•^6 



THE ISLAND OF 



^extremely fond of liberty. They however fucceeded c lall, and -not 

 •only conquered, but extirpated the natives : who, at the h li arrival of the 

 Spaniards^ are faid to have amounted to 600,000. The n: ,ral coafequence 

 of fuch inhuman coiidu6l was too foon vilible ; the deftruv uon of the people 

 proved the ruin of the ifland, and there is now no longei ly quantity of 

 gold found in Puerto Rico, where it formerly abounded, aijd for the fake of 

 which the poor innocent natives were llaughtered. The rains which ge- 

 nerally render the feafon unhealthful fall in June, July, d Aiigujt, when 

 thte weather would otherwife be extremely hoc. The foi' which is beauti- 

 fully divcrfified, is extremely fertile, abounding with fine meadows, well 

 flocked with wild cattle, which were brought originally from Spain. A 

 ridge of mountains runs through the ifland from eaft to weft, from whence 

 great numbers of brooks and rivers ilTue, which water the plains, and clothe 

 them with the fineft paftures. . The fides of the bills are covered with trees 

 of various kinds, proper for building ftiips and other ufeful purpofes : but its 

 principal commodides for commerce are fugar, ginger, hides, cotton, thread, 

 caffia, maftick, ^c. Great quantities of fait are alfo made on the ifland ; 

 which, with the great variety of fine fruits it produces, adds much to the 

 value of its exports. The number of inhabitants, who are chiefly Mulalos 

 at prefent on the ifland, arr.ount to alout ir,ooo. 



The genius of the people, and the convenient fituation of this ifland, would 

 render it the moft fiourifliing of all the Spanijh colonies, if fome great in- 

 conveniences did not keep the people under. Thefe are principally three ; 

 great droughts, which are but too frequent, and which bring the inhabi- 

 tants to the point of ftarving j hurricanes, which happen alfo very often, 

 and do incredible mifchief at fea and on fhore ; and, laflily, the defcents of 

 privateers, which have been fo frequent, and fo fatal, that all the fea-ports 

 have been ravaged feveral times. 



San JUAN de PUERTO RICO, 



THE capital of the ifland, is fituated on a Ihiall ifland, extending a- 

 crofs the harbour, and is joined to that of Puerto Rico by a caufey. 

 This harbour is very capacious, and the largeft fhips may lie here with the 



utmoft 



