Public-domain ebook
The History of Cuba, vol. 5
Language: en1,657 downloads on Project Gutenberg
Subjects
In: History - Other·History - American·History - Modern (1750+)
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #41267.
About this book
The History of Cuba, vol. 5 is a comprehensive survey of the island’s natural and economic development, compiled under the authority of Cuba’s Department of Agriculture, Commerce and Labor and verified by the Bureau of Information. The work opens with a biographical sketch of Francisco de Frias y Jacott, Count of Pozos Dulces, whose scientific training in the United States and Europe and his reformist career in Havana set the tone for a study that blends biography, geography, and statistics. From that point the volume proceeds to a detailed preface that extols Cuba’s strategic location, climate, and resources, then launches into a systematic series of chapters covering people, topography, climate, each provincial region, and the island’s mineral, agricultural, and industrial sectors.
Written in the formal, expository style of early‑20th‑century academic publishing, the text reflects the optimism of the post‑World‑War I era and the author’s background as a historian of American foreign relations. Its dense, fact‑laden prose, extensive use of illustrations, and chapter‑by‑chapter organization will appeal to scholars, students, and serious readers interested in historical geography, economic history, or the development of Caribbean societies, as well as to collectors of period works that document Cuba’s transition from colonial dependency to an independent republic.
Who appears in The History of Cuba, vol. 5
- Francisco de Frias y Jacott, Count of Pozos DulcesMiddle‑aged Cuban noble, dark hair, moustache, high‑collared frock coat, cravat, dignified pose
- Captain-General CanedoOlder Spanish officer, silver hair, full beard, ornate military uniform with epaulettes, stern expression
The opening · free to read
One of the foremost agricultural and economic scientists of his time, Francisco de Frias y Jacott, Count of Pozos Dulces, was born in Havana on September 24, 1809, and died in Paris, France, on October 24, 1877. He studied in the United States and Europe, specializing in physics and chemistry, and then sought to devote his genius to the economic welfare of Cuba. He wrote notable works on Cattle Breeding, on Chemical Research, and on Labor and Population. His patriotic spirit provoked Captain-General Canedo to banish him for a time, but on his return as editor of El Siglo he conducted so powerful a campaign for social, economic, political and administrative reforms that the Spanish government was constrained to heed him and to plan new legislation for Cuba. For this purpose it formed a Junta of Information, of which he was a member representing Santa Clara. Upon the failure of that body he wrote a memorable protest against the policy which had compelled that result, and a year later removed to Paris.]
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