Show CUBAN A new york journal stives a long account of the population and resources of cuba and its comparative advantages as to the leland of java from which we summarize Bum marize these facts following a curved line through its center cuba is miles long with an average breadth of ei ehly miles it has more than 2000 miles of seacoast and no island has in proportion to ita size a greater number of excellent harbors of these there are some seventy but only a few of them are at present open to commerce the population of cuba according to the last census that of 1887 was only of whom were whiles were colored per bons eons ero and yu catanese this population is absurdly dis proportioned to the size and productive capacity of the island the disproportion is explicable by the fact that at present only a fraction of the tillable boil a fraction variously computed at from one tenth to one fifth is under cultivation it is also to be noted eliat for many years spain has taken every possible measure to prevent the increase of the white inhabitants emi gration has been systematically discouraged cou raged owing to the well founded be cief that the children of emigrants would acquire the feelings and wishes of tha native cubans among tha preventive measures taken we may mention a decree that no foreigners ceball live in cuba more than three months without beclar ine themselves roman catholics for come years the island nad produced upward of a tons of doear annually alia value of the manufactured tobacco exported even in 1894 was in 1889 it had been the amount of raw tobacco sent from baba to the united states alone ia 1893 was valued at the total exports from cuba to all countries in 1891 were valued at the im potts durick thee amo year amounted to the forest of hiba is almost incalculable it is computed that of acres of land still remaining wholly uncultivated nearly are I 1 orest mahogany Maho zany and other hard woods euch the cuban ebony cedar and ura nadella valuable work und are indigenous the mineral riches of the island have not as yet been explored to any considerable sid erable extent lu 1827 silver wa discovered in the jurisdiction of villa caraang Cara and the airet ores yielded no less than ounces olyure silver to the ton oo reif they have been lesa productive duc tive is from not beine properly worked the cobre copper mines twelve miles from a are of great extent and very rich as much as fifty tons of ore are taken out daily the richer part of which ia shipped to europe even the poorer part which is smelted at the works yields about 14 per cent of metal coal of a hiehle bituminous character affording a strong heat and leaving very little solid residue is very abundant petroleum or is often found near ho coast but from the present difficulty of access and want ot extensive mining operations have been as yet undertaken we have compared cm pared cuba to java and there are good grounds tor the compari eon they are shaped alike they are nearly the same size they are by nature equally productive they have nearly the same climate although in this respect cuba has the advantage they occupy positions of similar strategic importance though from this viewpoint alao cuba is the more valuable the greatest leneth of java is miles its greatest breadth is A century ago the of the asiatic island did not greatly outnumber those of cuba in 1781 estimated the population at souls the annual production of coffee which at the beginning of the century waa only pounds biad briten by 1878 to upward of pounds the annual production of sugar which i between 1853 and 1857 did cot average more than tone had become in 1877 not less than tons the cultivation of tea is of re celt in 1879 alie output amounted to upward of pounds in the same year the production of cinchona on the government plantations alone was about pounds the amount of tobacco exported in the sime year waa pounds we have eaid that the population of java in 1781 did not much exceed the census taken on dec 31 less than a century later showed that the population had in cracked to it is anuw upward cf twenty millions Cu baunder an enlightened and liberal government could be made as productive and populous as java it the cubans succeed in gaining their free dam cuba will bo a land of great opportunities tuni ties and advantages |