46 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I02 



20 across. Its climate is warm and healthful. It was discovered by 

 that first matchless Admiral and Perpetual Viceroy Christopher 

 Columbus, who gave His Majesty so many kingdoms, and Heaven 

 so many souls; thanks to his courage, the Holy Gospel has been 

 preached over all those far-flung territories. He discovered Puerto 

 Rico on the second voyage which he made. 



115. In the year 1509 there arrived to take possession of it, Juan 

 Ponce de Leon, a nobleman of Seville, with orders and authority 

 from Commander Nicholas de Ovando, Governor of Hispaniola ; he 

 was actuated by news of the wealth of gold, silver, and other valu- 

 ables to be found on the island. He brought along in his company 

 Capt. Juan Montes, who aided him in subduing the island and found- 

 ing the city of Puerto Rico, and then settled there, the Commander 

 making him a grant of Indians, inherited by his daughter Elvira de 

 Montes, who married Juan de Torres, likewise a pioneer settler of 

 the island and city. He was succeeded by his son Juan de Torres 

 Montes, who rose through his courage to be Captain and served in 

 many campaigns in the district of Panama, and on other occasions 

 against the Negro Cimarrons (fugitives) and the freebooters; he 

 was Captain General of the city and port of Nombre de Dios, serv- 

 ing always at his own expense, until, after undergoing many trials, 

 he came to the city of Seville and retired ; he left his home and prop- 

 erty there to his son, Don Juan de Torres Montes. There were in 

 the island when he took it over, more than 600,000 Indians, not count- 

 ing women and children ; of all that number at the present day only 

 the memory remains. He started subduing the island, and for the 

 better attainment of his ambition, he established and colonized on 

 the N. coast, where there is a famous harbor, safe and deep, in the 

 following year 15 10, a city which he called San Juan, from the name 

 of his saint's day, and he added the surname Rico (Noble) for the 

 excellence of its harbor; so both island and city keep the name of 

 San Juan de Puerto Rico. It lies at a distance of 90 leagues from 

 the city of Santo Domingo, seat of the Circuit Court ; the two islands 

 are from 15 to 20 leagues apart. 



116. When Commander Juan Ponce de Leon began his conquest 

 of the island and his settlement of the city, he collected a large amount 

 of gold, of which there is abundance on the island, and other valu- 

 ables which the Indians gathered and brought in to him ; of the 

 quantity existing in the mines it possesses, and in the rivers, none is 

 extracted by mining or panning today, for lack of labor. The land is 

 fertile and bears abundantly, the climate being favorable ; there are 

 high mountains, good tough timber for shipbuilding, and great abun- 



