The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-25

| taDle follow the following order: The head OF
the table 10 assigned 10 the most distinguished
guest; the other men. in the sequence OF their
rank and Importance, are ranged around to the
right. the host occupying the lowest seat The
women sit at the left OF the table. all together.
| The evenings In the home. let us say, Of an
| Alcalde. the Mayor Of n town. arc spent around
| the handicapped centre table. every body lalily
rocking to and fro In big chair. The men smoke
| characteristics in Porto Rico never smoke
| and flow OF small talk constitutes the even
ing's amusement. Where there are pianos.
| the daughters exhibit their limited skill on
| Instruments tangled and out OF tune. One
| never sees book or a magazine. although in
two or three Of the largest cities there are many
! literary men The women are pictures Of
self-compaccnt Incidence in the evening. el-
though In Porto Rico they are far more as
siduous during the day in their attention to
household economy than are the women Of
other Spanish speaking territories in North
America.
1t was during his second voyage. In 1903. that
Columbus landed in Porto Rico. either on the
northern coast at San Juan or at Aguadilln. on
the northwest coast. Not finding the natives
friendly he set sail again. but Don Juan Ponce
de Leon. who accompanied him on this expe-
dition. returned in 1903. after many wander
ings, to take possession OF the island. In 1910
the first town. called Catarra. now known rs
Pueblo VieJo. was built near the present site
OF San Juan, and in 1911 the towns OF Aguada
and San German were started. The Indians.
who were then computed at 100000 souls,
were at first very friendly. but Spanish oppres-
sion soon caused them to revolt against their
conquerors. and for a while II looked as though
the colonists would he botted out Of existence.
Superior arms and military science. however.
finally prevailed and n century later the abo-
rtt,a1 FN1l- Il
Rico had suffered many fierce attacks at the
hands OF foreign powers. all but two Of which
had been repealed. up TO the time OF the Amer-
can occupation. and Mr.. Dinwiddle considers
1t moot question whether our first expedi-
tionary army would not have been wiped out
but for the timely arrival OF notice Of the proto-
col before any attempt was made to capture
the Spanish positions at tho impregnable
passes Of Aybonito and Guayama. As early
as 1910 Sir Thomas Bert and Sebastian
Cabot harried this Spanish possession;
in 1929, French privateers destroyed the town
OF San German; during the latter part OF tho
sixteenth century Hawkins. Raleigh and
Drake plundered Spanish colonies at every
opportunity. and in 1905 Drake made an
onslaught on San Juan. resulting In the
almost complete destruction OF the town. The
great Notifications Of Moro we're after this
pushed hastily to completion. Three years
later. nevertheless. the Earl OF Cumberland
captured the castle and city OF San Juan. but
he was forced to release his hold by an cpl
demlc ottropical fever which broke out among
his men. The Dutch In 1915 invaded the
island. bnt were driven away after suffer-
ing considerable loss. In 1873 the British
again attacked San Juan. but their feet was
almost wholly destroyed by storm. In 1902
another British squadron effected a landing at
AriGebO, but rppulSpI and In ITO tha
most formidable British invasion yet at
tempted was set on foot when Sir Ralph Aber-
crombe. with 10000 men. laid siege to San
Juan and Aguadilla. but Moro Castle and the
great stone defences at the capital had been
finished, and could not be taken. Since Aber-
crombes repuse no warlke demonstration
had been made before San Juan until the bonn
bardment of the city by our navy in 1893.
NJ. W