PUERTO RICO. 



PUY-DE-DOME. 



oath of Auguit, and the minimum 80* in December, taken at noon- 

 There are two rainy enuoni : the first commences in May and laU 

 bout twruty day*- The Moond is in September, when the rain 

 poun down in tuoh torrents, that in a few hour* from the commence- 

 ment of the rain the firm bare overflowed, and the low land* are 

 completely inundated. Auguit u the hottest month, and the moit sickly 

 for European*. The heat U then suffocating, the sea-breeze ha* died 

 away into a calm, only occasionally broken by a faint breese, and the 

 night briogi no relief, for there U no land-wind. In October the 

 wrathrr become* much cooler. In November the north and north-aat 

 wind* let in. and blow till January, during which month* the weather 

 i* occasionally oooL 



The eoil of Puerto Rico i* of the richest and most varied descrip- 

 tion : there U the deep rich soil required for the cultivation of the 

 sugar-cane, the cool mountain valley for the coffee plantation, the 

 mo*t luxuriant puture, the moist spot favourable for the cocoa-nut 

 and the irrigated rice field*. The puture-land* are principally on 

 the north and east coasts ; the cane-fields on the south and west 

 About one-fifteenth of the land i* under cultivation, and upward* of 

 400,000 cwta. of sugar are annually produced ; also very large quan- 

 tities of ooflee. maixe, tobacco, rice, and some cotton. The proportion 

 of sugar obtained from an acre is much greater than in either of the 

 other West India island*. A large number of head of horned cattle 

 are reared for exportation as well as for home consumption. 



The island poeeeeees no indigenous quadrupeds, scarcely any birds 

 except a few species of water-fowl and some parrots, and no monkeys. 

 The cane-fields are infested by rat* of a large size, which at time* 

 commit great ravages. 



There are no manufactures in Puerto Rico beyond those of the 

 ruder articles of daily use. Nor have mining operations engaged 

 much attention, though gold, iron, copper, lead, and coal are said to 

 have been met with. 



The commerce of Puerto Rico is very considerable, the exports 

 having an average annual value of upwards of 5,000,000 dollars, the 

 import* about 4,500,000 dollars. The principal exports are of augar, 

 molasses, and rum ; coffee ; cattle, and hides ; cotton ; tobacco, and 

 cigars; timber and dye-wood; and indigo. The larger part of the 

 commerce is carried on with Spain and the United States; but 

 England, France, Denmark, and Germany share in it to a considerable 

 extent. A heavy ad valorem duty U imposed on the importation of 

 foreign goods ; the consequence of which is an extensive contraband 

 trade with St. Thomas's and other islands. The trade with America 

 consists in salt-fish, grain, flour, butter, and lumber ; with France, in 

 linens, cambrics, ornaments, toys, and jewellery; with England, 

 cotton goods, hardware, and earthenware : England takes a great 

 quantity of cattle for the supply of her colonies; with Spain, olives, 

 brandies, wines, dried fruits, anchovies, &c. ; with the German 

 States, in glass, sword-blades, linens, hams, 4c. 



Puerto Rico was discovered by Columbus in 1493. The natives 

 submitted quietly to the Spaniards for some time, but at length rose 

 and slaughtered many of them. On this the Spaniards exterminated 

 the greater part of the natives, and the remainder have become so 

 intermixed with the conquerors, that there is no mark of distinction 

 between the races. The present inhabitants are composed of whites, 

 who are somewhat more than half; and free mulattoes, who are 

 somewhat more thau one-fourth of the entire population ; the 

 remainder are negroes, about two-thirds of whom are slaves. It is 

 remarkable that in Puerto Rico white and black persons work together 

 in the field* at the same labour without any feeling of degradation on 

 the part of the former ; and there is said to be none of the antipathy 

 manifested here between the races which is BO common in the United 

 States and elsewhere. 



The government of Puerto Rico is administered by a captain- 

 general, who ha* the supreme military command, but his civil authority 

 U in some degree controlled by an officer who is called bis legal 

 adviser. A court of royal audience is invested with the superin- 

 tendence of all other authorities, and is consulted by the governor 

 on all important occasions. Two courts of cabildo superintend the 

 police and municipal affairs. In each of the seven towns and villages 

 which form the bead of a department, a migistrate resides called the 

 alcalde mayor. In the smaller towns there are inferior magistrates, 

 who are annually appointed by the captain-general. The ecclesiastical 

 tribunal i* composed of the bishop and provisor. A naval tribunal 

 si presided over by the commandant of the marine ; and a consulado 

 it established for the decision of all mercantile disputes. 



The island contain* 58 towns and villages. Son Juan de Puerto Rico, 

 the capital, U situated on the north side of the island, in 18"29 / N. lat, 

 68* IV W. long. ; population about 20,000. San Juan is built on a 

 narrow island about 2 miles in length, which is connected at one end 

 with the mainland by a bridge. The town is placed on the slope of a 

 hill, and has regularly-built streets, which cross each other at right 

 singles. It is inclosed by strong fortifications, and on the summit of 

 the hill is a fortress called More castle. The harbour lies between the 

 town and the mainland. San Juan is the seat of government. The 

 chief public buildings are the cathedral, a theatre, a military hospital 

 for 350 patients, another for females, a jail, a house of correction, a 

 handsome town-house, an arsenal, a custom-house, four churches and 

 two chapels. The town Las been thrice unsuccessfully attacked by 



British force* : in 1594 under Sir Francis Drake; in 1791 under Sir 

 Ralph Abercromby ; and in 1799 under Sir Henry Harvey; and once 

 successfully in 1697 under the Earl of Cumberland. 



The more important of the smaller towns in Puerto Rico are Haya- 

 gues snd Aguadilla on the west coast, Ponce on the south coast, 

 Humscao on the east coast, and Pepino and Cayey in the interior. 

 The rest are very small, consisting generally of a large square with a 

 church and a few straggling houses. 



PUGHAN, or PAGHAN MEW. [BiRMA.] 



PUGHMAN MOUNTAINa [AroHANiBTAH.] 



PU'GLIA, the ancient Apulia, is the general name given to a large 

 division of the kingdom of Naples, which, lying between the Apennines 

 and the Adriatic Sea, comprises the provinces of Capitauata, Tern di 

 Ban, and Terra d'Otranto. It is naturally divided into two regions, 

 namely, the great plain of Capitanata, called Puglia Piana, or ' Flat 

 Apulia,' and the hilly region of Bari and Otranto, called Puglia 1'ie- 

 troea, or ' Stony Apulia.' These regions are noticed under CAPITA- 

 NATA, BARI (TERRA DI), and OTRANTO (TERRA DI). The whole of 

 Puglia is one of the most productive countries of the kingdom ; its 

 chief wealth consists in corn, oil, wool, and cattle. [APULIA.] 



PULAWY. [POLAND.] 



PULBOROUGH. [SCSSBX.] 



PULICAT. [CARNATic.J 



PULO NIES and PULO BATU. [SUMATRA.] 



PULTAWA. [POLTAWA.] 



PULTUSK. [POLAND.] 

 PUNHETE. [EsTRKMADURA, Portuguese.] 

 PUNJAB. [HINDUSTAN.] 

 PUNTA-DE-ARENAS. [CosTA RICA,] 



PURBECK. [DORSETSHIRE.] 



PUUFLEET. [Essex.] 



PURIFICACION. [MEXICO.] 



PUKLEIGH. [ESSEX.] 



PURNEAH, the capital of Purueah district, in the province and 

 presidency of Bengal, is situated in 25 50' N. lat, 87 34' E. long., 

 about 230 miles N.W. from Calcutta. The population of the city and 

 suburbs is estimated at 40,000. Indigo is raised to a considerable 

 extent in the district. 



PUTEOLL [NAPLES, Province of.] 



PUTNEY. [SURREY.] 



PUTWL. [KURSK.] 



PUY, LE. [LOIRE, HAUTE.] 



PUY-DE-DOME, a department in France, lies between 45 18' and 

 46" 16' N. lat, 2 27' and 3 57' E. long. ; and is bounded N. by the 

 department of Allier, E. by that of Loire, S. by those of Haute-Loire 

 and Cantal, and W. by those of Creuse and Correze. Its greatest 

 length from north-west to south-east is 85 miles, and the average 

 width is about 50 miles. The area is 3072-85 square miles; the 

 population in 1841 was 591,458; in 1851 it amounted to 596,897; 

 which gives 194'248 to the square mile, being 19-664 above the 

 average per square mile for the whole of France. The department is 

 formed out of Lower Auvergne, part of Bourbounaia, and a small 

 portion of Forez; and is named from a lofty peak in the Domes 

 Mountains. 



The surface presents an extensive undulating basin inclining 

 generally towards the north, drained by the Allier, and shut in on 

 the east and west by two chains of volcanic mountains resting on a 

 granitic base. This basin, which is distinguished by the name of 

 La- Limagne, consists of the valley of the Allier, into which a great 

 number of other valleys open on either side, each watered by a stream 

 that descends from the neighbouring mountains, and separated from 

 the adjacent one by gently-sloping hills. The Limagne Las a soil 

 which consists of decomposed volcanic matter mixed with alluvial 

 deposits ; it is exceedingly fertile and well cultivated ; the hill sides 

 are covered with vineyards and orchards ; the rows of walnut-trees 

 that bound the fields, and the chestnut plantations, with their masses 

 of foliage, add richness and variety to the landscape, which presents 

 at every turn some new beauty. The chief products of this basin 

 are wheat, hemp, wine, oil, and fruits; there is some fine pasture- 

 land, and a great breadth of rich meadow, especially near Riom, which 

 is flooded every year and yields three crops of hay. 



The mountains of Forez, which bound the Limagne on the east, are 

 an offshoot of the Cdvennes ; they form the watershed between the 

 Allier and the Loire, and are covered with pine forests interspersed 

 here and there with some hungry pastures, and a few cultivated 

 patches that yield only oats and rye. 



Tin- western boundary of the Limagne is formed by that portion of 

 the Auvergne Mountains which runs northward out of the depart- 

 ment of Cautal, and forms part of the watershed between the Garonne 

 and the Loire, including the two remarkable volcanic groups of the 

 Monts-Ddmes and the Monts-Dores. The common base of these 

 mountain groups is 1968 feet above the mean level of the Limagne. 

 The Monti Dwa, or Monts-lfOr (as the name is commonly but incor- 

 rectly written), arc in the south of the department, and consist of a 

 great number of high peaks, the loftiest among which, called JJe-Sancy, 

 has an elevation of 6196 feet above the level of the sea. The peak 

 De-Saucy, although it has no crater, is covered on all sides with bare 

 rocks, lava streams, and other volcanic products a circumstance 



