Quire apart from humanitarian cou-siderations and ignoring the indignation naturally aroused in the hearts of a generous and liberty-loving people by report of maladministration and oppression, the interest of the United States in Cuba, from a commercial point of view alone, will probably be held by most people as sufficient justification for the interference which has caused so much unfriendly criticism on the part of a certain section of the European Press, During the fiscal -year 1887 the value of the trade between the United States and Cuba amounted to over sixty million gold dollars, and the volume of trade gradually increased until in 1893 it was valued at nearly one hundred and three million dollars. This may be said to be approximately equal to the trade between Great Britain and China during 1897 a trade which England is not prepared to suffer interference with, The commerce then declined and in 1896 had fallen to forty-seven and a-half millions of dollars, and during the nine mouths ended 81st March 1897 only amounted to less than fifteen millions, or say twenty million dollars for a complete year—a fifth of the aum recorded for 1893. The ith ports into the United States have been much in excess of what Cuba takes in return, being generally about four times as much, from which we see how important a bearing the trade has on the prosperity of the island. Ninety per cent of the Cuban exports to America may be classified as" agricultural; the principal articles being sugar, for the most important, molasses, tobacco, traits and wuts, hides and skins, bones, beeswax, honey, vegetables, and vegetable fibres. 'I'he United States, in exchange, send to Cuba over forty-three million pounds of Jard, together with hams, pickled pork, wheat flour, maize, vegetables, and dairy produce. 'They algo send iron and steel, lumber and woodvware, coal, mineral oil, ete. Under more favourable circumstances' than the past has witnessed the trade is capable of vast extension and its preservation is certainly worth considerable effort.
The trade of Hawaii is also interesting at the present juncture, and in aunexing this island for political purposes the United States have not to face the disagreeable reflection that property has been acquired which will.be & drain on the national exchequer. The total value of the merchandise imported and exported through Hawaiian ports during 1896 amounted to over twenty-ove millions of gold dollars, and the trade is growing. The exports from Hawaii are about the double of the imports. Ninety per cent of the entire trade is carried on with the United States; Great Britain coming second with less than five per cent, and China sharing to the extent of about one and
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.