f the Spanish slaveholders who have always
fought against negro emancipation in any form,--fought against
manifest destiny as well as against sound principles, fought indeed
against their own clear interest, so wedded were they to the vile
institution of slavery. Yet to every thinking man on the island, it is
clearly apparent that human slavery in Cuba, as everywhere else, has
proved to be a disturber of the public peace, and has retarded more
than anything, else the material and moral progress of the entire
people. It is but a short time since that the editor of a Havana
newspaper, the "Revista Economica," was imprisoned in Moro Castle, and
without even the pretense of a trial afterwards banished from the
island, because he dared to point out the fact in print that the
freeing of the slaves would prove a mutual benefit to man and master,
besides being a grand act of humanity. Two years since the slaves on a
large plantation near Guines refused to work on a holiday which had
always heretofore been granted to them; whereupon the soldiery were
called in to suppress what was called a mutiny of the blacks,
resulting in nine negroes being shot dead, and many others put in
chains to be scourged at leisure. Doomed as we have shown slavery to
be, still it dies hard in Cuba.

In the vicinity of Cienfuegos, Santiago, and Trinidad, in the mountain
regions of the eastern district, there are many lawless
people,--banditti, in fact, who make war for plunder both upon native
and foreign travelers, even resorting in some cases to holding
prisoners for ransoms. Several aggravating instances of the latter
character came to our knowledge while we were on the spot. Since these
notes were commenced five of these robbers have been captured,
including the leader of the band to which they belonged, a notorious
outlaw named Clemente Martinez. They were taken by means of a
stratagem, whereby they were decoyed into an ambush, surrounded, and
captured red-handed, as they fought furiously, knowing that they had
no mercy to expect at the hands of the soldiers. It was the civil
guard at Rancho Veloz who made this successful raid into the hills,
and every one of the prisoners was summarily shot. Such, off-hand
punishment is dangerous, but in this instance it was no more prompt
than just. It is necessary, therefore, to carry arms for self-defense
upon the roads in some parts of the island, and even the countrymen
wear swords when bringing produce to m