f Velasquez a few weeks later, that some stop-gap governor should
be named. Diego Columbus, who as Admiral might have made such temporary
appointment, was also in Spain. In consequence, the Audiencia or supreme
court of Hispaniola acted in his stead, and appointed Manuel de Rojas.

This forceful and patriotic man was a cousin of Velasquez, who had been
sent by the latter to Spain in July, 1521, as his advocate before the
King in the controversy with Cortez over Mexico. He had served for some
time as Alcalde of Baracoa; he was a loyal friend of Velasquez, and a
man of approved ability and integrity. He was also the first Cuban
governor of Cuba. By that I mean that he was the first to regard Cuba as
a separate entity, apart from Hispaniola and Mexico and even from Spain
itself. Velasquez, vast as were his services, was never able to
dissociate the interests of Cuba from those of Spain, or even from those
of Mexico and other Spanish lands in this hemisphere, insular and
continental; and had actually compromised the welfare of Cuba in
grasping at the Viceroyalty of New Spain. Zuazo, if he is to be reckoned
in the line of governors at all, was quite alien to Cuba. But Rojas was
an insular patriot. He was of course entirely loyal to Spain. But that
fact did not restrain him from developing an intense local patriotism.
He regarded Cuba as a great enough country to command his entire
attention and devotion. His policy was, Cuba for the Cubans; and he was
the first of a line of Governors, not always unbroken, committed to that
enlightened policy.

The island at this time, indeed, well merited such regard. It had been
extensively settled, and its resources were beginning to be developed.
Gold mining was profitably practised. Agriculture and cattle-raising had
made great progress. Juan Mosquera, as the envoy or representative of
the Cuban municipalities in Spain, had in February, 1523, secured from
the King the first recognition of and encouragement for the sugar
industry, which had already been established in Hispaniola, and which
far-sighted men perceived to be capable of great things in Cuba. He had
also, a year earlier, secured from the King grants of free trade between
Cuba and all other Spanish colonies around the Caribbean, insular or
continental; together with some reforms of the royalty system in gold
mining and a comprehensive and orderly scheme of taxation for the
building of roads and bridges and other necessary public