ico, many lovers of peace and seekers for prosperity
betook themselves to this tranquil isle. Thus it
came about that after a century or two of neglect
and solitude, it was one of the most populous and
thriving of the Antilles. Of the progress of population
there is no accurate record, but the last Spanish
census, taken in 1887, made it 799,000, of which
475,000 was white and 324,000 black and coloured,”
or mixed. I t was estimated in 1898 at
over 900,000, nearly two thirds Spanish and creoles
of European descent, while the mulattoes outnumbered
the negroes.
Puerto Rico during the comparatively short history
of its development was rather submissive to
Spanish rule, partly because that rule was somewhat
milder than in Cuba and partly because resistance was
hopeless. In 1820, when the spirit of revolution was
rife and there were many refugees from countries in
which it was raging, an uprising was attempted even
here, and as Spain had her hands full at the time, the
insurrectionary movement was kept alive until 1823,
when she had no difficulty in reasserting her authority.
A n attempt at revolt was made in 1867, when
the Cuban plots were fermenting, but it was promptly
suppressed, with the help of an alarming earthquake.
In fact, the people had little chance to arm or to
organise; there were no mountain fastnesses in which
to take refuge; and it required but few Spanish
soldiers to keep them in subjection.
In 1869, the Spanish Cortes decreed a constitution
to Puerto Rico, which made it in form a province
of Spain, instead of a colonial dependency. It
was to be represented in the Cortes by regular
provincial deputies, elected upon the same conditions
of suffrage as those prevailing in Spain. T he
governor-general was to be the resident representative
of the sovereign power. He was at once the
captain-general of the armed forces and the chief
administrative officer. A s civil governor he was
president of the supreme tribunal of justice and the
head of an administrative council appointed at
Madrid, having supervision of civil, military, and
ecclesiastical affairs; but the fiscal interests of the
government were in charge of a specially appointed
officer, called an “ Intendant. ” There was a bishop,
appointed by the Crown, with the approval of the
Pope, and made subordinate to the archbishop of
Santiago de Cuba. T he judicial system was like
that of Cuba, with an Audiencia Real, district courts,
and local magistrates called alcaldes. These were
all appointed by the central government, and the
provincial autonomy was a mere matter of form.
T he province was divided into seven departments
for convenience of central administration and with
little regard for actual local self-government. The
names of the departments and their chief towns,
with the population of each, according to the
last Spanish census, is here given in a compact
ta b le :
DEPARTMENTS. POP. CHIEF TOWNS. POP.
jSan Juan........................ 27,000
Bayamon........................ 15,000
Rio Piedras................... 11,000
Arecibo............................. 124,835 \ 30,ooo
J / Utuado........................ 31,000