last census its population was 198,720, but it has
been lately estimated at 250,000 or more. A fte r
two ineffectual attempts to found a western capital,
this unrivalled location was fixed upon in 1519, in a
deep and sheltered bay, at the natural starting-point
of commerce from the western world in the early
days, which led to its being called “ Llave del Nuevo
Mundo,” “ K e y of the New World.” T h e city is on
a peninsula thrust into the bay from the west, with
a deep channel about a thousand feet wide on its
northern side. This channel is strongly fortified
and capable of being made impenetrable. A t its
entrance on the side opposite to the city is the
Castillo del Morro, or Morro Castle, built in 1589
and afterwards strengthened, and on the city side is
the Castillo de la Punta, or Castle of the Point, of
the same date. On the heights to the east of the
Morro is the Castillo, or Fortress, of Cabaña, overlooking
the channel and the city with its guns, and
defended on the seaward side of the narrow peninsula
on which these structures stand by three bastions.
Farther within the bay on the same side are
the Casa Blanca and Fort San Diego, and at the end
of the western arm of the bay on the city side is the
Castle of Santo Domingo de Atares, while on the
heights back of the city landward is the Castillo del
Principe with its adjoining camp and batteries; and
on the shore west of the channel entrance is the Santa
Clara battery, so called from the governor-general
who. built it at the end of the last century. The
harbour itself is spacious and deep, though fouled
for generations by the drainage of the city. There