Porto Rico

por'to re'ko, an island of the West Indies. With several adjacent islets, it is now a possession of the United States. It lies at the eastern extremity of the Great Antilles, about 1,400 miles from the city of New York and 1,000 from Havana. In shape it is oblong. It has an area of 3,668 square miles. The surface is covered, for the most part, with low ranges of mountains culminating in the east in a peak 3,609 feet high. Between the ranges lie table lands and valleys. Owing to the prevailing direction of the winds, the eastern and northern slopes have abundant rainfall throughout the year and are clothed with heavy forests. The southern slopes are frequently parched and dry. There are over forty short streams reaching the sea. The best harbors are those of San Juan and Culebra.

The forests of Porto Rico have, in the main, been well cared for. They still produce large quantities of valuable timber. Most varieties are unfamiliar to the American. Familiar names, however, are palms, tree ferns, cedar, sandalwood, ebony, and willow. There are said to be no native four-footed animals and no poisonous snakes. The shores are frequented by a gigantic tortoise closely related to that of the Galapagos Islands. The most noticeable birds of the forest are the green parrots. They live on fruit. Thousands of them rise in flocks, with a green shimmer unmatched outside of the tropics. There are indications of gold and iron, but, at present, the country yields no mineral wealth.

The chief interests of the island are agricultural. About 50,000,000 pounds of coffee, 160,000,000 pounds of sugar, 12,000 pounds of tobacco, with rice, vegetables, and tropical fruits, are the principal productions. Cattle are raised on the uplands. Sugar is refined. Rum, cigars, cigarettes, and cabinet articles are produced. There are salt works of considerable magnitude. There are between 400 and 500 miles of railway. Good roads have been built along some of the principal valleys. The island has, of course, a telegraph, telephone, and postal system.

Porto Rico was discovered in 1493 by Columbus. In 1509 Ponce de Leon was appointed governor. The early Spanish settlers were nearly exterminated by the Indians, but they finally reduced the natives not only to subjection, but to slavery. Negro slaves were introduced at an early date to work the rice, sugar, and tobacco plantations. The Spanish settlements suffered from attacks by Sir Francis Drake in 1595, and were for a long time subject to harassing demands by the buccaneers and pirates for which the West Indies were noted. Porto Rico took no part in the uprisings of the South American republics in the early part of the nineteenth century, but remained loyal to Spain. Slaves were freed in 1873, the slave holders being compensated by the government. July 25, 1898, the island was occupied by American forces. At the close of the Spanish-American War it was ceded to the United States. A form of government was established closely resembling that adopted by Great Britain for her numerous colonies. A governor is appointed by the president of the United States. A local assembly is elected by the people. At the present time Congress authorizes a duty of fifteen per cent on all merchandise passing into or out of the country. The status of Porto Rico is that of a colony. Its citizens are not necessarily citizens of the United States. At the beginning of the present century the population was returned at 953,243, of whom about one-half were whites, one-third mulattoes, and the remainder negroes and Chinese. The population is said to consist of three classes,--an aristocracy of excellent Spanish ancestry; the merchant classes, artisans, and tradespeople of the towns, and a country peasantry of poor whites and mulattoes. The last named are completely illiterate, incapable of government or independent action of any kind. Under American influence the Porto Rican government has established a complete system of public schools. Teachers have been imported from the United States, normal schools have been established to train teachers, and Porto Rican teachers have been sent to the United States to attend summer schools and to observe the ways and methods of Americans.