From May 20th the position of Cuba will be unique
among the States of the world. The island will be nominally inde- pendent, the United States withdrawing its troops and officials, and Senor Palma. the elected President, being left in possession of full executive authority. At the same time, the islanders are not independent, for they are bound to submit all treaties with foreign States to Washington; and a tariff directed against the States would be considered "unfriendly" in the technical sense. The general opinion in America seems to be that the islanders will very speedily ask admission into the Union as one State or two States; but that is less certain than Americans think. The antipathy between Spaniards and Anglo-Saxons is to a certain extent instinctive, and it will be fostered by the priests, and by the fear which all half. breeds entertain of American exclusiveness as regards colour. We should say that Cuba would for many years, at all events, occupy the usual position of a South American State, protected by the Monroe doctrine but uncontrolled by Northern influence, and liable to fierce internal revolutions.
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