In 1999, that little strip of territory lying between Mason and Dixon's line and the [No more "South" in 1999.] gulf of Mexico was no longer known or recognized as the South. The sceptre of the South had passed into the keeping of the South American continent, which territory in 1999 had been divided into ten States of our great American Union, namely the States of Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru and, in the extreme South, the State of Patagonia. The real and actual South of the United States of the Americas, in 1999, consisted of the States above named, a vast sweep of territory lying between the 10° North and 55° South of the equator, embracing 8,207,688 square miles in area, with a population of 127,000,000 souls. In 1999 the State of Brazil alone had a population of 42,000,000. The Middle States of the great American Republic in 1999 were those of Central America, namely the States of Costa Rica, Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Mexico. The Northern States of the great Republic in 1999 consisted of those states lying between Alaska and the Mexican gulf, including the newly acquired States of East and West Canada. The population of the Middle States in 1999 was estimated at 75,000,000, while the census of the Northern States figured at 329,000,000. The total population of the United States of the Americas in 1999, figured at 531,000,000 souls. CHAPTER III. The Cuban Question Settled. The wretches who blew up the Maine. America is slow to anger but terrible in punishment. Cuban native government not a success. Joins our Union in 1910. Cuba became part of the United States in 1910. The direct cause of the war of 1898 was the blowing up of the Maine. Through this premeditated and diabolical act, no less than 266 of our brave American sailors were murdered in cold blood. The Madrid authorities were innocent parties to this lamentable transaction and their representative in Havana, Captain-General Blanco, has been acquitted of the heinous charge of participation in that fearful piece of butchery. The guilty men, the assassins who blew up the Maine on the night of the 15th of February, 1898, were Weylerites, whose chief, the infamous Gen. Weyler, had been removed from office by the Sagasta government. To resent this slight upon their chief; to embroil their home government in a war with the United States, and to gratify their thirst for American blood, these Weylerites, (who themselves located the mines in Havana harbor,) watched their opportunity and exploded the mine that destroyed our gallant vessel, hurling into eternity 266 of as brave men as ever trod a deck.