, near Santiago, the Governor reported to
the Spanish government: "There is so much metal, and the mines are so
numerous, that they could supply the world with copper." Comparatively
little was done, however, until 1599, when effective work was begun at
El Cobre. The ore was conveyed to Havana for smelting and casting, and
on the site of the present Maestranza Building there was established a
foundry where copper was cast into both cannon and kettles.

CHAPTER XXII

It is an interesting circumstance that what threatened to be a great
disaster to Cuba proved in fact to be one of the greatest blessings that
the Island had enjoyed since the Spanish settlement. We have already
seen how great an alarm was caused at Havana and throughout Cuba by the
threatened attack of the British under Sir Francis Drake and how fine a
degree of public spirit and unity among all classes was thereby
inspired. The threatened attack did not occur, and it was many years
before an actual British conquest or even invasion of the Island was
effected. But the lessons learned in that period of agitation and after
were not speedily forgotten, either in Cuba or in Spain. Therefore, a
much larger degree of public spirit and of unity prevailed in the
Island, among the Government officers and among the people, while the
Spanish crown was awakened to a fuller realization than ever before of
the value of Cuba and the imperative necessity of defending the Island
if the integrity of the Spanish Empire in the Western Hemisphere was to
be maintained. It was then that Philip II began to appreciate Cuba as
the bulwark of the West Indies and of the City of Havana, its capital,
as the key to the New World. Hitherto Cuba had been nothing but a
stepping stone between Spain on the one hand and Mexico, Darien and
Florida on the other; and Havana was merely a convenient base of
operations and a port of call. But now the immense strategical
importance of Havana was realized, while the value of the Island, in its
products of copper, wood, sugar, hides and other commodities, was
appreciated.

Governor Luzan administered the affairs of Cuba until the end of March,
1589. On that day he was succeeded by Juan de Tejada, a Field Marshal
of the Spanish Army. He was selected by the King chiefly because of his
military experience and knowledge, and he was the first of the line of
governors of Cuba to be known as Captain-General. In him were merged
both the civil and the