WHOLE VOL. THE WEST INDIES — VAZQUEZ DE ESriNOSA 47 



dance of guaiacum, called palo santo, since it is highly medicinal and 

 of value for the French pox and other maladies ; it has other valuable 

 kinds of wood, common to the Windward Islands. 



117. This island contains the above-mentioned city of San Juan 

 de Puerto Rico, which will count 300 Spanish residents ; there is in 

 it a Cathedral with Bishop and Prebendaries who serve it and reside 

 there ; a Dominican convent and shrines of St. Anne ; La Concepcion 

 is a hospital where the indigent sick are cared for, and for the soldiers 

 there is the Hospital of San Nicolas. Outside the city stand the 

 shrines of San Sebastian and Santa Barbara, where one goes to 

 watch the ships come in and enjoy the fresh breeze which usually 

 prevails in that spot which overlooks the ocean and where the ships 

 fire a salute before entering the harbor, beside the sea ; under the 

 fortress Hes the shrine of Santa Catalina. 



118. His Majesty, in consultation with the Supreme Council of 

 the Indies, appoints a Governor in this island and city for its proper 

 administration, with title of Captain General. It possesses an excel- 

 lent fort in the Morro, at the harbor entrance, with 60 pieces of 

 artillery, mostly of bronze. There are in this fort 300 Spanish soldiers 

 as a garrison, plus artillerymen, and two companies with their cap- 

 tains, provided by His Majesty ; and there are two more of natives 

 of the city and the island, whose captains are appointed by the Gover- 

 nor. Furthermore three other Spanish settlements have been estab- 

 lished on the coast, viz, Arecibo and Guadianilla on the E. side of 

 the island, and Coamo on the W., in all of which there are likewise 

 Negroes and free mulattoes, of much importance for the stock 

 ranches and other farming establishments. 



119. The chief foodstuffs of this island are Indian corn and cas- 

 sava, which is their ordinary bread, made from yucca, which is a 

 bush or small shrub. It grows on poles or stakes, and has leaves like 

 hemp ; its fruit buds and grows off the root, like potatoes or turnips ; 

 when it is ripe, they gather and grate it ; then they squeeze out the 

 juice, which is deadly poison, and from the grated flesh they make large 

 white tender cakes, which when baked form the bread generally 

 eaten on this island and the other Windward Isles and in other hot 

 countries of the Indies, where they grow it with abundant returns ; 

 in soup it makes an excellent food. 



120. On this island there are large cattle ranches and breeding estab- 

 lishments, and they get quantities of hides, which are exported to 

 Spain. They have good horses, the best ginger that comes to Spain 

 from the Indies, and some tobacco. This island possesses excellent 

 sugar mills and plantations, in which and the cattle ranches and other 



