running to the north coast, sixteen to the south,
nine to the east, and only two to the west. T he
longest naturally take a northerly course, and the
principal ones on that slope are the Arecibo in
the west and the Cayagua in the east. On the
shorter southern slope are the Coamo and the Ja-
caguas. None of these are navigable to any considerable
distance, and they are not often broken
by picturesque waterfalls; but they lend an aspect
of rich verdure and splendid beauty to nearly all the
land. Exposed directly to the steady draft of the
north-east trade-winds, Puerto Rico has a heavier
rainfall on the northern than on the southern slope,
and there are places on the latter where irrigation is
needed for a proper distribution of the water supply
throughout the seasons. T he line of coast is depressed
at frequent intervals by the river valleys,
and there are many small bays, some of which afford
safe harbours, though few are deep. T h e principal
ports on the northern coast are Arecibo and San
Juan de Puerto Rico; on the western coast, Agua-
dilla and Ma yaguez; on the south, Guanica, Guaya-
nilla, L a Playa, “ the Beach ” (of Ponce), and A r ro y o ;
and on the east, Humacao and Fajardo.
Comparatively little has been ascertained regarding
the mineral resources of the island, but gold,
iron, copper, and coal are known to exist beneath
the verdant surface. Placer mining for gold has
been carried on to a small extent in the Luquillo
and Corozal districts, and there are copper mines at
Naguabo. T h e deposits of copper sulphates are
quite extensive but little worked. There is a valuable
magnetic iron ore, and small foundries have
been established in San Juan, Ponce, and Mayaguez.
T he coal is chiefly a variety of lignite found
in the west near Moca and Utuado. There is a
compact limestone which makes an excellent building
material, and several varieties of marble are
easily obtained.
In the forests, which cover all the higher elevations,
there are many species of trees which afford
valuable timber. Among these are mahogany,
cedar, ebony, lignum vitae, and a tree peculiar to
the island which bears a profusion of odorous white
flowers and yields a timber called Sabino. L o g wood,
fustic, and other dye materials are also abundant
in the forests, which are easily accessible except
for the obstruction of rank vegetation, through
which no roads or trails have been broken. The
cocoanut palm is common, and there is all the
variety of tropical plants and fruits found upon the
large islands to the west, growing in even greater
luxuriance on account of the unbroken richness of
the soil and the general distribution of water in running
streams. Shrubs and herbaceous plants with
showy flowers are not, however, characteristic of
the landscape, which is conspicuous for its verdure
rather than its bloom. This verdure includes rank
growths of ferns, some of which tower into spreading
trees with graceful, drooping fronds.
There is, comparatively speaking, a lack of birds
as well as of flowers. Though there are parrots,
pigeons, cuckoos, and humming-birds, orioles, warblers,
and nightingales, the verdurous landscape is