy, the Cuban cataclysms of the last seventyfive years might have been averted. Unfortunately, the incompetent and worthless Ferdinand VII., unmindful of his promises, issued a decree, dated March 28, 1825, that henceforth the Island should be ruled as though it were in a perpetual state of siege, and that the Governor-General should wield the despotic and irresponsible power of a Russian czar. From that moment began the blackest night of Cuba's tyranny,—a night soon to be |