The History of Cuba, vol. 2Johnson, Willis Fletcher
History
The History of Cuba, vol. 2
Johnson, Willis Fletcher
Cuba -- Economic conditions; Cuba -- History
These duties were from twenty-one to two and one half per cent.
according to the articles, the time and the place they came from. There
were also two per cent. duties on importations, on fruits of the country
brought to Havana in smaller vessels; on the gold and copper of the
mines of Jaguas, Holguin, etc., and there was also what was called the
extraordinario del Morro, which consisted in collecting four pesos for
each vessel sent to Spain and the American continent. The enforcement of
these custom regulations was entrusted to the Intendant referred to
above, who in October of the year 1764 was given the right to use a
special building for the offices of this department.
For the military reorganization of Havana had been appointed Marshal
Senor Conde D. Alexandre O'Reilly, who as Inspector-General devoted
himself to the organization of line troops and militia and was
materially assisted in his work by Aguiar. O'Reilly succeeded in getting
the veteran troops and militia of the island into good condition. By
studying the city, dividing it into districts, naming the
streets--simple requirements which according to Valdes had at that late
date not yet been established in Havana--O'Reilly learned that the city
alone could raise a battalion of disciplined militia of white men. After
organizing two such battalions in Havana and Guanabacoa, he realized
that this force was insufficient for the protection of the capital and
he raised two more battalions, composed of colored men. When on
examining the polls or registers of tax-payers he found that owing to
the poverty and also the ignorance of the majority of the people he
could not proceed with the draft system without including the married
and other classes, he decided to resort to conscription.
In 1764 there was created by royal decree a military and provincial
administration for Cuba in the manner of the peninsulas. D. Miguel de
Altavilla took charge of it in February, 1765. He established in Havana
an accountant's (auditor's) office, a treasury and custom-houses at
various points, subject to the department. This organization required
many employees, and increased the expenses of the administration. The
salaries of the officials amounted to one million two hundred thousand
pesos, while until the year 1761 they had been only four hundred and
fifty thousand pesos annually. As the Mexican assistant of the director
never arrived in time to help with the accounts, the Royal Hacienda, as
it was called, was not a sinecure. The revenues rose within a short time
to one million two hundred and fifty thousand pesos, but whether this
was due to the high duties or to the wise administration of the
Intendencia does not appear.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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