Porto Rico Part 4

"The most astonis.h.i.+ng and the best of all was a fruit called pulmo--in our language, sour-sap. It is about as large as a quart bowl, and so nouris.h.i.+ng and full that a single fruit was enough for a good meal, although that did not deter my horse from eating four. Later I found that they are also relished by dogs. Of springs and streams there were so many that I had no fear of dying of thirst. If water was not handy, I could always climb a cocoanut tree and throw down the green nuts, which were filled with an abundance of watery milk, more than I could drink at one time. Other nuts there were in plenty; but many were more curious than edible, even to my willing appet.i.te. One had a delicious odor. I tasted a little, and thought it ideal for flavoring candy. But it soon dissolved in my mouth in a fine dust, absorbing all the moisture, so that I had to blow it out like flour. Nothing ever made me so thirsty in my life, and even after rinsing out my mouth I felt for a long time as if I were chewing punk or cotton. The fruit of the tamarind only added to my torments by setting all my teeth on edge. When we reached the next spring I fell off my horse for fear he would get all the water. Only after I had satisfied my thirst would I let him drink."

The poverty of the fauna and flora is remarkable, there being scarcely any wild animals, birds or flowers.

There is a great deficiency of what may be called _native_ animals of any sort.

The most troublesome quadruped is the wild dog, which chiefly attack pigs and other small domestic animals. Mice are probably the greatest pest of the island, but they are considerably kept down by their natural enemies, the snakes. The latter not infrequently reach a length of from six to nine feet. There are a good many mosquitoes, but they are no worse than they are in New Jersey. Numerous species of ants and bees exist as well as fireflies. The latter occasionally fly in great ma.s.ses, producing beautiful effects in the tropical nights.

It may be stated that, on the whole, Porto Rico is singularly free from those noxious reptiles and insects which seem to inherit the rest of the West Indies as their peculiar possession.

Immense pastures occupy a part of the lowland, and feed large herds of cattle of an excellent quality. St. Thomas and the French islands all obtain their butcher's meat from Porto Rico. Even Barbadoes comes there for cattle. Sheep always thrive in a hot country, and they grow big and fat in Porto Rico. Fresh lamb and mutton are constantly s.h.i.+pped from there. A very numerous cla.s.s of the people are shepherds, and these live upon mutton and the kind of highland rice, already alluded to, which is very easily prepared for food.

Poultry is most abundant, and the seas and rivers are full of the finest fish.

Agriculture has. .h.i.therto been almost exclusively in the hands of the natives, but most of the business and commerce have been controlled by foreigners and Spaniards from the Peninsula.

Although the island is certainly well developed agriculturally, it certainly admits of considerable expansion in this direction. Under a different political system, and when it is freed from the oppressive and vexatious taxation, Porto Rico will certainly become far more productive and prosperous even than it is now.

There is no question but that the island, richly endowed as it is by Nature, has been miserably governed.

But agriculture in the near future will certainly not be the main industry of the island. For there are known to be gold, copper, iron, zinc and coal mines, which have never been developed. In fact, strange as it may appear, none of these valuable mines is worked at all. The vegetable productions have been considered so valuable that in order to cultivate them the minerals have been neglected. There are also extensive sponge fields, which are very valuable, but which have not been touched, owing to several causes, chiefly the lack of capital. The same can also be said of the quarries of white stone, granite and marble.

Then there is the question of salt, which is sure to be of importance.

There are large quant.i.ties of salt obtained from the lakes. Salt works have been established at Guanica and Salinas, on the south coast, and at Cape Rojo, on the west. This const.i.tutes the princ.i.p.al mineral industry of Porto Rico.

Hot springs and mineral waters are found at Juan Diaz, San Sebastian, San Lorenzo and Ponce, but the most famous are at Coamo, near the town of Santa Isabella.

It is now interesting to see what the trade of Porto Rico has been with other countries, and especially the United States during recent years.

A very large part of the island's trade has been carried on with the United States, where corn, flour, salt-meat, fish and lumber have been imported in return for sugar, mola.s.ses and coffee.

The natives are not a sea faring people, and care little or nothing for s.h.i.+ps of their own. Therefore, by far the larger part of their trade with other countries has been carried on by the means of foreign s.h.i.+ps.

Porto Rico has paid into the Spanish treasury about 4,000,000 pesos annually, which is equivalent to about $800,000.

In normal years, that is, when no war was going on, the total value of imports into the island amounted to about $8,000,000, and the exports to about $16,000,000.

The latest Spanish statistics, that is, during 1896, give the importations into Porto Rico as amounting to $18,945,793, and the exports to $17,295,535.

The average entrances of s.h.i.+ps into the ports have been 1919 vessels of an aggregate of 327,941 tons, of which 544 of 81,966 tons were British.

Articles of import have been distributed by countries as follows:

From Spain come wines, rice, oils, flour and textiles; from England, machinery, textiles, salted provisions, rice and coal; from France, a small amount of textiles, some jewelry and perfumery, and some fine wines and liquors; from Italy, wines, vermicelli and rice; from Germany, gla.s.s and porcelain wares, textiles, paper, cheese, candied fruits, beer and liquors; from Holland, cheese; from Cuba, rum, sugar and tobacco; from the United States, petroleum, ironware, gla.s.sware, chemicals, textiles, paper, lumber, barrels, machinery, carriages, dried and salted meats, b.u.t.ter, grease, codfish, flour, coal, fruits, vermicelli and cheese.

A commercial arrangement was entered into between the United States and Spain in 1895, in consequence of which the following proclamation was issued by the Spanish Government:

PROCLAMATION:

The executive is authorized to apply to the products and manufactures of the United States which coming from the ports of the United States be admitted into the ports of Cuba and Porto Rico, the benefits of the second column of the tariffs in said islands; provided that the United States, in their turn apply their lowest rates of duty to the products of the soil and of the industry of Cuba and Porto Rico.

This modus vivendi shall be in force until a permanent commercial treaty between the two parties concerned is concluded, or until one of them gives notice to the other, three months in advance of the day on which it wishes to put an end of it.

Therefore, I command all the courts, justices, chiefs, governors and other authorities, civil, military and ecclesiastical, of all cla.s.ses and dignities, to observe and cause to be observed, obeyed and executed this present law in all its parts. Given in the palace, February 4, 1895.

I, the Queen Regent.

Alejandro Groizard, Secretary of State.

The above is translated from the Gaceta de Madrid of February 6, 1895.

This agreement, if so it can be called, is of course now at an end.

Hereafter Porto Rico will enjoy all the privileges of a colony of the United States.

But still it is interesting to note the duty on the leading articles of export from the United States to Porto Rico, as expressed in the second column of the Spanish tariff.

This was as follows:

Wheat flour, rice flour, buckwheat flour, cornmeal, oatmeal, barleymeal, ryemeal, per 100 kilograms, gross, $4 00 Pork, per 100 kilograms, net 9 90 Beef and all other meats, per 100 kilograms, net 6 50 Sausage, per 100 kilograms, gross 20 Hay, per 100 kilograms, gross 80 Pig iron, per 100 kilograms, net 50 Bar iron, per 100 kilograms, net 2 15 Barb wire (for fencing), per 100 kilograms, net 40 Coal, per 100 kilograms, net 60 Patent medicines, including weight of container and wrapper 35

One hundred kilograms amounts to something over two hundred pounds.

The people on the island are rather luxurious, so much so that in one year five million dollars worth of goods were carried there. These goods consisted princ.i.p.ally of manufactured products, such as clothing and household wares.

The princ.i.p.al exports from the United States have been flour, pork, lard, lumber and shooks.

But, of course, all this will be largely increased now that Porto Rico is practically a portion of the United States, and the increased commerce will be to the advantage of both.

During the five years from 1893 to 1897, the trade of Porto Rico with the United States has been as follows:

Imports Exports to from United United States: States:

1893 $4,008,623 $2,510,007 1894 3,135,634 2,720,508 1895 1,506,512 1,833,544 1896 2,296,653 2,102,094 1897 2,181,024 1,988,888

Whatever disadvantages Porto Rico may possess, and when all is said and done, they are beyond question few, it is certainly lovely enough and prolific enough to make one forget them all.

A writer in Ainslee's Magazine concludes his very clever article as follows, and undoubtedly every word he says is true:

"Unfortunately for the development of Spanish countries the mental activity of the people is princ.i.p.ally manifested in an exuberant imagination which finds expression in superlative and poetical language.

If there were any corresponding creative genius and executive ability in material affairs such a fertile and well-watered land as Puerto Rico would be the home of one of the richest communities on the globe. By her situation she is adapted to become the centre of a flouris.h.i.+ng commerce whose goods might be carried down dozens of navigable rivers from the interior of the island. Under a good government, with enterprising colonists, the natural resources of the island, some of which have been scarcely touched, would bring comfort and wealth to a large population."

CHAPTER VI.

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS.