STRUGGLES OF THE PAST.
Ever since the days of Ponce de Leon, Porto Rico has been a Spanish
possession. It has never been captured, although many attempts have been
made to take it both by external and internal forces.
None of these attacks seriously affected Spanish authority on the
island.
But although the island has never been taken, it has been sacked. It may
be said that it was pirates who did this, for while the commanders of
several of the expeditions against the island bore great names, they
were really little more or less than pirates.
The first to attack was no less than the famous English commander, Sir
Francis Drake, who had Elizabeth behind him. This was in 1595, and Drake
then scored his first failure, in spite of the fact that when he left
his ballast consisted of ducatoons, and the shops of San Juan were in
ruins.
It is rather a strange coincidence that Drake's failure was due to the
fact that the Spaniards had recourse to the same scheme that was so
daringly and successfully carried out by Lieutenant Hobson in the harbor
of Santiago.
They sunk a ship in the neck of San Juan harbor, thereby preventing
Drake's fleet from obtaining an entrance.
Dr. Griffin, the accomplished assistant librarian of the Congressional
Library in Washington, has recently been making a study of Porto Rican
literature which has been pregnant with interesting results.
Dr. Griffin discovered the following in an old English chronicle:
"Confession of John Austin, mariner of London, of the late company of
Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Hawkins.
"Directions were given that if any of the fleet lost company they should
make for Guadaloupe in the Indies; his ship did so, but having lost her
rudder failed, and was taken by five Spanish frigates and the crew
imprisoned in the Isle of St. John de Porto Rico. Sir Francis, who lost
company of Sir John Hawkins, was told of this by a bark which saw the
fight. The prisoners were examined and threatened with torture to tell
what the English forces were. The Spaniards sunk ships in the harbor to
hinder their entrance. Sir Francis summoned the town, and on their
refusing to yield sent fifteen vessels to burn the frigates in the
harbor. Two were fired, but the light thus made enabled the Spaniards to
fire on the English ships and drive them away. The English attacked the
fort, but Sir John Hawkins was killed. Sir Francis sent back to the
governor five prisoners whom he had taken, and begged that the English
might be well treated and sent home, in which there was an improvement
in their diet, etc. Sir Francis then went to the south of the island,
got provisions and water and went to Carthagena. This was reported by
two frigates that watched him, and then the treasure ships in Porto Rico
with $4,000,000 on board sailed for Spain, and reached St. Lucas,
bringing the English prisoners, who still remain in prison, but the
examinante escaped. Two fleets, each of twenty-five ships, and 5,000
men, are said to be sent out to follow Sir Francis Drake, March 25,
1599."
In Barrow's "Life of Drake," there are further particulars given of this
unsuccessful attack on San Juan, which was under the command of Sir
Francis Drake and Sir John Hawkins, the two greatest British naval
commanders then living. Barrow says:
"The fitting out and equipment of this grand expedition were not
surpassed by that of 1585 to the West Indies under Sir Francis Drake,
Vice Admiral Forbesher and Rear Admiral Knolles. Its destination, in the
first place, was intended for Porto Rico, where the queen had received
information that a vast treasure had been brought, and intended to be
sent home from thence for the use of the King of Spain in completing the
third grand armament (the second having been destroyed by Drake) which
he had in contemplation for the invasion of England. The object of the
present fleet was to intercept the treasure and thereby cut off the main
supply of his navy and army destined for that purpose.
"Their first intention, however, had been to land at Nombre de Dios and
proceed direct from thence over the Isthmus of Panama in order to seize
the treasure generally brought thither from the mines of Mexico and
Peru; but in a few days before their departure from Plymouth they
received letters sent by order of the queen informing them that advices
had been received from Spain announcing the arrival of the West Indian
or Plata fleet, but that one of them, a very valuable ship, had lost her
mast and put into the Island of Puerto Rico, and it was therefore her
majesty's recommendation that they should proceed direct to that island
to secure the ship and treasure which was on her."
The expedition left Plymouth, August 28, 1595. Before going to Porto
Rico, Drake, against the protest of Hawkins, tried to take the Canaries
and failed. The voyage was then continued.
"On the 30th of September," the historian continues, "Captain Wegnot, on
the Francis, a bark of thirty-five tons, being the sternmost of Sir John
Hawkins' division, was chased by five of the king's frigates, or zobras,
being ships of two hundred tons, which came with three other zobras for
the treasure at San Juan de Puerto Rico. The Francis, mistaking them for
companions, was taken in sight of our caraval. The Spaniards,
indifferent to human suffering, left the Francis driving in the sea with
three or four hurt and sick men, and took the rest of her people into
their ships and returned to Porto Rico.
"The squadron now intended to pass through the Virgin Islands, but
'here,' says Hakluyt, 'Sir John Hawkins was extreme sick, which his
sickness began upon neues of the taking of the Francis.' Remaining here
two days, they tarried two days more in a sound, which Drake, in his
barge had discovered. They then stood for the eastern end of Porto
Rico, where Sir John Hawkins breathed his last.
"Sir Thomas Baskerville now took possession of the Garland as second in
command. The fleet came to anchor at a distance of two miles, or less,
at the eastern side of the town of San Juan de Porto Rico, where, says
Hakluyt, 'we received from their forts and places, where they planted
ordnance, some twenty-eight great shot, the last of which stroke the
admiral's ship through the misen, and the last but one stroke through
her quarter into the steerage, the general being there at supper, and
stroke the stool from under him, but hurt him not, but hurt at the same
table Sir Nicholas Clifford, Mr. Browne, Captain Stratford, with one or
two more. Sir Nicholas Clifford, and Master Browne died of their hurts.'
"Drake," continues Barrow, "was certainly imprudent in suffering the
squadron to take up anchorage so near to the means of annoyance; but his
former visit had no doubt taught the enemy the prudence of being better
prepared for any future occasion, and it is somewhat remarkable that
Drake should not have observed his usual caution. Browne was an old and
particular favorite of Drake.
"The following morning the whole fleet came to anchor before the point
of the harbor without the town, a little to the westward, where they
remained till nightfall, and then twenty-five pinnaces, boats and
shallops, well manned, and furnished with fireworks and small shot,
entered the road. The great castle, or galleon the object of the
present enterprise, had been completely repaired, and was on the point
of sailing, when certain intelligence of the intended attack by Drake
reached the island. Every preparation had been made for the defense of
the harbor and the town; the whole of the treasure had been landed; the
galleon was sunk in the mouth of the harbor; a floating barrier of masts
and spars was laid on each side of her, near to the forts and castles,
so as to render the entrance impassable; within this breakwater were the
five zabras, moored, their treasure also taken out; all the women and
children and infirm people were moved to the interior, and those only
left in the town who were able to aid in its defense. A heavy fire was
opened on the English ships, but the adventurers persisted in their
desperate attempt, until they had lost, by their own account, some forty
or fifty men killed, and as many wounded; but there was consolation in
thinking that by burning, drowning and killing, the loss of the
Spaniards could not be less; in fact, a great deal more; for the five
zabras and a large ship of 400 tons were burned, and their several
cargoes of silk, oil and wine destroyed."
After thus being defeated in his main object, Drake did not return to
San Juan. He contented himself with laying tribute upon Porto Rico, and
burning the towns on the Caribbean side of the island.
He then sailed for Wombee de Dios, and, when the fleet was off the South
American coast, he died on the 28th of January and was buried at sea.
Drake was succeeded in command by Sir Thomas Baskerville.
When the latter was on his way back to England he encountered a Spanish
fleet and engaged in battle off the Isle of Pines. The victory was
decidedly with the English, but the Spaniards were apparently the same
then as they are to-day. Everybody remembers Blanco's famous dispatches,
famous for their absurd falseness. So then the Spanish admiral issued a
bulletin in which he claimed a magnificent triumph. Baskerville was so
angry that he publicly declared the admiral to be a liar and challenged
him to a duel. Nothing, however, ever resulted from this challenge.
Three years later the Duke of Cumberland, who might also he called a
corsair, but a private one, as he acted on his own hook, attacked San
Juan, and after three days' fighting, laid the city in ruins. He was
unable to follow up his victory, however, as the fever killed his men by
the hundreds.
The English tried to take it in 1615, and again in 1678.
Once more in 1795, seeing the great advantage of owning the harbor of
San Juan, the English attempted to capture it, but they were repulsed
with great slaughter.
Spain has never given as much attention to Porto Rico as she has to her
other colonies, and therefore the government, while practically of the
same character, has not been so intolerable as in Cuba and the
Philippines.
For nearly three hundred years the island was neglected. During all that
time it was used chiefly as a watering station for ships and as a penal
colony. In 1815 it was thrown open to colonization, and land was given
free to all Spaniards who went there to settle. As a consequence a host
of adventurers hastened to Porto Rico, as well as a number of Spanish
loyalists, belonging to the better classes, who had been expelled by the
decrees of other and rebellious colonies.
About this time there was a large importation of negro slaves to work on
the sugar plantations. For these reasons the wealth and population
rapidly increased.
Nevertheless there has been a large number of revolutions against the
home government.
As early as 1820, long before Cuba had made any attempt to throw off the
Spanish yoke, the Porto Ricans made an effort to obtain their
independence. After a short guerilla war, this first rebellion was
suppressed, as were also several other abortive attempts.
In 1868, the year of the great uprising in Cuba, the most formidable
outbreak occurred in Porto Rico.
After two mouths of severe fighting the Spanish regulars were
victorious, and the leader of the rebels, Dr. Ramon E. Bentances, who
has since resided most of the time in Paris, was captured, as was also
J. J. Henna, afterward a New York physician. All the prisoners were
sentenced to be shot, November 4, 1868.
On the very day preceding that date news came to the island that Queen
Isabella had been deposed, and in consequence the political prisoners
were released.
But they were afterward banished, and in their exile they have ever
since been active in devising measures for the freedom of the island.
There is no reason whatever to think that there will be any discontent
in the future under the liberal and beneficent government of the United
States.