Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 19.djvu/552

Rh 532 P O R P O R erection of brick and tile works. It was made a burgh by the Reform Act of 1832-33. PORT OF SPAIN. See TRINIDAD. PORTO MAURIZIO, a city of Italy, chief town of a province and centre of a maritime district, lies on the coast of the Ligurian Sea, 46 miles by rail east of Nice and 70 miles west of Genoa, and consists of a picturesque old town situated on the heights and a modern town of villas on the lower slopes. The principal church, designed by Gaetano Cantone, is perhaps the most notable building of its class in the whole Riviera ; the roof is divided into arches, domes, and semi-domes resting on massive piers. A few remains of the old city Avails may still be seen. In 1881 the population of the city was 6309 and of the com mune 6827. About 2 miles east of Porto Maurizio is the town of Oneglia, with a fine church, S. Giovanni Battista, designed by Gaetano Amoretti, a hospital (1785), and a national penitentiary on the cell-system. Its population in 1881 Avas 7286, that of the commune 7433. Both Porto Maurizio and Oneglia lie on the same bay, and schemes are under discussion for uniting their harbours into one great port. At Porto Maurizio an extension is being made (1884) in the western mole. The foreign traffic of the two ports was represented in 1883 by 154 sailing vessels and 27 steamers entering or clearing (the steamers all prefer ring Porto Maurizio), and the coasting trade by 627 vessels. Both towns are embowered amid olive groves, and the dis trict is famous for the quality of its oil. Porto Maurizio appears as Portus Mauricii in the Antonine Itinerary. After being subject to the marquises of Susa (llth century), of Savona (12th century), and of Clavesana, it was sold by Boniface of Clavesana in 1288 to Genoa for a yearly pension ; in 1354 it became the seat of the Genoese vicar of the western Riviera, and remained in the possession of the republic till it was merged in the kingdom of Sardinia. Oneglia, formerly situated inland at the place called Castelvecchio (Old Castle), has occupied its present site -from about 935. The bishops of Albenga sold it in 1298 to the Dorias of Genoa, who in their turn disposed of it in 1576 to Emanuel Philibert. In the various wars of the house of Savoy Oneglia often changed hands. In 1614 and 1649 the Spaniards and in 1623 and 1672 the Genoese obtained possession ; in 1692 it had to repulse an attack by a French squadron ; in 1744-45 it was again occupied by the Spaniards, and in 1792 bombarded and burned by the French. Pellegrino Amoretti, assistant secretary to Charles V., and Andrea Doria, the famous admiral, were natives of Oneglia. PORTO RICO (Span., Puerto Rico), one of the Spanish West India Islands, lies 70 miles east of Hayti between 17 50 and 18 30 N. lat. and 65 35 and 67 10 W. long. It forms an irregular parallelogram, 108 miles long and 37 broad, and has an area of 3530 square miles, or rather less than that of Jamaica. From east to west it is traversed by a range of hills so situated that the streams flowing northward are much longer than those flowing CA ^ Porto Rico. south. The highest district, however, and the highest peak El Yunque (3600 feet) are situated in the Sierra de Loquillo near the north-east corner. As the hills inter cept the north-east trade-winds with their rain-clouds there is sometimes almost a superabundance of moisture in the northern lowlands, while in the south severe droughts occur and the land demands artificial irrigation, as yet carried out with too little co-operation and system. The island is, however, exceptionally well watered, 1300 streams being enumerated, of which forty-seven are considerable rivers ; and its general appearance is very beautiful. Forests still cover all the higher parts of the hills, and differ from those of the other West Indian Islands mainly in the comparative absence of epiphytes. Among the noteworthy trees Baron Eggers (see Nature, 6th December 1883) mentions the Coccoloba macrophylla, or &quot; ortegon &quot; of the natives, which forms extensive woods in some places, chiefly near the coast, and is conspicuous by its immense yard-long purple spikes ; a beautiful Talauma, w-itli white odorous flowers, and yielding a timber called &quot;sabino&quot; ; an unknown tree with purple flowers like those of Scsevola Plumieri ; a large Heliconia-, and several tree-ferns (Cyathea Serra and an Alsophila). Besides the two staples sugar and coffee tobacco, cotton, rice, maize, Caladium esculentum, yams, and plantains, as well as oranges, cocoa-nuts, and other tropical fruits, are commonly cultivated. The rice, which is the principal food of the labourers, is a mountain variety grown without flooding. On the lowland pastures, covered mainly with Hymenachne striatum, large herds of excellent cattle are reared to supply butcher-meat for St Thomas, the French islands, &c. In general Porto Rico may be described as extremely fertile, and its exports more than double in value those of Jamaica. In 1 883 the prin cipal items were sugar and molasses, 78,482 tons, valued at 1,036,595 ; coffee, 16,801 tons, at 955,948 ; honey, 30,378 tons, at 148,148; and tobacco, 1730 tons, at 114,614. Of the tobacco a large proportion is sent to Havana to be manufactured into cigars. The total value of exports and imports has increased from 2,219,870 in 1850 to 5,118,712 in 1883. The great want of the island is still roads and bridges, though the Government has done good work in this department in recent years ; the journey across the hills can only be performed on horseback, and even along the coast-route wheeled traffic is at times interrupted. Gold, iron, copper, coal, and salt are all found in Porto Rico, but the last alone is worked. The island, which was declared a province of Spain in 1870, is divided into the following seven departments : Eayamon, near the north-east end of the island (containing the capital, San Juan Bautista, and Toa-Alta, Toa-Baja, Naranjito, Yega-Alta, &e.), Arecibo (Arecibo, Hatillo, Camuy, Quebradillas, &c.), Aguadilla (Aguadilla, Moca, Aguada Lares or San Sebastian), Mayagucz (Maya- guez, Anaico, San German), Ponce (Ponce, Gnayanilla, Pefmelas, Coamo), Humacao (Humacao, Naguabo, Luquillo), Guayama (Hato- Grande, Gurabo, &c.). And the island of Viequez (with the town of Isabel Segunda) is attached as an eighth department, and used as a military penal station. The total population of Porto Rico was not more than 319,000 in 1830 ; by 1860 it reached 583,308 ; and by 1880 754,313. At this last date 429,473 (219,418 males and 210,055 females) were white and 324,840 (162,352 males and 162,488 females) coloured. There is still plenty of room for further expan sion. Among the people of European origin are Spaniards, Germans, Swedes, Danes, Russians, Frenchmen, Chuetas or descendants of .Moorish Jews from Majorca, and natives of the Canary Islands. There are also a number of Chinese. The Gibaros or small land holders and day-labourers of the country districts are a curious old Spanish stock largely modified by Indian blood. Till 1856 it was believed that no trace of the original inhabitants of the island remained ; archeological collections, however, have since been made and are now preserved in the Smithsonian Institution, the Ethno logical Museum in Berlin, and elsewhere. They comprise stone axes, spear-heads, and knives, stone and clay images, and fragments of earthenware. At Gurabo, on the banks of the Rio Grande de Loiza, there is a curious rude stone monument, on the upper surface of which appear several strange designs (see L. Krug, &quot; Ind. Alterth. in Porto Kico,&quot; in Z. fur Ethn., Berlin, 1876). Principal Toivns. San Juan Bautista or St John s (24,000 inha bitants in town and district), the capital, lies in 18 29 N. and 66 7 W. on the north coast, on a small island (Morro) connected with the mainland by bridges. It is a place of some strength and con tains a governor s palace in the old fort of Santa Catalina, a palace erected by Ponce de Leon, a cathedral, a town-house, a theatre, &c. The harbour is one of the best in the West Indies, having a com paratively unobstructed entrance, and along the wharves a depth