Show S t f kt sr m r s sf ra r a J 3 facts Coni cernin porto por tb rico and the passa passage islands A s by the terms tenna of the treaty of peace to be signed by spain and the united states as speedily Pe edilY as may be we come whatever may become of the pacific islands into possession of porto rico and a dozen small islands of the west indies which under american control should yield a comfortable revenue to x the government porto rico alone would provide a remunerative re ve investment for both american capital and industries dus tries abut but the smaller islands are not to be despised they are collectively known as the passage islands and comprise all the islands and keys lying between the virgin passage and the east end of porto rico the second largest of them is culebra island about sixteen miles to the eastward of cape san juan as the northeast point of porto rico is called it is six miles long by three broad culebra island sometimes called car lit or serpent island is one of a very irregular outline the northern shore Is steep and rocky and bare of harborage on 01 all the other sides there are small and reefs which shelter good anchorages the island is uninhabited it is of moderate elevation broken and rugged and thickly wooded with scarcely a level spot on the surface near the center it rises to a height of fifty feet near culebra is northeast cay very small oval shaped feet high and thickly wooded byrd cay a trifle larger lies yards from northeast cay byrd cay is a remarkably small rocky islet sixty feet high abolt a mile from it are two small rocky wets islets fifteen feet or so high and yards southeast are two more about eighty feet high culebrita Cule brita islet or little culebra lies about a mile from culebra it too is of irregular shape is feet high and thickly wooded from the highest part of the islet a thick white light is exhibited at an elevation of feet and is visible in clear weather nearly fifteen miles there aie are only a few inhabitants on the island excellent anchorage can be found within the cape and islands just described bed but the best called the sound bound in i toward their southern end under the lee of at the reef great harbor in the southern portion of culebra is one of the most secure basins in the west indies it is a mile long and halt half a mile wide of irregular shape but there are no inhabitants or villages there and of course no facilities of any kind crab island called also virgues W j land six miles to the eastward of porto rico is in the largest and most important of the passage group being seventeen miles long by five broad A ridge of f small hills runs nearly its whole length along the middle of the island and rises to a moderate height at the southwest extremity of the island the south coast of the island is indented by several small bays one of which called sound or settlement bay Is defended by a small tort fort there is a small village settlement there on the northern shore share of crab island is port mula at the mouth of a little stream it contains about 1000 inhabitants and is the residence of the governor who is nominated by the captain general of porto rico there is a lighthouse erected at mula point from which a fixed red light is exhibited there is comparatively no trade except in fruits and fish in this archipelago but undoubtedly these islands are capable of development and will pay a fair revenue after they become a portion of the united states their natural beauty is unsurpassed and over them the trade wind is continually blowing giving them a warm delightful climate to the west of porto rico other islands to become the property of the united states are mona and monica islands lying close together in the mona passage and Dese cheo island just off the northwestern coast they have a total area of some square miles which when added to in porto rico makes quite a respectable spec table total porto rico extends 37 miles from north to south and miles laterally running across the island from east to west is a chain of mountains the highest peak of which is el yunkee feet high it can be seen seventy miles at sea A magnificent shore signal could be raised there for commerce porto rico is perfectly adapted tor for in its small area there are 1300 streams 50 of which are navigable and could be used for commerce sugar coffee tobacco cotton corn and potatoes are constantly shipped up and down these rivers and were porto rico to be fully cultivated many more streams could be opened and communication made between others by means of canals so that the entire island would present a splendid system of waterways valuable that the minerals have bees been neglected in order to cultivate the vego vegetables tables san juan is a city of people the inhabitants are roman Cat catholics holica and are highly educated the women are of middle size andare and are exquisitely formed they have all the coquetry of the women of the tropics and their beauty gentleness and grace is the talk of all who visit the island the harbor harbar of san juan is the best in the west indies one of the principal sources of its revenue is its water supply more than twenty islands of tbt west indies send to it for water little boats sail up the harbor of san juan load their tanks with water and sail away again poverty is unknown in the island every man owns his horse and every woman has her chickens the principal sport of the island Is cock fighting and the men of porto rico fight with game cocks as madrid people indulge in bull fights there is nothing but hospitality on the island and the traveler who hands out money offends his host A feature which strikes the traveler is the roof gardens for all porto rico enjoys itself on the housetops at night the houses are built a little off the ground and to the dreamy person seeing them for the first time they look not unlike castles in the air built for pleasure rather than for dwelling purposes the people have the habit 0 of f sleeping in the day and at night they do their shopping and visiting this is the custom in australia and other hot countries and in porto rico it Is 1 almost universal every man has his country house and town house at time of carnival or celebration he be takes his family to town and brings them back again when the sport is over porto rico is immensely wealthy in proportion to its size and it is doubted it if the philippines can equal it in rich nen in proportion to the square toot SOME SCENES IN OUR NEW dependency duj there are people in porto rico who live in IT towns and villages the e exports x p 0 r t s T amount to and so luxury luxurious are the people j 1 that in noe year of goods J QUAY were carried to thel the island these con s isted mostly of manufactured products such as clothing and household wares sheep which thrive in a hot country grow big and tat fat in porto rico and fresh lamb and mutton are constantly shipped from there A very large class of people are am shepherds amid so much richness one would think that the lord would have endowed porto rico no more heavily yet it is a fact that in one end of the island gold mines exist and iron iran copper coal and salt are found in plenty the vegetable productions are however so it presents great possibilities as a re r sort and is one of the finest pieces ot of property on an the earths surface |