s; but whether it hath any mines
of silver or gold, I know not; but if there were any such they would
venture their opening a discovery fearing the invasion of that island
which is of so easy access by sea and of such great importance to their
whole interest in America; for which reason also they refuse to work any
mines in Florida that are near the north sea (although they have there
very many) but would rather employ themselves about others farther in
the country although with great labor and cost for conveyance of the
produce by land to Mexico; lastly, this island (to complete its praise)
hath very good ports and harbors of great advantage to ships for safe
passing the gulf; and should the Spaniards keep two or three frigates
always plying off there between the western end of Cuba and the Havana,
it were impossible for any ships of ours that came from Jamaica to
escape them. The scales turned would be their case to all America.
Neither wants it great sugar-works, which have both water-mill and horse
mills and very many large cocoa walks; the most and best tobacco; in
short, it produces all other commodities that any of our American
islands have knowledge of."

This letter shows plainly how preoccupied was the British mind with the
acquisition of Cuba, and foreshadows the coming events, for which Cuba
in spite of all warning symptoms was little prepared. Clouds had
gathered about the horizon of Spain and darkened its own outlook.

King Philip IV. had died on the seventeenth of September, 1665, and so
inadequate was at that time the means of communication between Spain and
her American dominions that it took seven months before news of the
event reached the people of Cuba. The heir to the Spanish throne was the
three-year-old Charles II. the queen, assisted by the junta, being named
regent. If the reign of Philip IV. had been called the most disastrous
in the history of the kingdom, that of Charles II. was hardly less so.
It was the period when Louis XIV. of France had begun to cherish a dream
of universal empire and although a brother-in-law of the Spanish
infant-king, did not hesitate to do his share in weakening the power of
Spain. In spite of the critical position of the mother-country, the
proclamation of the new king was celebrated in Havana with great pomp on
the ninth day of May in the following year. At the review held in San
Francisco square of that city appeared two companies of mounted militia,
four compan