, Havana was besieged by the English and the Seven Years War
began. The British were successful and under English rule the ports of
Cuba were opened to free trade and an era of progress was inaugurated.
But it was short lived, and in 1763 Cuba fell again into the hands of
Spain, England trading the island for Florida. The two first governors
under the new Spanish regime were liberal, just, and progressive. They
were Luis de Las Casas, appointed in 1790, and the Count of Santa Clara,
who succeeded him in 1796.

"It was about 1810 that the general discontent of the colonist with the
tyrannical home government resulted in the formation of political
societies whose purpose was to plan insurrections in the hope of
wresting the island from Spanish rule, as did Buenos Ayres, Venezuela,
and Peru. There was no open revolt for ten years, when the revolutionary
leaders proclaimed a governing law, and after two years of turmoil the
king yielded to their demands. But as Spain's promises were made only to
be broken, other insurrections soon sprang up among the colonists. One
of the most important revolutionary movements of those days was led by
Narciso Lopez, a Venezuelan. This was in 1848. He was unsuccessful, but
escaped with many of his followers to New York, where he found many
sympathizers and practical aid. The United States government frustrated
his attempt in 1849 to return to Cuba with a small invading force. A
year later he reached the island with six hundred men, but was forced to
take to his ship again, and with a Spanish gunboat close astern, made
Key West and disbanded the expedition.

"By this time the Lopez revolution had gained much fame and many
sympathizers in the United States who, while they were not inspired with
the patriotic sentiment that stirred him, were strong admirers of his
courage and determination. With a small band of four hundred and fifty
men, and with Colonel Crittenden, of Kentucky, a West Pointer who won
his title in the Mexican War, as second in command, Lopez started for
Cuba from New Orleans the next year. On landing, Crittenden and one
hundred and fifty men remained near the shore to guard the supplies,
while Lopez, with the rest of the little invading army, marched inland.
Both parties were discovered by the Spaniards, surrounded, and after a
desperate resistance, completely wiped out."

"Do you mean that Lopez and Crittenden were both killed?" asked Bert,
who had listened to the captain's