The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-30
PoRro R1cAN RELICS.
Prehistoric Antiquities That VIII
Interest American students.
From the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Interest American students.
From the Louisville Courier-Journal.
The expedition to Porto Rico organized
by Mr.. Cornelius Vanderbilt. which is to
be led by Prof n. L. Britton, will have
for its main object the collecting Of rare
tropical plants for the New York Botani-
cal Garden. but a secondary purpose or
no small Importance VIII be the gather
ing of objects illustrative of the life and
customs on the vanished people who oc-
cupied the island in prehistoric times, be-
fore Columbus. To-day that fruitful isle
Is one of the most thiclkly inhabited por-
tons of the world but then it was even
more densely populated than now, though
it did not take the Spaniapds more thah
half a dozen years to completely exter-
inmate the aborigines, who are said 10
have numbered nearly 100000 souls. They
were quite a civilized race, possessing
many notable arts and industries; yet very
little about their character and culture
is known at present But something on
the subject is revealed by strange relics
that have been found, the like of which
have not been discovered anywhere else
in the world. Many of these are figures
of human beings and animals in stone,
which are believed to have had relig
ious significance.
handed down by Spanish explorers and
historians, 1t is possible to arrive at some
definite conclusions regarding the man
ners and customs of these ancient people.
1t is known that in their day Porto Rico
was the Athens of the Antilles 1t was
the Mecca of the West Indies-the sacred
and holy place resorted TO by the natives
of all the wide-scattered archipelago of
those tropical seas. In their dug-out ca
noes, some of which We'd in size with
modern sailing ships, the inhabitants of
that wide watery region hocked at APP
pointed seasons to the isle for the pur-
pose of engaging in pious ceremoniats.
There the prehistoric Anthem civilization
had it's center and focus. 1t was the
metropolitan island par excellence, and
from the modern point of view 1t is an
other Cyprus, indescribably rich In bur-
led antiquities Relics have been found
there far more beautiful and strange than
have been obtained in Cuba or anywhere
else in that part of the world.
Strange to say up to date only one
notable collection of memorials of prehis-
toric Porto Rico has been made. Many
years ago man of scientific inclinauons
named George Latiner was consul general
of the United States in Porto Rico. His
fad was the gathering of such relics, of
which he accumulated a superb assem-
blage. He died from a surgical opera
ton, and one day, not long after, Dutch
sugar brig arrived at Baltimore with
queer consignment on board. The captain
of the vessel notified the Smithsonian III
stitute that he had ready for delivery
certain number of boxes and barrels con-
signed to that establishment of learning.
He also had a copy of Mr.. lsatimers Will,
together with an order from his executor.
All of the stuH was fetched to Washing
tom and the barrels and boxes were found
to contain Mr.. Latimers entire collection,
valued at $50 900, which had been left by
| the owner of the Smithsonian. If all the
museums in the world were to put to-
gether everything that they possess from
the Antilles, the total would not equal,
! from the archaeologists stanpolnt, TINS
| wonderful collection.
| Now II Is hoped that the Vanderbilt
! expedition will secure many more precious
! things in this line. Recent events have
| set a keen edge upon the desire of Amerl-
| can scientists to know something about
| the prehistoric people of Porto RICO
| Something is already known on the sub
| 4ect hut not much No description has
| ever been given of the sacred places in
| which these strange objects presently to
| be described were wrought. The very
meaning of many of the objects in ques-
| ton Is a mystery. To some extent, how
! ever. the prehistoric conditions may be
| reconstructed out of the material referred
| TO with the aid of the testimony of the
| snanish historians. The inhabitants of
| ancient Porto Rico were very rellgaous
| and far from being savages; they had
| priesthood, and the shrines established I'M
| der the sacerdotal control We're frequent-
| ed as has been said, by worshippers from
| all over the Antilles. 1t is even possible
| 10 give some sort of description OF these
fanes.
| Rico was q great enclosure surrounded py
| stone walls. Avenues of beauutul PAIN
~ !. q
| In the center was the fame proper, where
! the sacred objects were kept. The shrine
| was rooted over with palm leaf thatch,
for protection against rain. Every native
| chleftain had his own shrine, containing
| similar sacred objects, and each dwelling
! house possessed in one of its angles
| similar holy place. But 1t should be eX-
| nlained that the houses of the prehistoric
| Porto Ricans were communal dwellings,
! each of them sheltering from 200 to 1000
| SOULS They were regular family hotels,
! all of the individuals living in them being
| more or less related A communal house
| Of this kind was upheld by rough wooden
nosts. Instead of walls, 1t was provided
| with mats. which were let down when the
weather was Indictment. The modern sea-
| side auditorium erected for religious or
lecturing purposes, rather nearly resem-
| BILE this type of dwelling. But the roof
/ Of the communal house was of palm
| into rooms by the simple expedient of
mats. obviously, whenever the number
i of occupants outgrew the accommodations
| II was easy enough to add to the latter
| by erecting few more posts and pro-
! curing the requisite quantum of mats.
The prehistoric Porto Ricans had no
| beds. In our sense of the word; they slept
| in hammocks in those communal houses.
| In fact Nthe invention of the hammock,
| and Che name of 1t, are derived from the
West Indies. These ancient people did
not have to work very hard for a living,
| inasmuch as nature provided almost who'll
| Iy for their support Fishes of a variety
! of valuable species were available, as
well as turtles, aud Indian corn and cas-
| sava furnished themselves almost free of
| charge in Tabor. There were no large
| mammals on the island, and so meat did
| not enter very importantly into the die
| tary Of the natives. They got drunk reg
| ularly on a kind of beer which was made
| from the cassava root fermented. This
drink was manufactured by an exceeding
| ly primitive process, the cassava root be-