Manamatu Herald. THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 1898.

Manawatu Herald, 7 April 1898, Page 2

Manamatu Herald. THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 1898.

— — — — — — — ■ — i^— — — «^—^m^^—^ _ . _______ ■ Cuba. » The most westerly and largest island of the West Indies is Cuba. It ib the most important colony left to Spain and has been for a number of years the scene of strife and bloodabed. In shape the island is long and narrow and has a total length of 750 miles by an average width of 70 miles, the area being nearly 42,000 square miles. The population of the island is about 1,600,000 composed of Spaniards, Creoles, and Mulattoes and Negroes, the last named being prohibited by law from holding any government appointment. In the year 1818 the trade of Cuba, hitherto in the hands of a priveleged company, was opened to the world, and for some years the island enjoyed unexampled prosperity. At this date Spain possessed on the American continent the State now known as Florida, and the United States, then properly established, began to hold views. of America for the Americana, or at least the ousting of European sovereign rightp, except those of England -in Canada, away from such sacred soil, and after the Sfate of Louisiana had been purchased from the French, the United States forced Spain to cede Florida in the year 1820. Matters went smoothly with the Cubans until the year 1848 when a secret society was formed in Alabama and other southern States for the "extension of the institutions, power, influence, and commerce of the United States over the whole of the western hemisphere, and the islands of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans." Rather a large contract and not at present very far advanced. The Society intended their first acquisition to be Cuba and then the Sandwich Island?. The President in 1849 published a strong proclamation denouncing the object of the invaders, but an expedition set out under General Lopez but was defeated. Lopez made another attempt the following year resulting j in 50 of his followers being taken i and shot and himself garotted. In 1854 another expedition was planned, against which the President issued a proclamation and to endeavour to secure the island in a legitimate manner appointed Ministers to meet Spanish Ministers to arrange a purchase. On this point,. however, the i honour of the Spanish grandee was touched, the Minister in the Cortes declaring that the sale of Cuba would be " the sale of Spanish honour itself." The discontented in Cuba were aroused to disturbance under the hope if they only kept it up long enough they would receive the help of the United States, and j they had much to lead them to think so, and though years have passed it appears as though Cuba will not be long before she becomes another State in* the Union. One of the mess formidable revolts in the island took place during the years 1869 76 when 145,000 soldiers were em ployed to quell the rising. The revolution left Cuba saddled with a ruinous debt. The last disturbance which has given rise to a difference between Spain and the United Statep has already called out 200,000 Spanish troops and has proved to the Spaniards the necessity of giving way, and the demands of the population for a liberal measure of homerule, a local parliament and universal suffrage have been granted. The Spaniards have all along been aware that the Americans have indirectly aided the insurgents und in September 1897 when the American Ambassador at Madrid presented a note to the Duke of Tetuan, in which the injury done to American commerce in consequence of the rebellion was dwelt upon, the reply on the part of Spain was the expression of a hope that the reforms proposed woul<J. quickly lead to a pacification of the island, especially if the American Government would more strictly fulfil the duties of international law te -checking filibustering expeditions fitted out by American sympathisers. Thus there is plenty of ground for a recourse to arms by these two countries, and the unfortunate blowing up of the warship Maine in Havannah harbour has been eagerly seized by the * American press as being a designed aofc on the part of ! Spain to provoke a war.