﻿474 
  ANlSrUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  192 
  9 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  island 
  before 
  the 
  conquest. 
  A 
  coastal 
  plain 
  extends 
  back 
  from 
  

   the 
  Caribbean 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  50 
  miles 
  along 
  the 
  entire 
  southeastern 
  

   coast 
  almost 
  to 
  the 
  Haitian 
  border. 
  Here 
  are 
  located 
  several 
  of 
  the 
  

   large 
  sugar 
  estates. 
  

  

  The 
  north 
  coast 
  is 
  largely 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  honey, 
  while 
  

   coffee 
  is 
  produced 
  almost 
  exclusivel}'' 
  in 
  the 
  western 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   island, 
  which 
  is 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  Republic 
  of 
  Haiti. 
  Cattle 
  raising 
  

   has 
  proved 
  a 
  profitable 
  industry 
  to 
  the 
  Spanish 
  settlers 
  of 
  the 
  interior 
  

   uplands 
  and 
  semiarid 
  areas 
  of 
  the 
  west, 
  but 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   Dominican 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  is 
  still 
  undeveloped. 
  Tropical 
  fruits, 
  

   such 
  as 
  plantains, 
  bananas, 
  pineapples, 
  coconuts, 
  limes, 
  lemons, 
  

   and 
  oranges, 
  mangoes, 
  breadfruit, 
  and 
  tropical 
  root 
  and 
  tuber 
  crops 
  

   such 
  as 
  yams, 
  sweet 
  potatoes, 
  yucca 
  (cassava), 
  yautia, 
  and 
  others, 
  

   thrive 
  in 
  the 
  more 
  humid 
  areas, 
  where 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  introduced 
  

   by 
  aboriginal 
  or 
  European 
  immigrants. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  permanent 
  settlement 
  by 
  Europeans 
  in 
  the 
  New 
  World 
  is 
  

   commonly 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  Isabela, 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  coast 
  about 
  40 
  kilometers 
  

   west 
  of 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Puerto 
  Plata. 
  This 
  settlement, 
  founded 
  by 
  

   Columbus 
  in 
  December, 
  1493, 
  is 
  really 
  the 
  second 
  to 
  be 
  established 
  

   in 
  America, 
  as 
  a 
  colony 
  had 
  been 
  founded 
  by 
  Columbus 
  near 
  Cape 
  

   Haitien, 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  coast 
  of 
  Haiti, 
  a 
  year 
  earlier, 
  shortly 
  after 
  one 
  

   of 
  his 
  vessels 
  had 
  been 
  wrecked 
  on 
  Christmas 
  eve, 
  1492. 
  Neither 
  

   this 
  earlier 
  settlement, 
  known 
  as 
  La 
  Navidad, 
  nor 
  Isabela 
  became 
  

   permanent 
  colonies, 
  although 
  Isabela 
  continued 
  to 
  exist 
  as 
  the 
  Spanish 
  

   capital 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  World 
  for 
  seven 
  years 
  until 
  it 
  was 
  voluntarily 
  

   abandoned 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  a 
  settlement 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Ozama 
  River. 
  

   This 
  new 
  settlement 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  coast 
  had 
  been 
  established 
  in 
  1496 
  

   because 
  of 
  its 
  proximity 
  to 
  a 
  newly 
  discovered 
  gold 
  field. 
  The 
  present- 
  

   day 
  city 
  of 
  Santo 
  Domingo, 
  the 
  capital 
  of 
  the 
  Dominican 
  Republic, 
  

   developed 
  from 
  this 
  settlement 
  and 
  is 
  therefore 
  entitled 
  to 
  the 
  honor 
  of 
  

   being 
  the 
  first 
  permanent 
  settlement 
  by 
  Europeans 
  in 
  America. 
  The 
  

   unfortunate 
  La 
  Na.vidad 
  colony 
  was 
  wiped 
  out 
  by 
  the 
  Indians 
  within 
  

   a 
  few 
  months 
  of 
  its 
  establishment, 
  under 
  circumstances 
  not 
  definitely 
  

   known. 
  Its 
  downfall 
  was 
  instigated 
  by 
  the 
  Indian 
  cacique 
  of 
  the 
  

   Cibao, 
  Caonabo, 
  but 
  was 
  hastened 
  by 
  the 
  dissolute 
  conduct 
  of 
  the 
  

   first 
  colonists 
  themselves. 
  

  

  The 
  ruins 
  of 
  Isabela 
  are 
  still 
  in 
  existence 
  and 
  continue 
  to 
  arouse 
  a 
  

   romantic 
  interest 
  not 
  shared 
  by 
  other 
  outposts 
  and 
  colonies 
  established 
  

   by 
  Columbus. 
  Visitors 
  have 
  carried 
  away 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  stone 
  from 
  the 
  

   walls, 
  and 
  the 
  destruction 
  wrought 
  by 
  time 
  is 
  such 
  that 
  very 
  little 
  

   remains 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  site 
  recognizable 
  as 
  the 
  walled 
  city 
  it 
  once 
  was. 
  

   In 
  a 
  letter 
  to 
  Washington 
  Irving, 
  published 
  in 
  1859 
  in 
  The 
  Life 
  and 
  

   Voyages 
  of 
  Christopher 
  Columbus, 
  T. 
  S. 
  Heneken 
  gives 
  the 
  following 
  

   interesting 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  ruins 
  as 
  they 
  existed 
  nearly 
  a 
  cen- 
  

   tury 
  ago. 
  

  

  