THE TRAVELLER.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1403, 19 January 1899, Page 16

THE TRAVELLER.

TEE YABKEES IH PORTO RICO.

Yuaco, Porto Rico, Nov. 15.—Porte Rico at the present moment may be compared to an ancient kettle which is sud penly pressed into service as a boiler aftt a century of misuse. The water is the population, and the fierce heat is the first wave of American influence and activity. Our troops were no sooner landed wher the missionaries of peace appeared upor the scene in the shape of promoters speculators, brokers, agents and adven turers. They came in every guise anc disguise and have already made Port. Ricans think harder than they evethought before. To an outsider, espec. ally an American, they have afforded endless amusement. There was, for ex ample, a Supreme Court judge who cam< down simply for his health, but on th( steamer deck, where he fell asleep on day fanned by the tropical breeze, it i said he talked to himself of ice plant until all on board knew of his real mis sion. It is said that he secured sonu concessions within twenty-four houn after landing. _ More successful still was a bcotc! Yankee, descended from Robert Brae on the one side and ten pilgrim father; on the other, who, the moment he pu loot on Porto Rican soil, opened a capae ious trunk and began to sell Amencai flags at five times their value. VVitl exquisite diplomacy he infused into tin Porto Rican mind the idea that America! officials would protect only those who hac American flags, and as he went his trai could be marked by an ever growing line of stars and stripes which ran fron street to street and far into the country roads. VERY ENTERPRISING. A bright piece of business was done b: a New York broker who had read care fully the Spanish tariff, and found oU that American tobacco was practical!: unknown in this beautiful island. Hi brought down American smoking anc chewing tobacco, pipes and cigarettes and has already sold enough to the sol diers and officers to make a handsomt return for his trouble. This ingenious gentleman kept his business concealec much longer than any other newcomer He had a list of every regiment anc officer, and at the hotel in the morning he would announce his intention of cal ling upon his dear friends of Company C at one camp, or Company B at the other Outside he had an able-bodied portei and a vehicle to carry his wares, anc: when at nightfall he returned without inform the hotel acquaintances that hi* wares, but with much money, he woulc inform the hotel acquaintances that hi; friends were very well pleased and thai his visit was one of the pleasantest he had had thus far on the island. It wa* only when the officers came down and wanted to know where the tobacco peddler was that his secret became known. Nat Goodwin could not have shown higher talent of the comedy order thar an old-time civil war officer who ha<? come to Porto Rico to drop a tear upon the grave of two Wisconsin chums killed at Coamo and to erect a suitable monument over their last resting place. He may have dropped a tear, and he may at some time put up a monument, but he certainly bought up the best mineral spring on the island which burst from the earth a short distance where the Wisconsin braves made their last fight. A shrewd money lender came here expressly to buy up Spanish mortgages. These run for long terms of years and pay very heavy rates of interest, often as high Its 12 per cent, per annum. The charge is not excessive when it is remembered that the wonderful soil of Porto Rico will often produce three and j four crops a year, and that good farming I land is said to bring in 35d0l per acre per year over and above expenses. Many timid Spaniards who were afraid that American officials are as> rapacious as those of their own nationality, were eager to dispose of their investments in this line and sold several mortgages cheaply in order to obtain hard cash. Other Spaniards display no such timidity and have tave taken advantage of American ignoraiiofl to ask pries two'and tlreo tr*»*above the market ratea. I have see ordinary Spanish wine worth fifteen and twenty cents a bottle sold at a dollar, and the cheap native rum sold at a few cents a glass disposed of to Americans for ten times its normal cost.

CHANCES FOR HOTEL MEN. The favourite enterprise is an hotel. No land is better adapted for this purpose. Where there are beaches they are simply ideal for bathing and swimming. Domestic labour is cheap and efficient. Horses and carriages cost a mere trifle, compared' with American pricas. The scenery is impressively beautiful and many of the roads are equal to those Of Central Park or the boulevards of Chicago. It i 8 clear that the island is to become the great winter resort for Americans, and many hotels will be erected by enterprising Yankees which will make fortunes for their proprietors. Foremost amongst these negotiations Ire the agents of a New York syndicate wbiVh desires to establish a Monte Carlo Jn die New World. If the United States Santa home rule to the Porto Ricans fw will have no difficulty m obtaining Sal sanction. The' Spanish Govern„t has a different ethical code from JSwrnT""* for year8 > tf not f nt r es ; pur ow«) , | ottery M a beneficent SliS It pennits all kinds of betSS and gaming, from bull fights and £2k Sts down to games of cEance, so m&wmv » * tim ™ gh m

fault of the law or the conduct of the officials. They have already a fine establishment which I saw at Coamo dedicated ■:o tho Goddess of Chance, where roulette, rouge et noir, faro, vingt-un, baccarat and other game 3 are carried on with at times very heavy stakes. The buildings aro a combination of gambling hall, bathing establishment, restaurant, cafe and billiard rooms. They are handsome and luxuriant structures and the grounds are -narked by rare cultivation and elegance. The views in every direction are of surpassing loveliness, being of rolling hills, ligh mountains, noble plantations and tropical flowers, forests and vegetation.

THE TROLLEY MAN IS THERE. The omnipresent railroad man is very much in evidence and desires to construct extensions to the existing roads so as to jelt the island. This time he has a rival in the trolley man, who claims superior advantages for his own style of locomo,ion. There can be no doubt but this rill be a rich field for the trolley corpor•tions. At present the crops are transited by slow teams or else by small :raf t from the little ports to the big ones. It is the land of small plantations, and as ret there is none of that co-operative or issociative action that we find among our agriculturists. At present concessions are easily secured, but already Porto Ricans have awakened to the fact that they are valuable and every now and then one hears the question : "How much do I get out of it ? " or " What vill you give me for my trouble ? " In Porto Rico, as in Cuba, the ■lative mind seems unable to comprehend commercial principles on a large scale. They make good shopkeepers, good armors and good labourers, but when it xmies to extensive operations the busiiess is transacted by Americans, Englishnen, Germans, Spaniards, French and Danes. It seems strange that the Spanards, who are such corrupt, incompetent •.nd dishonest officials, should make suc;essful, upright and broad-minded mer:hants. Yet such is the fact. The comnerciante is the soul of honour, a model of courtesy, and at |the same time a nodel of business principles. He never ndulge3 in sharp practice, and in all of lis transactions his word is as good as lis bond. Maj. Gen. Miles has been very vise in taking special precautions to project this large and important class of the ?orto Rico community. Under the American flag they will be the best citizens in the new commonwealth. SURPRISED THE NATIVES.

It was through this place that the first American expedition passed which landed vnder Major-General Miles at Guanica, ind the people are still talking of the nany surprises which the Americans brought with them . What impressed them most was the size of the soldiers. Porto Ricans are, as a rule, small people, while the troops contained probably more than the usual peroentage of six footers. The Illinois and Massachusetts men were particularly big and fine specimens of American manhood, and as if to make the contrast more marked the horses and mules which accompanied them were actually two and three times as big as the native animals. The Porto Rican horse is really a pony. He is half fed and neglected and presents a sorry appearance alongside of the heavy wellgroomed and magnificent animals of the invading army. A Yauco senora said to me : "Everything in your country seems gigantic. When we saw the men wo knew the Spaniards had no chance, and when we saw the horses we were afraid they would run against our horses and knock them over." Another source of endless astonishment was the playfulness of our soldiers when not on duty. When the Spanish soldier i 3 at leisure he tries to get a hammock and a cigarette, or if he has the requisite peseta, a bottle of cheap wine in addition. He takes no exercise unless commanded to by his superior officer. When therefore they saw the Americans wrestling and jumping, indulging in horse play, climbing trees and performing other boyish sports, the Porto Ricans looked upon them as strange compounds of muscularity and madness. The same senora itold me confidentially that she "saw twelve yellow-haired, crazy men who climbed trees and sat upon the branches just like negro children or more like ">nkeys.*

THEY COT THE CASH

A third surprise was the fact that the soldiers paid cash for all they got in the little shops, and greatest of all surprises was the uniform courtesy displayed by offices and men alike. The villagers 'iad been told that the Americans were half-naked, bloodthirsty and cowardly savages who ran away from an inferior number of armed foes, but were merciless to the unprotected, and specially women and children. When therefore they found that they were safer in the presence of an American brigade than in that of a Spanish one their amazement was unbounded. The result was quite funny. Such conduct, the Porto Ricans argued, should be rewarded, and man, woman and child turned out to give something to smoke, eat or drink to the buencs Americanos. Sentimental village maids fell deeply in love with these new Yankee Cids.

Girls mature early on our new island, and often at ten and eleven are adult women!. They made love in Spanish style to the invaders and in many cases annoyed the victims of their admiration with their pertinacity. Making love consists in smiling upon the object of adoration through the shutters of a casement or between the iron grills of a verandah, or else in writing fiery letters of affection from early dawn to dewy eve. One young man captured the fancy of a belle here and to his surprise became the recipient of a deluge of love letters which were i thrown at him from over the wall of a

garden or pushed through a hole in the wooden gate. They came hourly, halfhourly, and sometimes every ten minutes. After he had received 200 he became tired, and asked his chief to change hi 3 post ! —Margaret. Arlina Hamm in " Detroit Frco Press."