CUBA--CHINESE LABOR] Group of three documents

CUBA--CHINESE LABOR] Group of three documents regarding the political aspects of the system of importing Chinese workers ("colonos") from China to Cuba. Two on the letterhead of the Ministerio de la Guerra y de Ultramar, i.e. the Department of War and Overseas Affairs, secretarially written, and one on the letterhead of the Department of State. The documents, variously dated 1858-1861, total seventeen pages. Some browning and toning, generally in excellent condition. An extraordinary series of documents dealing with the problems that Spain (and by extension, Cuba), faced as a result of its reliance on Chinese labor. A letter of February 24, 1858, signed by Isidro Diaz Arguelles of the Ministerio de la Guerra notes that the Spanish Consul in Shanghai reports objections in Hong Kong newspapers, which he ascribes to British and American interference. A letter of April 7, 1879, signed by Leopoldo O'Donnell, the Prime Minister of Spain, contains concerns about the political consequences of the hiring of "Colonos." The third letter, signed by Augusto Ulloa, dated February 8, 1861, is of nine pages, and discusses a Handbook of Legal Guidelines regarding the importation of labor from China and French and English objections. C