180 CUBA AND PORTO RICO 



thousand inhabitants. It is situated on the north coast 

 of the island, facing the ocean and adjoining an exten- 

 sive sandy beach bathed by the waters of the Atlantic. 

 In the adjacent lands along the river Arecibo are valuable 

 plantations of coffee, sugar, etc. There are also fine pas- 

 tures near here. From an ornamental central plaza, 

 surrounded by public buildings, the streets run at right 

 angles, forming regular squares. The buildings are con- 

 structed of wood and brick. The city has a large church, 

 a good theater, and pleasing public buildings. From Are- 

 cibo a road leads to the cave of Consejo, framed by a 

 multitude of irregular arches which pierce the rock and 

 which are lined by many crystallizations of calcite. 



The harbor is poor, being nothing more than an open 

 roadstead exposed to the full force of the ocean, in which 

 vessels, during northerly winds, can hardly lie in safety. 

 Close inshore, on one side, stretch dangerous reefs, a 

 constant menace to vessels if their anchors do not hold. 

 Into this harbor empties a narrow and shallow stream 

 called the Rio Grande de Arecibo. Goods are conveyed 

 on this river to and from the town in flat-bottomed boats, 

 with the aid of long poles, and by dint of much patient 

 pushing. At the bar of the river everything is again 

 transferred into lighters, and thence to vessels. It is a 

 tedious and expensive process. However, Arecibo is quite 

 an important port, and has tributary to it a large district 

 of some thirty thousand inhabitants. The want of good 

 roads on the island makes such a place as Arecibo far 

 more important than it would otherwise be. 



Fajardo, founded in 1774, is on the east coast of the 

 island, and has a population of 8779 according to the last 

 official statistics (December, 1887). The port is handsome, 

 with a third-class lighthouse at the entrance, at the point 

 called Cabeza de San Juan, and a custom-house open to 

 all commerce. The town is about one and a quarter 

 miles from the bay. The only important industry of the 

 district is the manufacture of muscovado sugar, to which 

 most of the planters devote themselves. Shooks, hickory 



