The evening times., 1898-10-17
SERENE PORTO RICO DAYS.
Corretpondent I'm Ancient San
Juan Rautiste City.

blahca one White House), which Juan
Ponce de Leon built for himself 800 years
ago, and where he lived during his long
term as governor of the island. 1t stands
in narrow, foughly-paved street, about
half way between the Castillo del Moro
and the present government palace; and
although in its uhsightly old age 1t looks
little like the one-time abode of so great
a potentate, nobody can mistake it on
account of the double line of splendid
palms in front.
Trees are few in Porto Rico's capital,
there being no others except inside the
walls of the Marina-and these are fine
enough TO form a conspicuous landmark
anywhere. The water-side is guarded by
a very ancient and picturesque wall, with
queer little openings on top for cross-bow-
men to shoot through; and within the wall
Is charming garden full of pepper and
cinnamon trees, with passion vines run
hlng riot around a messy fountain in the
center. The Casa Blanca Is anything but
white house today, but gray with the
flight OF time, mottled with lichens and
stained by the storms of centuries. The
passing feet of many generations have
worn deep holloWS in its stone stairWays;
ana the dim rooms, with their heavily
barred easements, Shiny walls and sunken
noors, have the odor or graye-mold in
them. One has an uncanny feeling of
spooks Hitting ahead up the ancient stair
case and lurking in shadowy corners and
expects at any minute to meet a ghostly
knight in armor.
The view from the upper windows is un-
surpassed. Immediately below. on the
seaward side, is the great gray wall of
the line OF defense, with its massive bat
Elements. antiquat cannon and little
sentry turrets. hanging like orioles nests
over the waves; beyond, the sparkling
waters of the bay, and on either hand the
palm-fringed coast of the mainland
sweeping TO the east and west, with green
hills crowding down to the waters edge
Iler above tier rise the hills in cI Sc
ranks, 10 the clouds that veil magnificent
funque-the Indian name of the loftiest
mountain. The center range. which forms
the backbone OF Porto Rico. averages
only about l.Se0 feet in height but there
are several peaks. each something over
1000 feet. Between these hills lie some
of the richest lands on the globe capable
of producing astonishing crops tour times
Il year. There are uplands and Towards
pasture lands, sandy bottoms ani loamy
bottoms-but no feVer-breeding sWamps
and marshes, such as are found in Cuba.
There are districts which grow as fine to-
bacco as the celebrated Vuelta Abajo of
the sister island; coffee lands. bett II than
those of Guatemala. Honduras. or Brazil.
and sugar lands which yield greater crops
than any other spot on earth. Chemists
have never been able to discover what
there is in the sol! of this particular is
and 10 make it better for sugar than
aF bap Of = ha
mains. demonstrated over ana over again.
that quintal Of Porto REQ cane vie ds
from two To twelve per cent more sugar
than can be obtained from u similar
quantity grown in Cuba. Jamaica. or San
to Domingo Perhaps il Is because this
island is so exceptionally well wdtered
without being marshy-seventeen rivers
running to the sea on this north shore
alone, all of them navigabIe several miles
ABOVE their mouths.
Doubtless in Icons time the space be-
tween the fort and castle was open. so
that sitting in his own windows, he had
an unobstructed view To tne horizons
rim. After the natives of Borinquin were
mostly killed and the remnant subjected
10 his VIII. the ambitious Conquistad0r
sighed for more island-worlds 10 conquer
II is said that In one of these seaward
rooms in the Casa Blanca he planned
the voyage which resulted in the dis
covery OF Florida and the upper Bahamas
Sitting day after day in his window, dur
ing the three or four years of enforced
idleness, looking out over the ocean as il
billowed away TO unknown regions and
speculating upon wonders that might lie
beyond his vision, he brooded over the
story he had heard from his Indian SER
wants about mysterious islands in the far
| n- f.11 hot
in its forests. the enchanted fountain of
eternal youth-and, as by that time the
heyday of his youth was past and his
hair beginning 10 wbiten he was doubly
anxious to find an unfailing elixir-for
which most of us would journey far and
wide.
So in 1912 he sailed out of this lay.
which was then called Aguadilla as Co.
lumbus had named it headsd cue n rth
in search of "Bimini the tabled island
on which was to be found the wonderful
fountain. according to the Indians, who
were thus repaying treaehery with
treachery We know how he cruis d the
Bahamas. and landed on Guarahani. or
San Salvador-the first bit of the West
ern World which Columbus sighted On
his first voyage. just twenty years before:
and thence, still steering toward the
north star. Leon discovered coast ba TX
ed with tall trees all aOloom. He named
it "Florida''-but did not prouodnce il as
we do. the Spanish fashion of the word
being as if spelled Flow-read-ah: and to
the day of his death he believed it to
be an island, although the king of Spain
made him Adelantado of the new land
We may as well finish the story while
about it. as we go from the casa blanca
to the tomb of its builder. Leon did not
cto i,, h,7t =, 81
ance of an old woman whom he captured
on one of the keys. searched the outly ing
islands, up and down, for the Biu,ini Of
his dreams.
Naturally, he did not find what never
existed and 6pally returned disheartened
to Porto Rico. He had hardly reached
the casa blanca before one of his officers.
in a ship left behind to continue the
search, brought him the glad tidings that
the long-sought fountain had at last been
discovered; lie, of course but it is said
that often a falsehood we'll told is as good
as the truth. At any rate, on the
strength of this one, Ponce de Leon was
elevated TO the exalted rank Of Adelan-
tado of Florida and Bimini; but rested
content in Porto Rico, meaning to drink
of the magic waters before old age over
took him. Meanwhile. engrossed in Forto
Rican affairs, he almost forgot the new
domain-until the great discoveries of
Cortez in Mexico electrified the world and
aroysed again his spirit of adventure.
In 1871 he fitted out two ships and made
another trip to the north, determined to
stop en- route at Bimini and head off old
Father Time by copious draughts from
the Fountain of Youth. But alas! that
the best laid plans gang aft agley.'
Landing on the Florida coast, he was
at once attacked by the Indians and so
severely wounded that he had to be con-
veyed in haste to Cuba; where he died.
His body. was brought back to this island