ear, and in about three years after it was taken
possession of by a Spanish force from Hispaniola,
under the command of Don Diego de Velasquez,
who extirpated the natives; after which the is-
land remained, with but little interruption, in
possession of the Spaniards, until 1741, when an
unsuccessful attempt was made upon it by the
English, to whom however it surrendered on the
13th of August, 1762, after a desperate resistance
of the Spaniards, for about two months. It was
restored to Spain in the following year, and has
remained in their quiet possession up to 1826, hav-
ing been but little affected by the events which
ii the entire subversion of Spanish domi-
nation over every part of their continental pos-
sessions in the western hemisphere. Since the
period of 1791, when the mania of the French
revolution extended to the neighbouring island of
Hispaniola, numerous planters of that island fled
to Cuba, which has ever since continued to im-
prove in'cultivation and increase in population,
and its produce in sugar, coffee, and tobacco,
since the commencement of the present century,
has been very great and progressively increasing.
The'tobacco is unequalled in quality, and is chief-
ly made into cigars.

Mountain ridges pervade the whole island, ren-
dering the face of the country exceedingly pic-
turesque. It is tolerably well watered ; and, by
social arrangements and well-directed exertion,
it is capable of maintaining twenty millions of
people in the highest degree of earthly enjoyment.
In the woods are some valuable trees, particularly
cedars of a large size ; and birds abound here,
both in variety and number, more than in any
of the other islands. The soil is fertile, and cattle,
sheep, and hogs are numerous. There are copper
mines in the mountains, and the forests are full
of game. The principal ports are Havana,
and Matanzas, on the north coast, near the west
end ; and St. Jagode Cuba and St. Salvador, on
the south coast, near the east end. In addition
to its staple productions, of sugar, coffee, and
tobacco; ginger, long pepper, cassia, tamarinds
wild cinnamon, mastic, aloes, honey, &c. &c. are
abundant.

The lime grows plentifully in this island. It
is produced by a small tree or rather shrub.

Its fruit is a great favourite in the West Indies
and its acid is sharper as well as more coolinfr
than that of the lemon.

Cxiba, a town of Portugal, in Alemtejo, 36 m.

S. by E. of Evora.

Cubagua, a small island off the north coast of
Colombia, between that of Margaretta and Cuma-
na. Here the Spaniards, in 1509, established a
fishery of pearl; but the banks disappeared in
in 1524. The island is barren and nitrous. Long.

04. 10. W. lat. 10. 56. N.

30

Cuban, a river, which issues from the north
side of the Caucasian Mountains, divides Cir-
cassia from part of Taurica, and flows into the
north extremity of the Black Sea, near the en-
trance to the Sea of Asoph; it receives several
tributary streams from the south.

Cuban, or Cuban Tartary, a county in the Rus-
sian province of Taurica; bounded on the west by
the sea of Taurica, north by the river Don, which
separates it from Europe, east by the desert of
Astracan, and south by the river Cuban, which
divides it from Circassia.

Cuekfield, a town in Sussex, Eng. 13 m. N. W.
of Lewes, and 39 S. by W. of London. Pop. in
1821,2,385.

Cuddalore, a town of Hindoostan, on the coast
of Carnatic, near the place where Fort St. David
once stood. It was taken by the French in 1758,
and again in 1783. It is 20 miles S. S. AV. of
Pondicherry. Long. 79. 55. E., lat. 11. 41. N.

Cuddapa, a town of Hindoostan, capital of a
circar of the same name, ceded by Tippoo in
1792, to the nizam of the Deccan. It is 133 m.
N. AV. of Madras. Long. 78. 57. E., lat. 14.

23. N.

Cudrefin, a town and bailiwick of Switzerland,
in the canton of Bern, 21 miles west of Bern.

Cumza, a province of Spain, on the east side
of New Castile, intersected by the River Xucar.
Sq. miles, 11,884. Pop. 294,290.

Cuenza, a city, bishop’s see, capital of the
preceding province: is seated on a high and
craggy hill, on the banks of the Xucar, over which
is an elegant stone bridge of five arches. The
cathedral is a stately edifice, besides which there
are several churches and six monasteries. It is
90 m. E. by S. of Madrid. Pop. about 6,000.

Cuenca, a town of Colombia and capital of a
jurisdiction of the same name in the province of
Quito, hounded on the west by the shore of the
Bay of Guayaquil, and east by the Andes. The
town is situate in a valley, about midway from
the foot of the Andes and the shore of the bay
and 176 miles south by west of the city of Quito.
Pop. about 14,000

Cuernavaca, a town of Mexico, 40 miles south
by west of the city of Mexico on the road to
Acapulco. In the time of Cortes it was the capital
of an independent state. It is situate on the
southern declivity of the Cordilleras 5,400 feet
above the level of the sea. The climate is delight-
ful.

Cuiaba, a town of Brazil, in the province of
Matto Grosso, seated on the west bank of the
river Cuiaba, which falls into the Paraguay, in the
long, of 56. W.,and lat- of 15. 35. S. The popu-
lation is estimated at 30,000. There is a tolerably
productive gold mine in the vicinity of the town.

Cuilly, a town of Switzerland, in the canton of
Bern, on the north-east side of the Lake of Gene-
va, eight miles E. S. E. of Lausanne. xc2xbb

Culenburg, or Karlenbourg, a town of Holland,
in Gelderland, on the south bank of the river
Leek, 16 m. S. S. E. of Utrecht.

Culwean, a town of Mexico, seated near the
source of a river of the same name, which, after a-
course of about 50 miles, falls into the Gulf of
California, in the lat. of 24. 20. N. It is cele-
brated in the Mexican history undei the name of
Hueieollinacan, and as the capital of a populous
and fertile district.

Cullen, a borough of Scotland, in Banffshire, at
the mouth of the Culan or Cullen. It has
manufactures of linen and damask, and a trade in
u 2