subsistence in common use.

[Illustration: "Promenade of the Fleas" in Yauco.]

[Illustration: When only One Man gets a Letter.]

Rents are low, but satisfactory houses are seldom to be had when they are
wanted.

There is always room in the hotels of the larger towns; and, until one can
build for himself, a hotel offers a very pleasant substitute--at a slightly
increased expense. Land, for building purposes, or in an unimproved state,
can be leased for a sum that is almost nominal, except in a few highly
favored localities. Purchasers of land are more than likely to find
themselves immediately embroiled in a lawsuit over the title. If no flaw
exists in your title, then it does exist in one that was drawn up a hundred
years ago; and in either case the result is the same--you lose.

Skilled workmen in any branch of industry will not find a good field for
their abilities in Puerto Rico, at least not for a few years to come. If
there were any demand for their services,--which there isn't,--they would
not be able to command anything approaching the standard of wages usual in
the United States.

To the investor, dairy farms, ice-plants, transportation schemes, and
bar-rooms offer tempting possibilities,--I reserve agriculture for separate
consideration,--but it cannot be too forcibly emphasized that plenty of
money, good-health, patience, and a smattering of the Spanish language are
absolutely indispensable requisites to the foreigner trying to do business
on this island.