CHAPTER XIV 165

A Bad Time in Cuban History--Santiago in 1550--Raid of a French Privateer--The Founding and Rise of Havana--The Founding of Puerto Principe--Baracoa, Trinidad and Other Settlements--Italians and Other Aliens in Cuba--Efforts to Populate the Island--Importation of Negro Slaves--Slaves Treated Humanely--Disappearance of the Native Indians--The Early Industries of Cuba--Discovery of the Copper Mines of El Cobre--Beginning of the Sugar Industry--Fiscal Policy of the Spanish Government.