towns of Hato Nuevo, Recreo, and San Jose, where I passed the night, proceeding the next day to Macagua and Colon for the same purpose; that is, the correction of plans, the making of others, the bounding of the wards, and the appointment of

enumerators.

Colon being a town with quite a large population, of some culture, required a visit of greater length. The most prominent people met me and were my guides in the determination of the limits of the wards.

On the following day, the 18th, I touched at Manguito (the seat of the municipality of Palmillas), El Roque, and El Perico, where I spent the night, returning to Matanzas on the afternoon of the 19th. The 201 enumerators of the province were thus appointed, after being examined as to their handwriting and references which they submitted as to their fitness. The Cuban woman occupied an honorable place among them. Fifty-four were selected, distributed in the following manner: Two in Guamaxaro, 17 in Matanzas, 8 in Cardenas, 2 in Carlos Rojas, 1 in Guamitas, 2 in Jovellanos, 2 in Alacranes, 4 in Bolondron, 1 in Cabezas, 2 in Union, 1 in Sabanilla, 2 in Colon, 1 in Cuevitas, 2 in Macuriges, 2 in Palmillas, 1 in Perico, 1 in El Roque, and 3 in San Jose de los Ramos. The Cuban woman, a model in her home, who, as a wife, daughter, and mother, exceeds all women in virtue, is not accustomed to public offices and had never been obliged to battle for existence, excepting in hand work, sewing, and in work which was connected with her family. But she has shown herself in this province as pure, industrious, and intelligent, incapable of any falsehood, or of any ignoble action, and has fulfilled her duty and followed the instructions exactly and with greater faithfulness than the men. Lacking confidence in her qualifications, she exceeded the work and study required, preferring to sacrifice herself to truth, honor, and justice. I have seen her after a rainy day, after having worked eight or ten hours, come to this office and apologize for not having enumerated more than 80 persons, fearing a reprimand or punishment. At other times she has come trembling to request an opinion on a matter of conscience which troubled her. One active, intelligent, and industrious little girl was very disconsolate because she had not enumerated a small colored child she had not seen in her visit to a residence and which had been involuntarily omitted in the statement of a family, and of whom she had been informed in another house. On the other hand, what obedience to the orders of the chief who is exacting in his demands, how minute in the details, and how attentive and discreet! If one became discouraged, a word of praise was sufficient for her to return, faithfully to collect the data. With what goodness and sweetness they bore harsh answers, or unpleasant words, without making use of violent means.

While the census was being taken, the military authorities ordered the destruction of the Indian huts around the town as a hygienic measure. I feared that the families who were living in them would distribute themselves around the town and that many would not be enumerated. I immediately applied to Captain (Major) Cartwright and was fortunate in obtaining an extension of two days in which to conclude the enumeration. I ordered the female enumerators to abandon work in the center of their districts and devote themselves to recording all the persons who were about to move. And although it was blowing from the north, the rainstorms frequent, and the huts were situated at a distance and among the most inaccessible hills surrounding the city, nothing was considered an obstacle-nothing detained them. The work was concluded in one day and a half, and they came to inform me with a smile on their lips, and with the greatest satisfaction, that they had complied with my orders. And what I have said about the young ladies of Matanzas I wish to say of all the female enumerators of the province, without excepting anyone, because all of them have fulfilled my wishes. They devoted all their efforts and faculties to the work, and they have my greatest gratitude.

I must state to the honor of all, that I have received moral and material support

from each and every authority, Cuban as well as American, commencing with the cultured and talented General Wilson, to whom I owe so many undeserved attentions I shall never be able to thank him for, and the intelligent Gen. Pedro E. Betancourt, civil governor, down to the mayors and the last employees of the administration. They have all complied with my wishes and would have satisfied the most exacting All have demonstrated their wishes for the census and all of them have made the work intrusted to me easy and simple.

ones.

The latter half of the month of September was devoted to the preparation of the instructors or chiefs of the districts. There were twenty-two of them, to whom I devoted three to four hours of instruction daily, explaining to them not only the schedules, but the importance of their duties and the manner of effecting the direction of the enumerators whom they were to have under their direction and instruction. I selected three young ladies among them, of whom I shall speak later on. All of them attended and demonstrated the greatest desire to acquire the indispensable knowledge. The method I pursued from the beginning was to require them to fill schedules 1, 2, and 3 with the most difficult cases, with institutions, agricultural schedules in towns, in abandoned estates, in estates the ownership of which was doubtful, in private and public schools, with the most minute details, in order that the instruction they were to give should be as exact as possible. I devoted the time from the 1st to the 15th of October to the enumerators. I formed three groupsthat of the morning from 7 to 10 for the ladies; from 2 to 4.30 for the older men, and the evening for the younger men. It is a fact that during this time I did not have to reproach anyone. The desire of emulation which I awoke in all produced notable results. For many days it amused me to hear the discussions they brought up among themselves, submitting the most varied and difficult cases for solution. The personnel selected was so good that I understood that to them and to them only would the success of the census be due if success were attained.

The short time remaining of the day I devoted to the transmission and preparation of the plans and maps. I owe thanks to the corps of American engineers, who gladly furnished me the blue prints and copies within the shortest period possible and with the greatest correctness. In this manner within a few days I was able to indicate the districts in colors in the cities, divide the districts, indicate those of the province, and number them all. It was my wish, which I obtained, that every enumerator should have a detailed plan of his district, with a statement of the limits, and a copy, which I had already obtained of the municipalities, of the estates situated within said districts. In this manner the work was facilitated greatly, and with a little good will an exact enumeration could be obtained.

On the 14th of October I issued an order that all the enumerators should be at the posts and that the instructors should communicate their instructions to two or more substitutes, providing for any case of illness or death, so that the census should not be disturbed. This measure was very good, because in many cases it was necessary to apply to the substitutes by reason of resignations, illness, or other accidents. On October 16, the date fixed in the promulgation of the President, the work was begun in the entire province, the instructors informing me that night that the enumeration had begun without any occurrence of importance. In order to give method and order to the enumeration, I requested that the instructors send me every five days, by telegraph, a résumé of the work of the enumerators, in houses, inhabitants, estates, and animals; the details being forwarded to me by mail. This system allowed me to keep the Assistant Director posted as to the progress of the census, informing him every five days of the work done. It is not strange, nor did it affect "the organization or structure of the work, that some districts arrived late and were not included in the résumé, because being at a distance from the centers of communication, the information could not be forwarded on a fixed day to the instructor. This

is what happened with district No. 96 of the islets, and No. 19 of Palmillas, and others. It was also the duty of every enumerator to forward the schedules in this period in order to collect them in this office and avoid losses, deteriorations, or accidents. * * *

The prevalence of a cyclone at that time troubled me, because it interfered with the enumeration, preventing work in some localities by reason of the rising of rivers, and interrupting it in the urban districts in such manner that it was not possible to get more than 25 to 30 names per day. Fortunately this accident was of short duration and the census was enabled to continue its normal progress. But the necessity for the waterproof portfolios became evident. They had not arrived from the United States and the enumerators were clamoring for them incessantly. These did not arrive until the 26th of October, being distributed to the enumerators the two following.

*

*

*

*

I take pleasure in stating that all the instructors showed a competency and fitness not very common and more than the necessary activity, fulfilling the instructions contained in the different circulars that I sent them. The personnel also obeyed instructions, and without any obstacle whatsover they complied with all the orders which I or the office of the Assistant Director issued. But special mention is deserved by Miss Maria Nunez, of Cardenas, who, having 20 enumerators under her orders, was a model of zeal, expertness, intelligence, and activity. It affords me pride to mention the four Cuban young ladies who as instructors have given me the high opinion I have of the value of the Cuban woman. The said Miss Nunez, as well as Misses Etelvina Sanchez, Rorrario Rodriguez, and Rosa Ybarra, never had to be reminded of their duties. I had sent several circulars to the instructors, all of which had been zealously and discreetly complied with.

The circular of October 9, 1899, is as follows:

"To the INSTRUCTOR ENUMERATOR.

"MATANZAS, October 9, 1899.

"DEAR SIR: I beg of you to take the following remarks into consideration: "1. You must every three days give me an account of the enumerators and substitutes who are working and those who do not do so on account of negligence.

"2. You must see that the enumerators fill blanks of each class before you and under your direction, suspending one from the census to enumerate an institution and return him to the census with the proper number.

"3. Inform them that every five days they must give an account of the enumeration of persons and estates, and every eight to ten days forward the schedules.

"4. That in all their acts they observe the exactness, politeness, and prudence which has been recommended.

"5. That each one get information in his district of the mines existing in the same (well defined), their location, owner, kind of mineral, and its analysis, if possible. "6. You must prepare two substitute enumerators for cases of death, sickness, or resignations, in order that the work be not interrupted in any case.

"7. Arrange two sessions per day, from 7 to 9 in the morning and from 7 to 9 in the evening, for preparation and instruction."

The object of the second circular was to compare the data of each of the instructors with the daily reports of the enumerators, in order to make the payments for October. It was as follows:

'In order to prepare the lists which are to be presented for the payment of enumerators, you will please keep an account current with each enumerator, including yourself, in which shall be stated the full days of work, the days lost, the reasons therefor, and also stating the hours lost through negligence or similar reason, for the purpose of deducting the time lost from the salary. All of the above you will certify to. You will mail said data on the 31st instant, upon the conclusion of the work.

"At the same time I recommend to you to forward, as ordered, the work done, carefully rolled in tubes or placed in pasteboard boxes, in order that they may not be damaged. You may make use of the outside of the official envelopes I sent you for the wrapper of the boxes or tubes, duly registered, and taking a receipt for the same."

The paymaster having consented to a trip through the province for the payment of the enumerators, I applied to the two railroad companies of Matanzas and Cardenas, requesting to be furnished with an express train, permitting us to do the work in the shortest possible time.1 But there was another advantage in this trip; the labor of the enumerators was verified by the rolls, and the trip through all the districts enabled me to collect the rolls in boxes prepared for the purpose, arriving at this city without being damaged at all.

Fearing that some of the large districts would not be concluded at the proper time, I saw myself obliged to send the following order to the instructors:

"NOVEMBER 8, 1899.

"The law issued for the taking of the census of Cuba requiring that said census be concluded the 30th of November, without delay nor pretext of any kind, I especially request you to inquire of the enumerators of those districts whether they will be able to conclude the enumeration of the same before the said date, in order to name all the assistants necessary in a contrary case.

"I recommend to you also that you request the enumerators, upon the conclusion of the enumeration of their districts, that they go over it lightly again for the purpose of assuring themselves that no estate, house, or person has escaped enumeration." The result was the creation of 37 new districts, which were filled by enumerators who had concluded the enumeration of their own districts.

On the 28th I received a telegram from the last enumerator of the province, who worked to that day, Aurelio Andreu, of the ward of Calimete with 3,300 inhabitants and almost 300 estates. In the afternoon of the same day I was able to communicate to the Assistant Director that the work of taking the census in my province had concluded.

During the following days-that is, during the first ten days of December-the time was devoted to the examination, revision, and arrangement of the schedules, and to the payment of the salaries of the enumerators, as they were declared correct by me. In this labor I was disinterestedly and enthusiastically assisted by the instructor of Cardenas, Miss Maria Nunez, a model of intelligence and activity; Asuncion Garcia, enumerator of Limonar; Maria Josefa Herrera, of Matanzas; Clarissa Roig, of Union; the instructor of Colon, Julian Romero, appointed assistant with the daily salary of $3; Eduardo Garcia, Jose Sanchez Guiros, and others. All have sacrificed themselves with the greatest kindness in order to please me.

On the 15th I forwarded the first box of schedules to Santa Clara, and day by day I have continued sending all the work, until the conclusion of my mission.

Before concluding I must make mention of two enumerators who, on account of the daring work done and the difficulties encountered, are worthy of recollection: Francisco Mari, the enumerator of the islets, and Sixto Agramonte, of the swamp. The former, a cultured and educated young man, has condensed the incidents of his voyages in a small report. I do not wish to take the merit of his description, for which reason I attach it hereto.

The diary of Sixto Agramonte is so interesting that it also forms part of this report. Therein will be seen the efforts made for patriotism only. And I say for patriotism,

1This request was granted by Señor Manuel Diaz, general manager of the Railroad of Matanzas, and by Señor Antonio Yribe, general manager of the Cardenas and Jucaro Railroad,

because the salary of $5 per day does not cover the expenses he has incurred to fulfill his duty.

It only remains for me to request every person reading or hearing this report, that what there is or is found to be good in the work of taking the census be credited, in the first place, to the excellent personnel engaged thereon, and in the second to the splendid management of the Assistant Director.

Fearing that many persons would remain without being enumerated, notwithstanding the additional schedule made by the enumerators after concluding their districts, I had the following notice published in the newspapers of this city and of Cardenas:

As the date is approaching on which the census of this province must be concluded, and as the case may have occurred that some residents thereof have not been enumerated, by reason of change of domicile or other circumstance of a similar character, within the period fixed for the enumeration, this means is taken to request all those who have not been included in the census to come to this office, Jovellanos 22 altos, during office hours, where they will be entered in the special schedules which have been opened for this purpose in these offices."

Sixteen persons appeared to be recorded, and in a portfolio, with the title "Miscellaneous," ordered by the Assistant Director, it has been forwarded to Santa Clara.

CLAUDIO DUMAS, Supervisor of the Census.

The DIRECTOR OF THE CENSUS OF CUBA,

Washington, D. C.

(Through the Assistant Director.)

APPENDIX VI.

CENSUS OF CUBA, OFFICE OF THE SUPERVISOR,
Pinar del Rio Province, December 26, 1899.

SIR: Having concluded my delicate mission of taking a census of this province, to which work I have devoted all my efforts, it is my duty to give the Government of the United States, under whose direction the census has been taken, an idea of the difficulties which have had to be surmounted by the enumerators in the fulfillment of the duty intrusted to them, as well as those encountered by me in my work.

In order to appreciate the reality it would be necessary to go over the ground covered by the heroic enumerators of this province. My pen is not equal to the task of narrating in a proper manner the thousand incidents of the work done here, where Spanish domination gloried in its iniquitous conduct, leaving the people in the greatest ignorance, and refusing to give the suffering and honest inhabitants of Vuelta Abajo means of communication. There are few roads which can be called such, nor are there any bridges over the innumerable rivers and brooks which abound in the fertile ground of this rich portion of Cuba.

I shall not detain you with a statement of the obstacles which I encountered in the preliminary work of my office. It is sufficient to say that there exist no postoffices in some municipal districts, it being necessary in order to communicate with Mantua to go via Habana to Los Arroyos in a steamer, and from there by means of private carriers; and with San Diego de Nunez by sea in boats from Mariel to Carenero, with loss of time, which was short even for localities easily reached, by reason of the order of the government to conclude on the 30th of November last. I will confine myself to the work of enumeration.

It was begun on the 16th of October, during a rain storm which lasted several days