Countries. Product in Pounds. United States of America 488,000,000 Mexico 5,600,000 Cuba 62,000,000 Puerto Rico 8,800,000 Santo Domingo 8,000,000 Brazil 33,000,000 Argentine 6,000,000 Austria Hungary 135,000,000 Russia 110,000,000 Turkey 80,000,000 Germany 72,000,000 France 50,000,000 Greece 18,000,000 Belgium 10,000,000 Roumania 8,000,000 Bulgaria 7,500,000 Bosnia 7,000,000 Netherlands 6,300,000 Italy 4,000,000 Switzerland 3,000,000 Servia 3,000,000 Sweden 2,200,000 Philippine Islands 45,000,000 British East Indies 370,000,000 Dutch " " 66,000,000 Japan 50,000,000 Ceylon 8,000,000 Cochin China 6,000,000 Algiers 10,000,000 Australia 10,000,000 China } 160,000,000 Paraguay } Sundries 55,000,000 ------------- 1,907,400,000 Thus the primary cost of the world's tobacco ranges from $200,000,000 to $225,000,000 per annum. It is not in quantity but in quality that Cuba leads the world. CHAPTER XXII MINES AND MINING The first questions asked the natives of Cuba by Columbus and his company concerned gold and silver, and they heard many tales of the riches of the unknown interior, but all their searching produced nothing of value, nor have the succeeding centuries added greatly to what was first discovered. Some little gold and silver was found, but it amounted to really nothing, and the mineral riches of the Island remained hidden until 1524, when copper was discovered near Santiago de Cuba; and here grew up the little mining town of Cobre (copper). Since that date deposits of asphaltum, iron, manganese, and salt have been found and have been worked, but not as they would have been in a well governed and progressive country.