Spanish army, and commands great respect. The Porto
Rican civilians do not have to enter the army service unless they please,
and very few of them please.

The defences of San Juan are good. San Felippe del Morro fortress is at
the entrance of the harbour. It is the principal defence from the sea, and
has three rows of batteries. It is separated by a strong wall from the
city, which lies at the back of it, but communication between the city and
fort is had by a tunnel.

The roads of Porto Rico are, for the most part, bad. There are some
notable exceptions. There is a splendid road built by the Spanish
government from Ponce to San Juan. It is about eighty-five miles long, and
a young Porto Rican told the writer that he frequently went over it on his
bicycle, and it was splendid all the way. Another road from Guayama,
meeting the Ponce road at Cayey, has been recently finished. The scenery
is the most beautiful in the West Indies, for tropical wild flowers are
all over the island, and large tree ferns and magnificent plants
everywhere abound. There are no venomous snakes nor wild animals of any
kind in Porto Rico. Oranges and other tropical fruits thrive in Porto
Rico, but they are not specially cultivated.

Some years ago a railway around the island was projected, but only three
sections have been built. There is one to the north from San Juan to
Camuy, one on the west from Aguadilla to Mayaguez, and one on the south
from Yauco to Ponce. Any one wishing to travel around the coast from San
Juan to Ponce would be obliged to continue their journey by stage-coaches,
one from Camuy to Aguadilla, and one from Mayaguez to Yauco.

San Juan has about forty thousand inhabitants, and Ponce has almost thirty
thousand. There are many towns of between twelve thousand and thirty
thousand people. The buildings are low and are of wood. There are a few
three-story buildings in Ponce, and these are the latest examples of
modern construction.

APPENDIX E.

THE BAY OF GUANTANAMO.

On the extreme southeastern coast of Cuba, some distance east of Santiago,
is Guantanamo, or Cumberland Bay. It is an exceedingly beautiful sheet of
water, with a narrow entrance, guarded by high hills. It extends twelve
miles inland, with a level coast-line to the westward, and high hills on
the north and east.

Five miles from the entrance is the little town of Caimanera, from which
runs