HISTORY AND ADMINISTRATION 155 



until the revolution cut oft' these remittal ices, in 1810, that 

 the island, owing to the extreme embarrassment of its finan- 

 cial condition, began to attract the notice of the mother- 

 country. Previous to that time, Spain paid but little 

 attention to her West Indian possessions, except as water- 

 ing-stations for sailing-ships. Not being outwardly valu- 

 able, it attracted little attention, and suffered less from ill 

 government than Cuba, for instance ; the result being that 

 the island remained loyal to the home country. 



In 1815 a decree was published in its behalf, distin- 

 guished, like many of the early acts of the restored gov- 

 ernment, by its enlightened sagacity. This decree, while 

 it greatly encouraged free industries, unfortunately gave 

 an impetus to the employment of slave labor, which had 

 heretofore not been used not from motives of humanity, 

 1 nit from want of capital and the indolence and poverty of 

 the previous settlers, who were somewhat comparable to 

 the lower white element of our own colonial times. Under 

 this decree, colonists were invited to the island on the most 

 liberal terms. Lands were allotted gratis ; the settlers were 

 free from direct taxes, and for a certain number of years 

 from the tithes and alcabala, as well as from the exporta- 

 tion duties which formed at that time the most impolitic 

 feature of the old Spanish system. From the period of 

 this decree the prosperity of Porto Rico began, and from 

 then until now the advance in wealth and population has 

 been unexampled even in the West Indies. A great im- 

 pulse was also given in these early years of the present cen- 

 tury by the arrival of Spanish capitalists driven from Santo 

 Domingo and the Spanish Main men distinguished in the 

 more prosperous times of South America for their regular- 

 ity and probity in the transaction of business. 



In 1870 Porto Rico was made a province of Spain, 

 instead of a colony, thereby acquiring the same rights and 

 government as existed in the mother-country, with repre- 

 sentation in the Cortes, elected by universal suffrage. The 

 indisposition to political upheavals has 1 n as conducive 



