The Philipsburg mail., 1898-12-02

Ponce, Porto Rico, Correspondents:
Fhc dream OF that innocent and credu-
ous old Spanish knight, Ponce de
Leon, has at last been partially realized
In the quaint. historic city that bears
his name, upon the very island where
he made his vain quest for the Spring
Of Everlasting Life. Little did this an
rient Don think, when in the name Of
the king Of Spain he took possession of
the beautiful island that the time
would ever come when an alien and
hated race would overthrow the indo-
lent, careless and deep-rooted ignorance
Of this Spanish possession, ard instill
the spirit Of progress and industry into
the natives who for hundreds of years
have dragged cut an existence OF lazy,
useless inactivity. Yet that time has
come, and the island is even now en-
terlng upon an epoch which will ere
long develop into one of remarkable
wealth and progress. As those who
visited Japan ten years ago would
scarcely recognize it now, SO will it be
with Porto Rico in much less time, and
the native dress, customs and charac-
teristics now so fraught with interest
to the seeker after knowledge Of his
fellowman will have passed into the
dead yesterday.
To the traveller, Ponce possesses
more OF interest than any ether city
On the island. 1t is larger, inhabited by
a better and moro intelligent class and
is far more richly endowed with the
beauties Of nature than its rival, San
Juan, whose only claim to interest lies
IN its Notifications and its filth.
Ponce, although the most populous
city on the island, is wholly without de-
Tense of any kind The city proper lies,
about two miles inland from the har-
Dor and is connected with the port by
military road, one Of the few i'm
provements granted to the island un-
der the Spanish regime. Porto Ponce
lies on the waters edge and my first
glimpse Of the town as our boat neared
the rude pier was a long row of low,
white, pink, blue and yellow stores.
That Is, the colors were once there but
time, neglect and the elements had left
but little trace of the original hues. AS
the boat was tossed through the surf
onto the beach score Of youngsters.
from 8 to Is years of age and ranging
IN color from mahogany brown to
dusky white, waded about our boat.
wholly unabashed in their nakedness,
their curiosity overcoming the fear in
which they hold all foreigners. Upon
the pier were gathered a conglomer-
ate mass Of sailors, soldiers and na-
tives, all intermingling with the good
fellowship always uppermost among
the Caucasian race when thrown to-
gether in a foreign land No Span
.ards were to be found, or if they were
they hid their sympathies beneath the
everlasting shout of "Vive los Ameri-
canos." l pushed my way through the
crowd, up through the narrow, muddy
street, and finding hack, bargained
with the driver to carry me to Ponce
for una real, or twelve cents Spanish
money. This is but six cents in our
coin, and my Jehu specified that he
was to be paid in Americana dinero,"
Or American money. l climbed into the
rickety old trap, drawn by two diminu-
tive native horses, whose size would
compare favorably with the smallest Of
Arizona burros, but whose strength
was entirely out of proportion with
their size.
Porto Ponce is the tobacco and sugar
mart for the greater portion of the
ISLAND, and as we rode toward the in
terror we passed dozens of long, low
storehouses filled with the soothing
weed, and others where through the
open doors could be seen hundreds Of
men, women and children stripping and
preparing the tobacco for the market.
In the streets and about the entrances