The age-herald., 1899-06-25

. Of course there is talk of uprisings, but there is little ground for such rumors. The people are of d peaceful disposition, and have never made much trouble, even when robbed as they were by their Spanish mas ters, and it would require a most eloquent man and combination of the most fright ful wrongs to drive them to instruction now.
 The first and perhaps the last impression that one receives of Porto Rico is the de- lightfulness of the climate and the beauty of the scenery of the island. As is to be expected the scenery is tropical in it's na- ture but there is green everywhere. There are no sandy places as There are in Cuba, no ground that cannot be titled and, in fact, the greater part of it is already under eul- .tivation. Like all the West Indies, the is- land of Porto Rico is part of a long range of submarine mountains. They rise direct ly out of the sea, and upon this island the elevation starts at the shore and extends back to d height ranging from 1000 to 5O00 feet.
 From the base to the top the hills, as well as the valleys that intervene are covered with the greenest of grass, while every where there is the equally green tropical vegetation, bananas, sugar cane coffee, to- bacco and cocoanut palms, so that where ever one may go there is nothing to mar the beauty of the scenery.
 The climate of Porto Rico is also as near ly ideal as possible the equable tempera- ture being due to the trade winds. In what may be called midwinter the thermometer scarcely ever falls below so degrees in the shade during the day, dropping to 70 at night, or, in the higher regions of the hills, to 60.
 In the summer a temperature of 92 de- grees is regarded as extreme heat There is, therefore, no winter and the wind that blows constantly across the island makes it almost impossible to feel the heat of the summer months. The evenings are always cool and the air is absolutely clear, with out smoke or haze. The longer one stays in Porto Rico the more one loves it, and predict that the great danger to be avoided is the too great rush of colonists from the states.
 At present San Juan is the leading city Of the island, but there is every reason to be- lieve that it will soon be second in size and importance to Ponce. As it has long been the seat of government 1t has the finest public buildings and the greatest con- veniences, but there the description stops. There are no storage warehouses and no buildings that could be used for that pur- pose, and the city is so situated that it's population is already somewhat congested. To extend the limits would be difficult if not almost impossible.
 At Ponce it is very different. The oppor- tunites for extension are limitless, there are storage facilities for a trade many times greater than that which is enjoyed at present. In addition to this the harbor at La Playa, the seaport town and ware house of Ponce, Is almost as good as that at San Juan This little, town is less than two miles from the city proper. and busi- ness men who have their interests located there make their home in Ponce, which is at once the most delightful and the most beautiful city on the island.
 It also has plenty of good roads extending far out into the agricultural districts that are particularly rich in sugar, fruit, coffee, tobacco and the other products of the is- land. All this will appeal to the American capitalists who is coming to assist the islanders in making new start in life, and when in addition to all these advantages, he finds that the people of Ponce are progressive and receptive, while those of San Juan are like their town, conservative and behind the times, he will turn his att tention to the smaller city to the great ad vantage of that section. The prospects for Ponce, therefore are of the brightest and it would not be surprising if the city yet be- came the great trade center for this part of the world
 While Ponce and San Juan are the busi- ness centers of the island, Mayaguez is by far the prettiest town of the three. It is also one of the most progressive places on the island, and is inhabited by people who