XVII

PORTO  RICO
Porto  Rico  was  discovered  by  Columbus  in
1493,  and  colonized  by  Ponce  de  Leon  in
1309.  'Because  the  greater  percentage  of  the
population  of  the  island  speak  Spanish  and
have  the  traits,  desires  and  inclinations  of  that
race,  it  may  be  briefly  considered  despite  the
fact  that  it  has  been  an  American  possession
since  1898.  Within  another  23  years  practically ­
  all  of  its  1,120,000  inhabitants  will  be
able  to  speak  or  understand  English,  which  is
now  taught  in  all  the  schools,  education  being
compulsory.  A  large  portion  of  the  population ­
  are  negroes  and  mulattoes.  There  are
also  many  Americans  and  Europeans.
The  island  is  100  miles  long  and  35  wide,
containing  2,300,000  acres  of  which  but  24  per
cent,  is  under  cultivation.  It  is  extremely
mountainous  toward  the  interior,  one  peak
reaching  a  height  of  3700  feet,  the  lowland  on
186