itical system, and when it is freed from the oppressive and
vexatious taxation, Porto Rico will certainly become far more productive
and prosperous even than it is now.

There is no question but that the island, richly endowed as it is by
Nature, has been miserably governed.

But agriculture in the near future will certainly not be the main
industry of the island. For there are known to be gold, copper, iron,
zinc and coal mines, which have never been developed. In fact, strange
as it may appear, none of these valuable mines is worked at all. The
vegetable productions have been considered so valuable that in order to
cultivate them the minerals have been neglected. There are also
extensive sponge fields, which are very valuable, but which have not
been touched, owing to several causes, chiefly the lack of capital. The
same can also be said of the quarries of white stone, granite and
marble.

Then there is the question of salt, which is sure to be of importance.
There are large quantities of salt obtained from the lakes. Salt works
have been established at Guanica and Salinas, on the south coast, and at
Cape Rojo, on the west. This constitutes the principal mineral industry
of Porto Rico.

Hot springs and mineral waters are found at Juan Diaz, San Sebastian,
San Lorenzo and Ponce, but the most famous are at Coamo, near the town
of Santa Isabella.

It is now interesting to see what the trade of Porto Rico has been with
other countries, and especially the United States during recent years.

A very large part of the island's trade has been carried on with the
United States, where corn, flour, salt-meat, fish and lumber have been
imported in return for sugar, molasses and coffee.

The natives are not a sea faring people, and care little or nothing for
ships of their own. Therefore, by far the larger part of their trade
with other countries has been carried on by the means of foreign ships.

Porto Rico has paid into the Spanish treasury about 4,000,000 pesos
annually, which is equivalent to about $800,000.

In normal years, that is, when no war was going on, the total value of
imports into the island amounted to about $8,000,000, and the exports to
about $16,000,000.

The latest Spanish statistics, that is, during 1896, give the
importations into Porto Rico as amounting to $18,945,793, and the
exports to $17,295,535.

The average entrances of ships into the ports have been 1919 vessels of
an aggregate of 327,941