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TRAVELS 
 
 THROUGH THE 
 
 INTERIOR PROVINCES 
 
 OF 
 
 COLUMBIA. 
 
 BY COLONEL J. P. HAMILTON, 
 
 LATE CHIEF COMMISSIONER FROM HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY 
 TO THE REFUBLIC OF COLUMBIA. 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES. 
 
 VOL. II. 
 WITH ENGRAVINGS. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. 
 MDCCCXXVII. 
 
TRAVELS 
 
 IN THE 
 
 PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 
 
 Doctor Borrero now congratulated us on our 
 safe arrival at his native place. His father, who, 
 as I before stated, was a Spaniard, had settled 
 with his family in La Plata, after serving for some 
 years as an officer in the Spanish army. Here 
 he accumulated a large fortune ; leaving at his 
 death 80,000 dollars to be divided amongst his 
 children, besides considerable landed property. 
 The Doctor, who was truly generous, had con- 
 trived to get through a great deal of his share, but 
 he still possessed large estates. Our quarters in 
 
 VOL. II. B 
 
2 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 La Plata were very snug, and we were quite 
 charmed with the beauty and variety of the flowers 
 which were cultivated in the gardens ; orange-trees 
 were in great abundance, some in flower and others 
 bearing fruit ; the former extremely fragrant. 
 
 We rose early on Saturday morning, the 3rd of 
 October, and bathed in the river of La Plata, which 
 we found almost too cold, but exceedingly refreshing. 
 This was a change, after having been baked for near- 
 ly a month in the plains and villages on the banks 
 of the river Magdalena. At La Plata they cultivate 
 rice, maize, cocoa not of the best description, plan- 
 tain, &c. ; and in the adjacent mountains, wheat, 
 barley, potatoes, greens, and other European vegeta- 
 bles. The Indians are very numerous in this range 
 of Cordilleras. The Doctor sent them to fish, in 
 the night, for the pisco negro, a black fish, which 
 I is considered here like our trout in Europe. 
 
 Early in the morning, we had a plentiful supply 
 of fish from the river La Plata. Towards noon, 
 more fish, with poultry, vegetables, fruits, and 
 flowers, were sent by the worthy Doctor, whose 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 3 
 
 attention to our comfort was unceasing, and I felt 
 uncomfortable at his refusal to let me pay for those 
 things; the only return I could make him, was a 
 present of a dozen of old Jamaica rum before we 
 left La Plata, which rivetted our friendship for 
 ever. The provisions were most acceptable to us, 
 particularly the poultry, as after leaving La Plata, 
 we had to travel # for five days, crossing the Andes, 
 on which road scarcely any thing could be pur- 
 chased. Our friend the Doctor appeared quite a 
 little king in La Plata, and it was pleasing to see 
 with what good will the lower classes endeavoured 
 to meet his wishes. This day we fared sumptuous- 
 ly, and drank, in a bumper of punch, " success to 
 La Plata and the family of the Borreros", which 
 made the Doctor, in the warmth of his heart, em- 
 brace Mr. Cade and myself. The priest of the 
 parish called on us this morning. We found him 
 a pleasant man, and very neat in his person, and 
 what surprised us, he never smoked. Mr. Cade 
 and myself would willingly have remained a week 
 longer in La Plata, had the rainy season not been 
 
 b 2 
 
TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 near at hand. The fruits called guamahana, gra- 
 nadinos, chirimoyas, graced our table after dinner ; 
 there was also another species about the size of a 
 lemon, soft and acid. 
 
 In this country there are vast tracts of excellent 
 land, uncultivated from want of hands. This is 
 the climate for emigrants, who would enjoy good 
 health, and soon become independent, by culti- 
 vating estates in this part of the province of 
 Neyva, not very distant from the Magdalena, 
 which would convey all their produce to the coast. 
 The Doctor has a considerable tract of country, 
 which he is anxious to sell to emigrants from 
 England or Scotland, and a few thousand dollars 
 would purchase a princely domain in these parts. 
 
 Our German servant, who was in the action 
 fought here between the Albions, under the com- 
 mand of Colonel Mackintosh, and the Spaniards, 
 gave me an account of it. The Albions marched 
 all night over the mountains, in the hope of sur- 
 prising the Spaniards in La Plata at day-light. 
 When they arrived near the bridge, a Spanish 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 5 
 
 sentry, who was placed on the opposite side of the 
 river from the town, challenged " quien vive", when 
 a serjeant answered " les Ingleses", the sentry imme- 
 diately discharged his musket at him, and endea- 
 voured to escape across the bridge into the town, 
 but he was overtaken and bayonetted. A strong 
 Spanish guard, on hearing the sentry fire, turned 
 out at the foot of the bridge in the town, and open- 
 ed their fire on the Albions as they rushed across / 
 the bridge ; here three were killed, and some 
 wounded, but they soon carried the place by storm, 
 killing and wounding a great number of the Spa- 
 niards, who fled in all directions towards the moun- 
 tains. The field-officer who commanded the Spa- 
 niards, was wounded in the groin, but in this state 
 he likewise escaped to the mountains, and died in 
 the cottage of an Indian. That night he had 
 given a gay ball in the house in which we now re- 
 sided, and in the largest room the table was found 
 covered with wines, dulces, &c, the fragments of 
 the ball supper, which the Albions soon finished, 
 
 i 
 
 having marched all night. The Spaniards were 
 
6 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 ' about three hundred strong. The inhabitants of 
 La Plata told me they never saw such lions as the 
 British soldiers in action, but very humane when 
 the fighting was over. Such accounts were highly 
 gratifying to a countryman to hear, and they were 
 properly appreciated by the natives of these re- 
 mote provinces of the New World. 
 
 I went out with a friend of the Doctor's, and 
 Mr. Cade, on horseback, to hunt deer, with six 
 couples of large rough grayhounds. We found 
 one, and had a good chase, but the deer beat the 
 grayhounds. We had our guns with us, but could 
 not get a shot. We saw two or three small huts 
 in a cocoa plantation, in which the owner used to 
 conceal himself in the evening, and at day-light to 
 shoot the deer that came to feed on the cocoa fruit. 
 He said he had killed twelve in the last month. 
 
 Early on Sunday morning, we took our de- 
 parture from the pretty little town of La Plata, 
 accompanied by our excellent friend the Doctor, 
 the priest of the parish, and a few other friends. 
 They accompanied us a couple of leagues on the 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 7 
 
 road, when we dismounted, embraced, and took 
 leave, promising the Doctor a faithful account of 
 our travels when we should meet at Bogota, in 
 February, as his duty as member of Congress 
 would oblige him to be there at that time. Our 
 guide was a fine old man, who had frequently 
 crossed the Andes, and the muleteers and mules, 
 from La Plata, were equally excellent for the per- 
 formance of their respective duties, all owing to 
 the good offices of the Doctor. 
 
 The site of the old town of La Plata, built by the 
 Spaniards when they first conquered the country, 
 and afterwards destroyed by the Indians, was six 
 leagues higher up the river La Plata. We travelled 
 the whole day on the banks of the river Pais, which 
 dashes through its rocky bed with great rapidity, 
 and the noise of the current is heard at a con- 
 siderable distance. Many of its waterfalls are very 
 fine, bold, and picturesque ; we did not see a cot- 
 tage or human being the whole day. Our ascent 
 was now considerable, we were among the lower 
 mountains of that branch of the Andes which sepa- 
 
8 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 rates La Plata from Popayan ; the small mule tract 
 wound round immense mountains, with the river 
 Pais some hundreds of feet below us. We got to a 
 miserable Indian hut, at five in the evening, which 
 had been deserted for some time by its copper-co- 
 loured owner. We were obliged to put up our 
 mosquito nets, as we found a great many of our 
 old enemies and sand-flies buzzing about us. At 
 this place we saw, for the first time, black parrots, 
 with yellow bills. I afterwards procured two live 
 ones to bring home, one of which fell overboard in 
 the passage to England, and the other arrived 
 safely in London, but was killed by two large ma- 
 caws, a few days after having finished his long 
 journey. It is now in the possession of a friend 
 of mine, who has a large collection of stuffed birds. 
 The man who stuffed this parrot, told me he had 
 only seen one black parrot before, in England, 
 which he had sold for fifty guineas, and had mine 
 been living he would have given me forty for it. 
 We found the weather so cool at this place, that a 
 blanket was no uncomfortable addition at night. 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 9 
 
 We waited some time in the morning before all 
 the mules were collected, and I was surprised to 
 see their necks and backs bloody, which, the mule- 
 teers told me, was caused by the large South Ame- j 
 rican bat, or vampire, perforating their skin to 
 suck the blood. In walking into a small valley, 
 whilst the men were in search of the mules, I dis- 
 covered a sugar-press, very ingeniously made by the 
 Indians, in a small shed, and some large earthern 
 pans to boil the sugar in. We could see no sugar 
 plantations in the mountains, and I should have 
 supposed the climate too cold for the cultivation of 
 the sugar-cane. 
 
 We left this dreary spot rather late in the morn^ 
 ing ; and saw a vast number of beautiful butter- 
 flies : some of them as large as the palm of my 
 hand ; — one species had purple wings, with bright 
 scarlet spots on them ; — they were quite dazzling 
 to the eye, when the sun shone on them. We 
 stopped to breakfast at the small Indian village of 
 Padrigal, and found the Indians very kind in offer- 
 ing us some eggs for sale. Here the Indians had a 
 
10 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 fine bold demeanour, and none of that cringing 
 fawning manner, which those of the plain of Bo- 
 gota assume when they meet an European or a 
 Creole. This day we crossed over the Rio Negro, 
 or Black River, so called from the colour of its 
 water, by a small cane bridge, which shook in our 
 passage, but our old guide assured us there was no 
 danger. 
 
 At six p.m., we brought up for the night, at rather 
 a pretty Indian village called Insas, with a neat 
 small chapel, situated on the summit of a moun- 
 tain. The place was deserted by all its inhabitants, 
 excepting those of two cottages, in consequence of 
 their having been so frequently plundered by the 
 Spanish troops. Here my travelling companion, 
 Mr. Cade, was much alarmed by a tiger-cat jump- 
 ing out of an orange tree, from which he was en- 
 deavouring to gather some fruit ; and to mend the 
 matter, a covey of partridges suddenly got up near 
 the tree, which the tiger-cat was probably watching. 
 The sides of this mountain were very steep, and 
 covered in all parts with fine trees and shrubs, and 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 11 
 
 at the bottom ran the small river Yuncal. The 
 cold always increased at night, as we approached 
 the summit of the Andes. Here we found an un- 
 der alcalde, who had been sent by the Governor of 
 Popayan to meet us, at least so he said, but I sus- 
 pect the chief object of his visit was, to endeavour 
 to persuade the inhabitants to return to their vil- 
 lage. At all events he was of no use to us ; al- 
 though he professed to be able to supply all our 
 wants, which was only a pretext for his coming. 
 The last priest but one of this village, walked over 
 rocks on the side of the mountain at night, and was 
 killed on the spot. 
 
 We left Insas at seven a.m., Tuesday, and saw 
 several flocks of green paroquets with long tails ; 
 they make a shrill noise in the air, which is heard 
 to a great distance. The bed of our bachiano, or 
 guide, was a sort of cloak made of rushes ; this 
 he always carried on his back, and only put on 
 when it rained. A person covered with this rushy 
 cloak, is well protected against the weather, as it 
 is impervious to the rain; I had brought from 
 
12 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 England a large cloak of superfine cloth, but) 
 when it was soaked with rain, I found its weight 
 rendered it not wearable. Our old guide was al- 
 ways on foot, and walked as nimbly as a roebuck 
 over the mountains, with a stick about ten feet in 
 length in his right hand. We found the road this 
 day exceedingly bad; the mules could with dif- 
 ficulty keep their footing, in the very steep ascents 
 and descents of the mountains. On several oc- 
 casions we were obliged to walk, which, in large 
 jack boots and long silver spurs, was not an agree- 
 able exercise. The greater part of the road was 
 covered with small logs of wood placed across it, 
 to enable travellers to pass over the spongy and 
 boggy parts. The surface of these logs of wood 
 we found very slippery, particularly if there had 
 been recent rains, and in many places the timber 
 had worn away, or been removed, which left holes 
 deep in mire and water ; — a great annoyance to the 
 mules as well as to the riders. We passed, this day, 
 the first tambo, or large cane shed, made by the 
 Government, for travellers to sleep in at night, and 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 13 
 
 towards the close of day reached the Tambo of 
 Corales, situate in a small boggy valley, surrounded 
 by lofty mountains, whose frowning summits over- 
 shadowed us. We, this day, passed over another 
 small cane bridge, under which, the river Ojueos 
 dashed its impetuous stream, and as we were now 
 approaching the Paramo of Guanaco, or summit of 
 this part of the Andes, the foliage of the trees be- 
 came darker and less luxuriant. I observed great 
 variety of flag-plants. We found it very chilly 
 and cold at the Tambo of Corales, and were glad to 
 keep up good fires during the night. The Ojueos 
 river passed close by the Tambo, making much 
 noise in its precipitate descent from the Paramo. 
 
 We rose early in the morning, and found some 
 rum and a cigar most comfortable means of keep- 
 ing out the cold, and were much pleased to hear 
 our old guide predict we should have a good 
 morning for passing the Paramo of Guanaco, as 
 the wind was in a favourable quarter ; the bishop 
 of Popayan told me afterwards, he had been de- 
 tained at this Tambo for three days and nights by 
 
14 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 a violent wind from the nw., during which he 
 was afraid to cross the Paramo. 
 
 The passing of these Paramos, or summits of the 
 Andes, is a serious undertaking, particularly at un- 
 favourable seasons of the year ; many travellers 
 lose their senses from it. General Bolivar once 
 suffered much in passing the Paramo of Pisba, 
 in the rainy season of 1819; and an officer at 
 Popayan, who had been in the corps of Albions 
 (Scotchmen), stated to me, that, in passing that 
 Paramo, six officers and fifty-four men lost their 
 lives ; — another officer, colonel in the same corps, 
 gave me the following description of this dreadful 
 march over the lofty mountains of New Grenada, 
 in 1819 : 
 
 " As we approached the mountains of New Gre- 
 nada, the scenery was grand and sublime beyond 
 description ; the Cordilleras first broke on our view. 
 As we advanced, the winter became more severe, 
 the water forced its passage from the mountains 
 with such velocity, and the rain increased the 
 rivers so much, that several officers and men 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 15 
 
 were carried down by the current in attempting 
 to pass, and two unfortunate soldiers were drowned. 
 Mules, with baggage, were repeatedly swept away 
 by the current, leaving no wreck behind. The 
 troops were assisted in crossing the rivers, by 
 strong lasos, made from hides, but nothing could 
 prevent the loss of fire-locks and ammunition. 
 The route for the army lay over a part of the 
 country which was almost unknown ; — Bolivar had 
 taken this line of march, in order to deceive the 
 Spaniards. After marching fifty days, having 
 halted only three during the period, we entered 
 the mountain by an Indian wood, and here our 
 British soldiers suffered dreadfully in their feet, 
 having to march over rocks and flints without 
 shoes or stockings, and, to add to their misfortunes, 
 the rains were incessant. At last, we arrived at 
 the foot of the famous Paramo of Pisba ; a descrip- 
 tion of this day^s march can only be given by those 
 persons who had the good fortune to survive, and, 
 even at this time, I think almost with horror of the 
 melancholy scene. The native troops passed the 
 
16 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 Paramo three days before the English ; and when 
 I passed over it, I counted the dead bodies of 
 eighty soldiers, and might have enumerated many 
 more, had I not lost my reckoning. Four officers 
 and forty-four soldiers, of the corps of Albions, 
 died by the road-side, in passing this dreadful Pa- 
 ramo, some of them Germans. I saw many of 
 these unfortunate men expiring by my side, without 
 the power of giving them the least assistance. In 
 this situation I made several efforts to take their 
 fire-locks from them, but found it impossible, from 
 the firm manner in which they grasped them until 
 life was extinct. I must observe, that we had been 
 sixty-four hours with wet clothes on, and for the 
 last thirty we had been unable to cook, owing to 
 the incessant rains that fell ; so that the poor sol- 
 diers, with empty stomachs and half naked, endea- 
 voured to pass the bleak Paramo of Pisba, where 
 continual sleet is observed, and the air so rarified 
 as to be dangerous even to men having every com- 
 fort about them. The produce of this barren spot 
 is confined to one kind of plant, called el fraylegon, 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 17 
 
 the same is to be found in great abundance in all 
 Paramos, the leaves of it are remarkably soft and 
 white, and equal in size to a large turnip-leaf, and 
 the soldier. thought himself particularly fortunate 
 when able to get a sufficient number to form his 
 bed: 1 
 
 In the crown of this plant is a sort of gum, which 
 is made into turpentine, and has some medicinal 
 qualities : I sent a specimen, to London, and hope 
 soon to be able to make a favourable report of this 
 singular production. Having received at Bogota 
 this terrible account of the passage of the Paramo 
 of Pisba, I was glad to hear the old guide declare 
 we should be able to pass the Paramo of Guanaco 
 in safety. 
 
 We left the Tambo of Corales, soon after six a.m., 
 and after ascending for nearly three leagues, over 
 villainous roads, frequently covered with the re- 
 mains of logs of wood, we found ourselves on the 
 Paramo of Guanaco, a large miserable plain 
 bearing nothing but the plant called el fraylegon. 
 On our left we saw a dull-looking lake, that one 
 
 vol. ir. c 
 
18 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 might suppose to be filled by the river Styx, from 
 which lake the river Ojueos has its source. 
 
 We passed the Paramo in three hours. I did 
 not experience any unpleasant feeling, but Mr. Cade 
 was so cold that he got off his mule to run and walk. 
 Luckily we had very little wind, which, when high, 
 proves fatal to many poor travellers, of which we had 
 ocular demonstration in the several skeletons of 
 persons lying by the side of the road. One man's 
 skull had been placed on a large stone, with the face 
 towards the road — I suppose as a memento mori. I 
 desired Edle to dismount, and take it with him, and 
 I afterwards gave it to a medical gentleman in Lon- 
 don. The carcases and skeletons of dead mules, 
 for two or three leagues on each side of the Paramo, 
 were numerous. I myself counted upwards of a 
 hundred ; some that had not been long dead were 
 most offensive from their stench, and two or three 
 of them had fallen in such narrow defiles, that 
 we were obliged to make our mules walk over 
 their carcases. We found the gallinacho, or black 
 vulture, enjoying a feast ; being busily employed 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 19 
 
 on them close to the Paramo. The armies have 
 lost a great many soldiers in passing the Paramo 
 of Guanaco, and many of the inhabitants of the 
 province of Neyva died there, when flying from 
 Morillo in 181 7- It is singular that there should 
 be more danger to travellers passing the Paramos 
 of the Andes in the summer months, viz. May, 
 June, and July, than at any other time of the 
 year. No one should venture to sit down during 
 the passage ; if they do, they are almost sure to 
 become emparamados, when they die in a few mi- 
 nutes, sometimes in the act of eating and drinking ; 
 a sort of stupor coming suddenly over them, from 
 which they seldom recover. 
 
 At eleven this morning, we got to the Tambo, 
 on the southern part of the Paramo, where we re- 
 mained to breakfast ; all the party in excellent spi- 
 rits at having passed in so favourable a time. Now 
 we found ourselves completely in a new country, 
 the features of it being altogether different from those 
 on the north side of the Andes. The descent was 
 gradual and pleasant, the road tolerably good, and, 
 
 c 2 
 
20 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 after descending about a league, the country was co- 
 vered with beautiful evergreen shrubs. Whilst ram- 
 bling about until breakfast, I saw a blackbird's nest, 
 containing one egg, in a wild juniper bush: the cock 
 bird was sitting close to the nest, on a wild myrtle tree. 
 The plumage of this bird was exactly the same as 
 that I have described which breeds in the plain of 
 Bogota. We met at this Tambo a party of Indians, 
 deer-hunting. We had some conversation with 
 them : they said they came from the village of 
 Tortoro. distant five leagues, and that they had 
 onlv killed one deer, which their dogs had devoured 
 before they could get up to secure their prey. They 
 had twelve couples of dogs, not quite so large as 
 greyhounds. They told us that the danta, or wild 
 as-, black bears, red leopards, tiger-cats, deer, and 
 foxes, are found in the forests of these mountains ; 
 and that they hunted for their livelihood : and when 
 they had killed several deer, they preserved their 
 flesh by salting ; but I believe hunting is the chief 
 amusement of the Indians who live in these Cor- 
 dilleras. These hunters go on foot, and carry with 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 21 
 
 them several pieces of deer-skin, which they fasten 
 round their legs and thighs, when they enter the 
 thick part of the forest. 
 
 We got ready to start, and directed our course to 
 the Indian village of Tortoro, which we reached in 
 the evening, after much fatigue, having travelled 
 nine Spanish leagues, and having been well soaked 
 by the rain for the last two hours of our journey. 
 We went to the house of the priest, where we found 
 him very busy in preparing for us, having just ar- 
 rived from the house of his father, an Italian, with 
 whom he resided, which was two leagues and a half 
 nearer the town of Popayan. His mother and sister 
 had accompanied him to cook for us, the governor 
 of the province of Popayan having desired the priest 
 to make every thing as comfortable as the place 
 would allow of, when we passed through his village. 
 The cure was a young man, rather shy, but ex- 
 tremely anxious to oblige us : he told me that he 
 was the priest of several small Indian villages in the 
 Cordilleras, and that his flock amounted to between 
 two and three thousand persons. 
 
22 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 Round this village we saw bearded wheat, which 
 we had not met with since quitting the plain of Bo- 
 gota ; part of the priesfs house was occupied by it, 
 which he said he received from the Indians as tithe. 
 The old lady and her daughter prepared a good 
 supper for us, and Mr. Cade and myself, over our 
 glass of punch, were in high glee at the thoughts of 
 our getting to Popayan the next day, and of ending 
 our labours for some time. We were to remain there 
 during the rainy season of October and November, 
 the roads being at that time impassable for mules. 
 I bought at this village a curious necklace of an In- 
 dian girl, for a dollar. It was formed of small 
 shells, pieces of silver coin, and some curious co- 
 loured stones. The girl did not, at first, like to 
 part with it, but the cure made the bargain for me. 
 
 As we were obliged to unpack, to get out some 
 things to make ourselves a little smart, for our 
 entrance into the capital of the province, we did 
 not leave Tortoro before nine in the morning, 
 having previously returned our thanks to the priest 
 and his family for their attention to us. I told 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 23 
 
 the former I should make a point of acquainting 
 the Governor of Popayan of his kindness during 
 our stay in his parish. We called on our road 
 at the house of his father, as I wished to see him, 
 and learn his history. It seemed rather strange for 
 an Italian to be settled in this inland province of 
 South America. He was not at home, we only saw 
 his daughter, a handsome girl of eighteen, who had 
 the true Italian features. Soon after this, we were 
 overtaken by a violent thunder-storm, which lasted 
 for an hour, the rain having the appearance of a 
 sheet of water; the roads in consequence became 
 so intolerably slippery, that neither ourselves nor 
 mules could keep on our feet. We had therefore 
 nothing left, but to remain quietly by the road- side 
 until the rain was over, although, to say the truth, 
 Mr. Cade and myself were rather chagrined that 
 after we had taken the trouble of unpacking, the 
 rain should completely wash away the smartness 
 of our appearance. When the storm was over, the 
 sun shone forth with great warmth, and as this was 
 only the commencement of the rainy season, the 
 
24 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 water was quickly absorbed by the parched earth. 
 About this time a view presented itself, worthy the 
 pencil of Claude : on our left arose the Cordilleras, 
 which we had just passed; to the eastward of it, a 
 day and half's journey from Popayan, the high 
 mountain of Puraca, whose summit is alwavs co- 
 vered with snow ; in our front, and on our right 
 flank, was the extensive valley of Popayan ; and at 
 a distance of nine or ten miles, we saw the churches 
 and large convents of the town, distinguishable, from 
 their whiteness ; and this grand scene was closed, to 
 the south, by another range of high mountains, 
 which separates the valley of Popayan from the 
 province of Buenaventura, which lies on the coast 
 of the Pacific. We remained for ten minutes, feast- 
 ing our eyes on this grand scenery, which formed so 
 strong a contrast to the gloomy view we had had 
 before us for the two or three days previous. On 
 the road, we met with a large party of Indians, tra- 
 velling from Popayan to their village ; they were 
 the handsomest men and women I had ever seen, 
 with a marked and particularly bold and independ- 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 25 
 
 ent air, not even touching their small cloth cap?, 
 which were blue, trimmed with scarlet, and orna^ 
 mented with gold lace rather the worse for wear. 
 In their front was an Indian, playing the tabor and 
 pipe, to which they kept time. The men had a 
 sort of phillibeg in front, like the Highlanders of 
 Scotland, and carried long lances ; the women were 
 particularly well made. 
 
 When we arrived within a league and a half of 
 Popayan, we observed a vidette placed on a height, 
 who, on observing us, galloped back, and soon after 
 we met the Juez Politico, some of the inhabitants, 
 the staff of the Governor, and two or three English- 
 men, officers in the Columbian sendee, who had 
 come out purposely to greet our arrival. The Juez 
 Politico addressed me in a short speech, stating how 
 happy they were to see me in their province, and 
 hoping that I should sojourn some time with them. 
 The Governor, Colonel Ortega, had prepared a 
 very large house for us, and I found a guard of ho- 
 nour at the place, and music playing in the court- 
 yard. I requested the town-major to dismiss the 
 
26 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 guard and music, taking care to give them some- 
 thing to drink, and retained only an orderly black 
 corporal, to give my servants all the necessary in- 
 formation in the purchase of provisions, &c. Ge- 
 neral Bolivar had lived for some time in this house, 
 when he arrived at Popayan to march against the 
 Pastucians, in the province of Pasto. The land- 
 lord, a rich Creole, had been killed by the Columbian 
 General Valdez, on suspicion of favouring the cause 
 of the Spaniards. From various accounts I had of 
 General Valdez, I cannot help considering him a 
 great ruffian, and very deficient in military know- 
 ledge. A sub-alcalde had, by order of the governor, 
 provided meat, poultry, fruit, bread, and wine, and 
 vegetables for us ; in short, we wanted nothing, and 
 I may say that, at this time, we enjoyed the " hsec 
 olim meminisse juvabit", the pleasing recollection of 
 past labours. 
 
 We arrived at Popayan in the afternoon of 
 Thursday, the 8th of October. Mr. Cade and my- 
 self found out, by the tremendous biting during the 
 whole night, that our mansion was well tenanted by 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 2y 
 
 fleas; in the morning we observed them hopping 
 about our stockings by dozens. I had been told at 
 Bogota that the climate of Popayan exactly suited 
 the constitution of fleas and niguas. I was recom- 
 mended to take special care to have my feet often 
 examined by one of the natives of the place, who 
 understood how to extract the niguas, with a needle, 
 from under the nails of the toes. 
 
 About eleven the next morning, Sir Illustrissimo 
 Salvador Ximenes, Bishop of Popayan, attended by 
 several of the clergy and his secretary, paid me a 
 visit. The manners of the Bishop were remarkably 
 pleasing, and it required no great discernment to 
 perceive that he was a man who had lived in the 
 world, and had acquired that polish, by mixing in 
 society, which gains so much on the minds of per- 
 sons on a first acquaintance. The Bishop kindly' 
 enquired whether we wanted any thing, and on find- 
 ing we had no bedsteads, sent down two, with cur- 
 tains, for my secretary and myself. He also sent 
 us a dozen of Spanish wine, and an abundant sup- 
 ply of fruit, and on taking his departure, told 
 
28 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 me that he felt an attachment to all Englishmen 
 for their noble conduct in Spain. The Bishop was a 
 native of Malaga, in Old Spain, when the Spanish 
 nation was struggling against the gigantic and de- 
 spotic power of Bonaparte, and concluded by say- 
 ing, that he trusted we should see much of each 
 other during my residence at Popayan. I expressed 
 the same wish, and had the honour of kissing the 
 Bishop's hand, according to the custom of the 
 country. Our time was fully occupied till dinner in 
 receiving visits from the public functionaries, mili- 
 tary officers, and gentlemen residing in Popayan. 
 Among the number, Mr. Mosquera, the head of 
 the Mosquera family, and his two sons, the eldest I 
 had known at Bogota, as he was a senator, Mr. 
 Hurtado, brother of the Columbian minister in this 
 country, and Dr. Wallace, an Englishman, who was 
 married to a Columbian lady, and had practised as 
 a medical man at Popayan for twenty years. 
 
 The Doctor's history may be considered extraor- 
 dinary, which I shall relate, as I had it from himself. 
 About three and twenty years ago, Dr. Wallace was 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 29 
 
 a surgeon on board an English ship of war, which 
 was cruizing off that part of the Spanish Main 
 which now belongs to the small republic of Gua- 
 timala; the Doctor and a midshipman went on shore 
 with a small boat's crew, to amuse themselves shoot- 
 ing, where they had been on a former occasion. The 
 natives expecting another visit had armed them- 
 selves, and laid in ambuscade near the place where 
 the English had landed before, and when the Doc- 
 tor and his party had advanced a short distance into 
 the country, the peasantry dashed forward to cut 
 them off from the boat, and opened a heavy fire on 
 them. There was a general scramble to get back to 
 the boat, which had been rowed out to sea by the sail- 
 ors left in charge of her. The moment the firing 
 commenced, the Doctor got to the sea-side, and at- 
 tempted to swim to the boat, but finding his strength 
 fail him, he returned on shore and was made prisoner, 
 together with the midshipman and two or three sail- 
 ors. The Doctor was sent to Panama and thence to I 
 Guyaquil, to get a passage round Cape Horn to 
 
30 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 Carthagena, where an exchange of prisoners gene- 
 rally took place. 
 
 When at Guyaquil the Doctor heard, that in the 
 neighbourhood of the small town of Loco, distant 
 only three days'* journey thence, a considerable 
 quantity of Jesuits 1 bark was collected, and he ob- 
 tained permission from the Spanish government of 
 Guyaquil to go and examine it. 
 
 When at Loco Dr. Wallace met with the famous 
 and learned Dr. Caldas, who was residing there for 
 the same object, and in search of other plants in 
 the neighbourhood, but was suffering at this time 
 from a severe attack of intermittent fever. Dr. 
 Wallace immediately attended him, and in a short 
 time re-established his health, and then assisted him 
 in his botanical researches and in the arrangement 
 of his plants. In a short time, so strong a friend- 
 ship was formed between the two doctors, that Caldas 
 I . 
 
 prevailed on his friend to go by land to Carthagena, 
 taking Popayan, the native place of Caldas, in his 
 way ; and as the governor of Guyaquil was a friend 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 31 
 
 of his he wrote to him, and obtained permission 
 for Dr. Wallace to accompany him to Popayan. 
 After our English doctor's arrival there, whilst 
 living in the house of his friend, he was, in his 
 turn, taken very ill, and during his illness a sister 
 of Dr. Caldas attended him with the greatest as- 
 siduity and attention, from which circumstance a 
 mutual attachment was formed, and the Doctor mar- 
 ried Miss Caldas. Since that time he had lived at 
 Popayan, practising as a medical man, and was 
 highly esteemed by all classes of the inhabitants. 
 Dr. Wallace had two boys and a girl, the eldest a 
 fine young lad of eighteen, who was very desirous 
 of visiting England. 
 
 The Doctor had had a most difficult part to act 
 during the civil war, as Popayan had been repeatedly 
 occupied in turn by the Spaniards and Columbians ; 
 the Spanish officers and soldiers he had been obliged 
 to attend and find medicines gratis. The last time 
 however the Spanish general Calzada occupied Po- 
 payan, the Doctor ascertained that he had deter- 
 mined to have him shot, as a republican, on which 
 
32 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 he fled to the house of a royalist, whose health he 
 had re-established a short time before. This gen- 
 tleman concealed him in a small dark room for a 
 month, bringing him provisions at night. The 
 Doctor told me, he heard one day some Spanish 
 officers, who were quartered in the house, saying to 
 each other, " Where the devil can that rascally 
 English Doctor be got to ? Our General has sent 
 light troops to scour all the country, and they have 
 returned without him. ,, Another remarked, " we 
 shall find him, and then we will shoot the repub- 
 lican heretic." 
 
 The celebrated naturalist, Dr. Caldas, is most 
 highly spoken of by the Baron de Humboldt, who 
 considered him one of the most learned and scientific 
 men in the ci-devant Spanish colonies. Caldas's 
 astronomical observations and measurement of 
 heights, made by mathematical instruments of his 
 own construction, were found to be nearly as cor- 
 rect as those made by Baron de Humboldt with the 
 best mathematical instruments of Europe, and his 
 discoveries in his botanical and geological research- 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 33 
 
 es, this great traveller considered highly important. 
 Caldas was a firm supporter of American Inde- 
 pendence, which he contributed to establish by his 
 writings. He made his knowledge of chemistry 
 and mechanics subservient to the cause. He was 
 the first person who taught the Columbians to make 
 gunpowder, fire-arms, &c. Caldas was sent prisoner I 
 to Bogota, at the time Morillo had his head quar- 
 ters there, and soon after was shot in the Great 
 Square, with many others of the most learned men 
 of Columbia, for education was a serious crime in 
 the estimation of Morillo, who was endeavouring 
 to extirpate, in Venezuela and New Grenada, all 
 men whose minds had been cultivated, knowing 
 that ignorance and superstition were the firmest 
 supporters of Spanish tyranny. I saw a quadrant 
 made by Caldas. I called on the Governor, 
 Colonel Ortega, who received me with great po- 
 liteness, and was anxious to know if we were com- 
 fortable in our house. Of course I said nothing 
 against the fleas and niguas, as they are not con- 
 sidered an annoyance in a place where people have 
 
 VOL. II. D 
 
34 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 always been accustomed to them. The Governor 
 begged my acceptance of a roana lined with thin In- 
 dian-rubber to exclude the rain, a tiger's skin, and a 
 small curious map of the Valley of Cauca ; in re- 
 turn, I sent him some English gunpowder and a 
 few bottles of Jamaica rum. 
 
 On Sunday, the 10th of October, we dined with 
 Senor J. Mosquera, where we met the Bishop 
 of Popayan and all the great personages of the 
 place. The dinner was sumptuous, and Mr. and 
 Mrs. Mosquera sat at the head and bottom of the 
 table, after the English fashion. Mr. Mosquera 
 had been in England for a few months, and was 
 very partial to the English, and tried to imitate 
 their habits and customs as much as possible. 
 Some of the Spanish wines were forty years old ; 
 but I did not much like them, they were too rich 
 and luscious. Most of the wine drunk in this 
 province comes from Chili, where it is made ; the 
 wine is sent by sea to Guyaquil, and then brought to 
 Popayan on mules. The Mosquera family was 
 reckoned the wealthiest in the province of Popayan, 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 35 
 
 and possessed large estates, numerous mines, and a 
 great many negro slaves. Senor J. Mosquera, who 
 was a senator, had, a few months before, married his 
 cousin, of the same name, a very handsome young 
 woman, a rich heiress, and particularly well informed; 
 she possessed an extensive library, and passed much 
 of her time in reading ; her manners were elegant, 
 and her conversation entertaining and pleasing. 
 The next day, Senora Mosquera sent us a large 
 quantity of preserved peaches, which were superior 
 to any European preserves in taste and flavour. 
 The style of building of the house was superior 
 to any I had seen at Bogota, and the furniture 
 of the rooms handsome, particularly the Quito 
 carpets. Here I saw some paintings executed 
 by masters at Quito, they were copies of the best 
 Italian masters, and I could not help admiring the 
 freedom of their pencil and the colouring of the 
 paintings. Senor Mosquera had the kindness to 
 offer me, in earnest, two or three of these paint- 
 ings, as he observed I admired them exceedingly. 
 
 d 2 
 
36 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 This I declined, but requested him to write to a 
 friend of his at Quito, to endeavour to purchase for 
 me half a dozen paintings of the best Quitonian 
 masters. When I afterwards saw Senor J. Mos- 
 quera at Bogota, he informed me that he had heard 
 from his friend at Quito, in reply to my application, 
 that the best painter had died suddenly, and that 
 the next best had been arrested for assassinating a 
 man in a fit of jealousy. On hearing this, I almost 
 regretted not having accepted one of his paintings, 
 to have shewn in England as a specimen of the ta- 
 lents of the Creole painters in South America. 
 
 During my residence at Popayan, I had frequent 
 visits from Senor Mosquera^s father, a fine old gen- 
 tleman of between seventy and eighty years of age, 
 who was held in the highest estimation by every 
 one for the excellent qualities he possessed, among 
 which humanity and kindness of heart shone con- 
 spicuously ; even the Spaniards had respected his 
 age and virtues, although the same respect was not 
 paid to his purse, as the different Spanish officers 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 
 
 who had commanded at Popayan, when they had 
 possession of the town, had made Senor Mosquera 
 pay in contributions about 50,000 dollars. 
 
 On the 9th and 10th of October, we passed our 
 mornings in calling on the bishop and all the dons 
 of the place. Some of the mansions are really very 
 handsome in Popayan, and their fronts in the pure 
 Grecian style of architecture. A large house was 
 at this time building for Senor J. Mosquera, the 
 front of which was remarkably handsome. No cir- 
 cumstance surprised me more than to find buildings 
 much superior to those of Bogota in a small town so 
 far inland. In Popayan there are only two classes 
 of inhabitants ; a few very rich families, including 
 the bishop and clergy, and all the rest small shop- 
 keepers or pulperoes ; consequently the houses are 
 either large and handsome, or small dwellings with 
 shops. A stranger suffers great inconvenience at 
 Popayan from the want of a market : most of the 
 poultry, fruit, and vegetables are brought to the 
 shopkeepers by the Indians from the adjacent 
 
38 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 mountains, who sell the articles to them, and they 
 again have their profit on the re-sale. The Indians 
 bring down from the mountains of Purace, in a day 
 or day and a half, abundance of snow, so that you 
 have every thing well iced at a cheap rate, and 
 there are persons going through the streets with 
 sweet ices, of which you get a large tumbler full for 
 five-pence. Many of the fruits are remarkably fine 
 at Popayan, particularly the chirimoya, which at- 
 tains in this climate the most delicious flavour ; the 
 taste of it is like a mixture of strawberries, cream, 
 and sugar. The Baron de Humboldt says in his 
 travels, " it is worth while for a traveller to go to 
 Popayan, if it were only to eat the chirimoya." 
 The caymato is a fruit peculiar to this province ; it 
 is in shape like a lemon, and rather sweet. We 
 had very fine apples, oranges, large strawberries, 
 and figs equal to those in Spain, which were sent to 
 us by the governor, and by Senora Mosquera ; we 
 received also one of the largest pomegranates I had 
 ever seen. The climate of Popayan is peculiarly 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 39 
 
 favourable to the production of fruits, as the ther- \ 
 mometer of Fahrenheit is never above 7^°, nor I 
 below 68°. 
 
 Probably no town in Columbia has suffered more 
 than Popayan, during the struggle of the Colum- 
 bians for their liberty. It had been occupied by 
 the Spaniards and Patriots sixteen times respect- \ 
 ively, and I suspect frequently plundered by friends 
 and foes. Popayan was a place of great importance 
 to both parties, from its situation, as the only road i 
 from Bogota to the province of Pasto, Quito, and j 
 the south, passed through Popayan, and it is only 
 distant four days' journey from the rich, fertile, and 
 extensive valley of Cauca, from which the general 
 who occupied Popayan could draw all the supplies 
 for his army. 
 
 On the morning of the 11th of October, the 
 Bishop of Popayan called on us, and requested we 
 would dine with him, en famille, at his country 
 house, about two miles from the town, on the road 
 to the Valley of Cauca. He said he should have 
 no one to meet us but Dr. Wallace, as he was our 
 
40 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 countryman. We went the next day rather before 
 three, the hour of dinner, to the Bishop's villa, who 
 shewed us all over it, and introduced us to a Pastu- 
 cian lady, whose name I forget, who had the ma- 
 nagement of his household : the lady was about 
 forty, rather handsome, and a fine figure. The 
 bishop told me he had lived some months at the 
 house of this lady's husband, during the period that 
 he waged war against the Columbians, at the head 
 of the inhabitants of the province. There was a 
 story current at Popayan at this time, that the lady's 
 husband had paid a visit to the worthy bishop to 
 demand his wife, but that Sir Illustrissimo became 
 indignant at the request, and in his passion gave 
 the poor man a violent kick, threatening, if he was 
 again troublesome about his wife, he would excom- 
 municate him. A bishop in these parts is looked 
 up to with awe and reverence by the middling and 
 lower classes, and when they have had the felicity 
 of kissing his hand, they retire quite delighted with 
 the thoughts of having got a lift towards heaven. 
 The bishop's family dinner shewed that the lady, 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 41 
 
 who sat next me at table, understood well the culi- 
 nary art, according to the Spanish taste. Mr. Cade 
 and I got into her good graces, by praising the 
 different dishes, while our keen appetite proved the 
 sincerity of our commendations. We did justice 
 to some old Malaga wine, which was excellent; 
 but I was amused to observe, that the bottle 
 always made a quick countermarch to the bishop, 
 no one venturing to taste the luscious wine except- 
 ing the dignitary and his secretary, who was a Spa- 
 niard, the lady housekeeper, Mr. Cade, and myself. 
 The poor devils who were at dinner with us eyed 
 the old Malaga with a covetous look, but our host 
 seemed to be of opinion that this nectar was not a 
 fit beverage for vulgar souls. After dinner we 
 walked to a charming little summer-house, a few 
 hundred yards from the house, which the bishop 
 had recently built, and fitted up with much taste ; 
 a fine clear stream of water was murmuring close by 
 the side, and the surrounding scenery was pretty 
 and gay ; in short, the whole was like any thing but 
 a monk's cell. On one side of the apartment in the 
 
42 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 summer-house was a very small window, looking 
 up the walk that led from the house to this tem- 
 ple of love : when he pointed this out to me, I ob- 
 served an arch waggish smile on his countenance, 
 which, perhaps, might be thus explained. " You 
 see, Colonel, I understand military manoeuvres as 
 well as yourself, and never allow the enemy to sur- 
 prise me." The country house of the bishop was 
 tolerably large, he had built a wing of some extent, 
 which consisted of ground-floor apartments for 
 young men who belonged to the College at Popayan. 
 The bishop had purchased a considerable estate 
 with the house, which he intended to leave at his 
 death to the Public College of Popayan ; — he was 
 a liberal public- spirited man. 
 
 As I before stated, Sir Illustrissimo don Salvado 
 Ximenes was a native of Malaga in Old Spain, 
 which he had quitted early in life, and was for 
 twenty years a priest at the town of Potosi in 
 Upper Peru, so celebrated for its rich silver mines. 
 He then returned to Spain, and was made Canon of 
 the Cathedral of Malaga, his native place, which 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 43 
 
 church preferment he held when Buonaparte in- 
 vaded Spain. On this occasion, the bishop became 
 a most active military character, assuming the rank 
 of Colonel, and by his preaching and exhortations 
 he roused the Spanish peasantry to resist the French 
 troops. For this spirited conduct, when Ferdinand 
 VII. was restored to the crown of Spain, the canon 
 of Malaga was appointed bishop of Popayan ; the 
 bishoprick at that time being worth more than 
 20,000 dollars per annum. In this high eccle- 
 siastical station, the bishop found himself in South 
 America, when the struggle was carried on with 
 such fierceness and animosity in Venezuela between 
 the armies of Morillo and Bolivar, but New Gre- 
 nada, the provinces of Popayan, and Quito, were 
 then in the possession of the Spaniards. When 
 the bishop found the arms of the Columbians tri- 
 umphant in all parts, he retired from Popayan to 
 Pasto, and put himself at the head of the Pastu- 
 cians, who had constantly evinced the most deter- ' 
 mined resistance to the cause of independence ; in 
 this province the bishop, attended by his present 
 
44 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 secretary as aid-de-camp, fought for two years 
 against the Columbians, carrying a cross in one 
 hand and a sword in the other, and fulminating 
 excommunications from the pulpit against all those 
 who carried arms against him. The rugged and 
 nearly insurmountable obstacles which the moun- 
 tainous province of Pasto opposes to an invading 
 enemy, greatly protracted the war, and these brave 
 people defended their country until they were near- 
 ly all destroyed, and the province is, at this time, 
 almost a desert waste. Pasto, the capital of the 
 province, surrendered to Bolivar in June 1822, to 
 effect which, and overcome the obstinacy of the 
 people, he had recourse to the Bishop of Popayan, 
 who retained great influence over the minds of these 
 superstitious people. Bolivar found great difficulty 
 in bringing over the bishop to the Columbian cause, 
 and he more than once demanded his passport to 
 return to Spain. The bishop is small in person, 
 but well made, he has a good-natured open coun- 
 tenance, with lively light-gray eyes, and I should 
 take him to be about sixty. He walks with as 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 45 
 
 much activity as a young man of five and twenty, 
 and in conversation is very animated and full of 
 fun. The people of Popayan call him " un hombre 
 muy politico", and perhaps it may be doubtful 
 whether he is a very staunch patriot, or preach- 
 es in favour of republicanism con amore. This 
 is not of much consequence at present, as he 
 conducts himself with great prudence and pro- 
 priety, and spends the greater part of his large 
 revenue very liberally, in charity, public establish- 
 ments, and hospitality. 
 
 The bishop's secretary had formerly been a cap- 
 tain of dragoons in Spain ; he was a tall, stout, 
 well made, good-looking fellow, with a pair of broad 
 shoulders like a coal-heaver, and not more than 
 three or four and thirty years old. I heard it 
 whispered at Popayan, that he was a great admirer 
 and favourite with the Popayan ladies ; be that as 
 it may, he certainly was not the sort of man I 
 should have chosen as a father-confessor for my 
 family. I believe he was heartily tired of Colum- 
 bia, and longing to get back to Spain, but his at- 
 
46 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 tachment to the bishop was so great that he felt 
 unwilling to leave him. We rode home from the 
 jolly bishop's quinta, in excellent good-humour, 
 and in the sanguine expectation of spending a few 
 more pleasant days there during our stay at Po- 
 payan. 
 
 We found our friend, Dr. Wallace, a man full of 
 information respecting the country ; and he must 
 have possessed consummate prudence and many 
 friends, to have obtained the good fortune of 
 escaping with his life, as all Englishmen were de- 
 tested by the Spaniards in America, as the great 
 instigators and supporters of the beloved Ferdi- 
 nand's rebellious subjects. 
 
 On the 21st of October, we left Popayan in the 
 morning, accompanied by the adjutant of the 
 Governor and Dr, Wallace's son, to visit the 
 paramo and volcano of Purace. The elder Senor 
 Mosquera had the kindness to lend me a very fine 
 strong mule for this expedition, as he said we should 
 find the roads bad and exceedingly slippery, on ac- 
 count of the rainy season having set in. In our 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 47 
 
 road to the Indian village of Purace, we had, as 
 usual, most magnificent mountain scenery, and a 
 fine view of the Rio Vinagre, or Vinegar River, so 
 called from its water tasting like vinegar, running 
 through a deep narrow valley on our right. About 
 half way from Popayan to Purace, we saw, at a 
 short distance from us, in a small plain, on our left, 
 a hacienda, or estate, belonging to Senor Manuel 
 Mosquera, the father, surrounded on all sides by 
 mountains. The house was rather small, thatched, 
 white-washed, and very neat, as well as the cottages 
 and out-houses near it, and the fields regularly di- 
 vided and well fenced in with hedge-rows, which 
 gave it the appearance of a small English farm. 
 Potatoes were planted in these fields by the 
 Indians ; the ridges were small, but regular, the 
 whole having been cultivated with a spade. 
 
 In a large field of maize near the road, we ob- 
 served an Indian watching his snares, which were 
 set to catch the red-headed green paroquets, which 
 are very numerous in this province, and do much 
 mischief to the crops of corn. Just as we had ar- 
 
48 TRAVELS Itf THE 
 
 rived, the Indian had taken a paroquet out of the 
 snare, which he brought down to us, but the bird 
 was so wild, and gave Mr. Cade so severe a bite in 
 the finger, that we left him with the Indian to 
 roast for his supper. The snares are made of horse- 
 hair, and are set on the ground, with a little maize 
 sprinkled in the centre as a bait, and the birds are 
 generally caught by the legs. About two o'clock 
 we arrived at the village of Purace, which is built 
 on a small plain, or a tongue of land, with lofty 
 mountains in its neighbourhood to the s.e. Here 
 we took quiet possession of the house of Francisco 
 Figuero, the priest, who was then at another Indian 
 village called Coconuco, distant about two leagues, 
 to attend two Indians who were dangerously ill, 
 and administer to their spiritual comfort. We 
 found two young women at the cura's house, who had 
 received orders from him to provide every thing re- 
 quisite for us during our stay at Purace, which orders 
 we found punctually obeyed at three o'clock ; and 
 the mountain air and long ride having whetted our 
 appetites, we did ample justice to the priest's good 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 49 
 
 cheer. After dinner we walked out with the young 
 ladies— one of whom was very pretty — to taste the 
 water of the Rio Vinagre, or Vinegar River, which 
 pursues its course to the westward about half a mile 
 from Purace, in a small valley ; the path which 
 leads to this river was so steep and slippery, that 
 we could scarcely keep on our legs, and Mr. Cade 
 and Wallace attempting to assist the ladies, caused 
 much mirth. The water of the Rio Vinagre is 
 perfectly clear, but its flavour fully justifies the 
 name given it. This river runs into the Cauca 
 about four leagues to the eastward of Purace, and 
 in consequence of the mixing of its acid water with 
 that of the Cauca, no fish are to be found in the 
 latter river for several leagues below Popayan. 
 Baron de Humboldt analyzed the water of this 
 Rio Vinagre, and found it, I believe, to be ferru- 
 ginous, nitrous, and acidulated. About a mile from 
 the village of Purace, there is a fine fall in this 
 river, of which we got an excellent view a little 
 higher up the valley ; there are also two other falls 
 above this, which we did not see. We found the 
 vol. ix. E 
 
50 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 evening air very cold at Purace ; we had changed 
 our climate, as we had ascended several thousand 
 feet in travelling from Popayan to this village, and 
 were not more than three leagues from the snowy 
 summit of the Purace Paramo. 
 
 At six next morning, we mounted our mules to 
 visit the paramo and the volcano, having an Indian 
 for our guide. The road was dreadfully bad, and 
 we had not proceeded above half way, when there 
 came on a heavy rain, which made the mountain- 
 path so slippery, that, after going another half 
 league, our guide declared we could proceed no 
 further with the mules. We then made an exertion 
 to walk in our jack-boots, but found it impractica- 
 ble ; the rain all the time fell in torrents, and at last, 
 to our great mortification, we were obliged to return 
 to Purace without either seeing the paramo or the 
 volcano, and we found it no easy task to retrace 
 our steps, as our mules could not keep their legs 
 under them for two minutes together, and we were 
 obliged to walk the greater part of the way through 
 mud and mire. I passed a long and dismal day 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 51 
 
 at the priest's house ; the rain poured incessantly, 
 accompanied by loud thunder and vivid lightning, 
 which is peculiarly awful in the midst of these 
 mountains ; and, to make matters worse, I could 
 not find a single book in the cure's house, except- 
 ing a Latin bible and one or two theological tracts 
 in Latin. It reminded me of being in the same 
 melancholy situation twenty years since, at a small 
 inn at Lampeter, in South Wales, where I was 
 staying for grouse-shooting in the adjacent moun- 
 tains. The rain continued every day for a week, 
 and the only book I could procure, was " Hervey's 
 
 1 
 
 Meditations among the Tombs' 1 , which, with the 
 bad weather, gave a pressing invitation to the blue 
 devils. Young Wallace and Mr. Cade passed their 
 time very merrily ; the former played well on the 
 Spanish guitar, and they footed it away with the 
 priest's nieces, I believe, till near two in the morn- 
 ing, surrounded by admiring Indians. The po- 
 pulation of Purace amounted to about 700, all pure 
 Indian blood. The cottages and gardens were clean 
 and neat, the latter regularly laid out, and well 
 
 e 2 
 
52 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 fenced. Purace was altogether the nicest Indian vil- 
 lage I had seen in Columbia, which, I believe, was in 
 great measure owing to the good qualities of the 
 priest, who took a lively interest in the welfare of 
 his copper-coloured parishioners, and did not exact 
 too much money from these poor people. The cha- 
 pel was also neat, being tiled and the outside white- 
 washed. The two livings of Purace and Coconuco 
 were worth about 800 dollars per annum, an ample 
 income in these retired mountains, besides the ad- 
 vantage of a number of good things in the way of 
 presents, always sent by the superstitious Indians 
 to these Padres. We found the kitchen full of 
 guinea-pigs, running about in all directions ; on the 
 last day we had a fat one roasted for dinner, it looked 
 so exactly like a rat I was not tempted to touch it. 
 
 On our road to Purace, we saw several Indian huts 
 on rocks and precipices that appeared inaccessible ; 
 they delight to live in these gloomy and solitary 
 situations ; their huts are small, and very often 
 full of smoke, as they have only a small hole in the 
 roof, by which the smoke can escape. The fences 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 53 
 
 round their fields are formed of "el lechero", or the 
 milk tree ; it derives its name from a liquid of that 
 colour oozing out of it when you break a branch. 
 The liquid is a sharp caustic ; the stakes are planted 
 about six feet in height, and throw out young shoots 
 like the osier, and, when pruned, frequently become 
 very thick, and make an excellent fence. The 
 Indians cultivate wheat, potatoes, Indian corn of 
 two or three sorts, the yuca root, from the flour of 
 which nice cakes are made, and other vegetables. 
 In the mountains there is good herbage for horses, 
 mules, sheep, and goats, and in the small valleys 
 the pasturage is still better. The Indians who re- 
 side in these cordilleras, generally enjoy excellent 
 health, the climate is cool, the water very pure, and 
 for seven months in the year, the sun smiles on t 
 them every day. In the wet season, which unfor- ■ 
 tunately had now commenced, a residence in the 
 mountains is not desirable ; but these rains fertilize 
 the soil, and the labour of the cultivator is usually 
 rewarded by an abundant crop. The Indian rises 
 at three o'clock in the morning, takes boiled pota- 
 
54 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 toes, a maize cake, and a little milk for his breakfast, 
 and from four in the morning until the evening, he 
 will work in his fields without any food, only chew- 
 ing the leaf of the coca, or betel, which is as re- 
 freshing to them as tobacco to an English sailor. 
 The Indians have a great affection for man's most 
 faithful companion, the dog. You generally see 
 two or three round their huts. They breed a great 
 deal of poultry, and two or three fat pigs are al- 
 most always tenants of their styes. I found these 
 tribes of a serious turn, seldom smiling, and very 
 taciturn, but uniformly good-tempered and civil, 
 and anxious to oblige us. Drunkenness is their 
 great vice ; they indulge freely in spirits whenever 
 they can get it ; in this state they are frequently 
 noisy and troublesome. Their eyes are generally 
 large, fine, and remarkably full of expression ; and 
 I have seen some of their women not only pretty, 
 but formed in Nature's fairest mould. 
 
 We J eft Purace on Saturday, at half-past six 
 a.m., and arrived at the country-house of Colonel 
 Tomaso C. Mosquera, in two hours. The colonel 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 55 
 
 was brother of the senator, and governor of the 
 province of Buenaventura, which borders on the 
 Pacific Ocean. He received us with great frank- 
 ness and cordiality, and introduced us to his lady 
 and her sister, both elegant young women. The 
 quinta was built in an extensive vale, about a 
 mile from Coconuco ; Colonel Mosquera, who was 
 fond of agriculture, cultivated a large portion of 
 the land. In descending some steep hills towards 
 the house, we observed a flock of about 1000 small 
 mountain sheep, which were feeding on a good short 
 herbage. These hills had the appearance of our 
 Sussex South Downs. The wool of these sheep is 
 manufactured by the Indians into coarse cloths, 
 roanas, and flannel, and we afterwards found, at the 
 colonel's table, that the mutton was excellent, and 
 of a high venison flavour. Colonel Mosquera told 
 us, that the estate had been granted by Ximines 
 de Quesada, the conqueror of all this part of 
 America, to a Spanish marquis ; that it was seven 
 Spanish leagues in circumference, including some 
 of the mountains. The estate had been afterwards 
 
5 3 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 purchased by his maternal grandfather, from the 
 Spanish government, when the Jesuits were expelled 
 from the Spanish colonies ; and that he supposed it 
 was not worth more than 20,000 dollars*, including 
 slaves, stock, the thousand sheep, buildings, &c. 
 I was surprised to hear this, for I had no conception 
 that land, cattle, and slaves, could be had so cheap, 
 and this place might be considered a comfortable 
 country residence in any part of the weld. 
 
 Colonel Mosquera had his face bound up, in conse- 
 quence of a severe wound he had received from a mus- 
 ket-ball, which entered his mouth, carried away two 
 of his teeth, and passed out at his cheek, as he was 
 in the act of cheering his men and leading them on 
 against the troop of the famous Indian Guerilla, 
 Colonel Aqualonga, wh( had carried on a depreda- 
 tory warfare in Pasto for three or four years. On 
 this occasion, he had made a desparate attack on Bar- 
 bacoas, in the province of Buenaventura, in the hope 
 of getting possession of the gold collected from the 
 adjacent mines, and of a considerable sum of money 
 * Twenty thousand dollars is about ^£j,0C0.. 
 
PROVINCES OF COLOMBIA. 5*] 
 
 which was there, to be sent immediately to Bolivar, 
 in Peru, for the payment of his army. 
 
 Colonel Mosquera stated, that having received 
 information that Aqualonga meditated an attack on 
 the town of Barbacoas, which is situated on the 
 right bank of th? river Falcombe, he hastened there 
 to make preparations for defending the place, and 
 to inspire, by his presence, the small number of 
 troops stationed there with courage. Barbacoas is 
 a small town, and the valley of Pater, in which it 
 is situated, is considered one of the most unhealthy 
 in Columbia ; a stranger, travelling from other pro- 
 vinces, can seldom cross it without getting a severe 
 intermittent fever. The day the colonel arrived at 
 Barbacoas, he received information that Aqualonga 
 intended attacking the town at day-light the next 
 morning, and that for this purpose he had collect- 
 ed several large canoes to convey his troops down 
 the river. The colonel removed his quarters in the 
 middle of the night, with great secrecy and pre- 
 caution, to a large square house, in the walls of 
 which he had holes made for the soldiers to fire 
 
58 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 through, and took off the thatched roof to prevent 
 the enemy setting fire to the building. All the 
 artillery consisted of one small mountain field- 
 piece; five artillery-men, forty soldiers, and a few 
 of the inhabitants of the place composed the gar- 
 rison of this little fort, who were all determined to 
 make a desperate defence, being well aware they 
 should receive no quarter from Aqualonga if they 
 surrendered. 
 
 At break of day, as was expected, Aqualonga 
 came down in canoes to attack the town, and on his 
 way had been joined by 200 negro slaves, who had 
 run away from the gold mines, and were in hopes 
 of coming in for a share of the expected plunder at 
 the taking of Barbacoas. They first made a fu- 
 rious attack on the house which Colonel Mosquera 
 had quitted in the night ; Aqualonga had been in- 
 formed, by his spies, of the colonel's being station- 
 ed there. On finding out his mistake, he instantly 
 attacked the square house, where they met with a 
 warm and spirited resistance, and the post was de- 
 fended with great bravery ; the colonel setting his 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 59 
 
 small garrison an example of coolness and intre- 
 pidity, and by their steady fire, they killed and 
 wounded so many of the enemy, that Aqualonga 
 was obliged to order his troops to retire. As soon 
 as the colonel observed this movement, he gallant- 
 ly sallied forth at the head of his men to annoy the 
 enemy in their retreat ; and it was in this sally 
 that he received a musket-ball in his mouth, from a 
 Pastuchian, who turned round, when retreating, 
 and deliberately took aim at him. A Columbian 
 officer, a Spaniard, on seeing the colonel, as he 
 supposed, mortally wounded, deserted to Aqualonga 
 and gave him information of this circumstance, 
 who instantly renewed the attack on the house, at 
 the same time setting fire to all the dwellings round 
 the little fortress. Colonel Mosquera, although so 
 severely wounded, exhorted his men to do their 
 duty, and they succeeded in beating off Aqualonga 
 a second time, who left 100 men dead in the square 
 in front of the house. This second retreat came 
 most apropos for the brave little garrison, as they 
 had nearly expended all their ammunition. On 
 
60 . TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 the side of Colonel Mosquera there were ten men 
 killed and a few wounded. After the victory, the 
 gallant colonel's situation was far from enviable, as 
 he was surrounded by smoking ruins, severely 
 wounded, and without a medical man to dress his 
 wound or those of his soldiers. 
 
 Nearly three weeks elapsed, before Mr. Welsh, an 
 English surgeon, arrived from Popayan to examine 
 Mosquera's wound, which he found in a dreadful 
 state, although a priest had applied fomentations, 
 and extracted two or three small bits of bone. 
 However, the Colonel's excellent constitution got 
 the better of his wounds, and he was now able to 
 converse, but found some difficulty in masticating 
 his food. 
 
 Aqualonga was taken prisoner with a few of 
 his followers by a detachment of the regiment of 
 Cauca, a day or two after the attack on Bar- 
 bacoas on the river Patia, and was afterwards shot 
 at Popayan. He had not recovered from a wound 
 in his leg at the time of his attacking Barbacoas. 
 A Spanish colonel who had accompanied him in 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 61 
 
 the attack, died of his wounds in the woods, which 
 was the fate of most of the wounded. The Indian 
 colonel, Aqualonga, had risen to the command of 
 the Pastucians solely by his bravery, activity, en- 
 terprising spirit, and knowledge of carrying on a 
 mountain warfare against the Columbians, and as a 
 reward for his services, the Court of Spain gave him 
 the commission of colonel, the uniform of which 
 he wore on particular occasions. Few men had 
 shown the same constancy, perseverance, and zeal, 
 in fighting for the cause of the King of Spain ; and 
 he had espoused this party from a thorough con- 
 viction that he was fighting for his lawful sovereign, 
 and for the established religion of his country. 
 
 I heard that Aqualonga had occasionally dis- 
 played much generosity and humanity towards his 
 prisoners, and that he frequently checked the fero- 
 cious dispositions of his soldiers, who were moun- 
 taineers, Indians, and runaway negroes from the 
 mines of the South of Columbia. When Aqua- 
 longa was brought prisoner to Popayan, a large 
 crowd collected to gaze on an Indian who had been 
 
62 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 the terror of the country for several years ; and one 
 man observing his person, which was short, and his 
 features, which were thick and ugly, exclaimed, 
 " Is that the ugly little fellow that has alarmed us 
 so long ? *' 1 " Yes," replied Aqualonga, darting a 
 fierce look at him from his large black eyes, " in 
 this small body is the heart of a giant." When he 
 was condemned to be shot, he requested of the go- 
 vernor of Popayan that he might be allowed to die 
 in his colonel's uniform, which request was kindly 
 granted to him ; and just before he was shot, he 
 said, if he had twenty lives, he was ready to sacri- 
 fice them all for his religion and the King of Spain. 
 A man possessing so much courage, so much energy 
 of mind, and such fidelity to the cause for which 
 he at last died, cannot be too much admired, and 
 proves that great men are to be found among the 
 Aborigines of America. 
 
 The attack of Barbacoas was the last struggle of 
 the Pastucians for the cause of the Beloved Ferdi- 
 nand ; and if they had succeeded at this place, they 
 hoped that the negro slaves in the gold mines of 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 63 
 
 the provinces of Buenaventura and Choco would 
 rise in some thousands, and it was then their inten- 
 tion to have attacked Quito, and have made a di- 
 version in favour of the Spaniards in Peru. 
 
 At three in the afternoon of the day, we arrived 
 at Colonel Mosquera's quinta : we went to see a 
 singular phenomenon of nature called the boiling 
 water, about a league from the governor's house. 
 The road to this hot spring was very bad and slip- 
 pery, and we had also some difficulty in crossing 
 the small river Coconuco, which, from the recent 
 heavy rains, had become quite a torrent, and almost 
 carried our mules off their legs. The beds of these 
 rivers are most uneven and rugged, from the large 
 rocks and stones that are continually washed down 
 from the mountains in the rainy season. The In- 
 dians are sometimes drowned in attempting to cross 
 the mountain torrents, for swimming is of little 
 avail where the water rushes down with irresistible 
 force, carrying every thing before it. The aperture 
 from which the boiling water gushes up is about 
 three feet in diameter ; it is encrusted with brim- 
 
62 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 the terror of the country for several years ; and one 
 man observing his person, which was short, and his 
 features, which were thick and ugly, exclaimed, 
 " Is that the ugly little fellow that has alarmed us 
 so long ? " " Yes, 11 replied Aqualonga, darting a 
 fierce look at him from his large black eyes, " in 
 this small body is the heart of a giant." When he 
 was condemned to be shot, he requested of the go- 
 vernor of Popayan that he might be allowed to die 
 in his colonel's uniform, which request was kindly 
 granted to him ; and just before he was shot, he 
 said, if he had twenty lives, he was ready to sacri- 
 fice them all for his religion and the King of Spain. 
 A man possessing so much courage, so much energy 
 of mind, and such fidelity to the cause for which 
 he at last died, cannot be too much admired, and 
 proves that great men are to be found among the 
 Aborigines of America. 
 
 The attack of Earbacoas was the last struggle of 
 the Pastucians for the cause of the Beloved Ferdi- 
 nand ; and if they had succeeded at this place, they 
 hoped that the negro slaves in the gold mines of 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 63 
 
 the provinces of Buenaventura and Choco would 
 rise in some thousands, and it was then their inten- 
 tion to have attacked Quito, and have made a di- 
 version in favour of the Spaniards in Peru. 
 
 At three in the afternoon of the day, we arrived 
 at Colonel Mosquera's quinta : we went to see a 
 singular phenomenon of nature called the boiling 
 water, about a league from the governor's house. 
 The road to this hot spring was very bad and slip- 
 pery, and we had also some difficulty in crossing 
 the small river Coconuco, which, from the recent 
 heavy rains, had become quite a torrent, and almost 
 carried our mules off their legs. The beds of these 
 rivers are most uneven and rugged, from the large 
 rocks and stones that are continually washed down 
 from the mountains in the rainy season. The In- 
 dians are sometimes drowned in attempting to cross 
 the mountain torrents, for swimming is of little 
 avail where the water rushes down with irresistible 
 force, carrying every thing before it. The aperture 
 from which the boiling water gushes up is about 
 three feet in diameter ; it is encrusted with brim- 
 
66 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 which he was governor, he said, that there were a 
 great many venomous snakes in the woods and sa- 
 vannahs, and one particularly bold and dreaded by 
 the inhabitants, called the guascaina, which fre- 
 quently attains the length of nine or ten feet, and 
 nine inches in diameter. The guascaina has the 
 power of raising itself upright, by the aid of two 
 fangs, which he has below the head, and in this po- 
 sition he waits for his prey near the roads and paths, 
 darting with great velocity on any thing that passes. 
 A negro who was just married, and had been 
 dancing the whole night at his wedding, went, early 
 in the morning, a short distance into the wood, 
 when suddenly the people in the house were alarm- 
 ed by hearing him shriek dreadfully. On going to 
 the spot, they found a large guascaina snake had 
 seized him by the neck. They attacked the guas- 
 caina with their manchettes, and killed him, but the 
 poor negro died of the wounds inflicted by this ve- 
 nomous creature. Another negro of that province 
 had displayed considerable strength and courage 
 when attacked by one of these snakes. He seized 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 67 
 
 him round the neck with both his hands and pre- 
 vented the monster biting him, roaring loudly for 
 assistance to some of his companions, who were at 
 no great distance cutting wood. Some of them ran 
 witli their long knives, and soon ended the contest, 
 and the negro, by his wonderful presence of mind, 
 escaped being bitten. These anecdotes were re- 
 lated to me by Colonel Mosquera, who added, that 
 in travelling over the mountains from the port of 
 Buenaventura to Calli, by a road that is seldom 
 traversed, owing to its dangerous passes, they killed 
 twenty snakes of different species and sizes, and 
 two or three of the black hunting snake, two of the 
 aques, and three of the coral, or orange and black 
 spotted snake. The large spotted panther is found 
 in the province of Buenaventura. Colonel Mos- 
 quera begged my acceptance of a blow-pipe, with 
 several small poisoned arrows, not more than eight 
 inches in length, which had been given him by an 
 Indian chief in the province of Buenaventura. 
 The arrows are poisoned with a moisture which 
 exudes from the back of a small green frog found 
 
 f 2 
 
68 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 in the provinces of Buenaventura and Choco, 
 When the Indians want to get this poison from the 
 frog, they put him near a small fire, and the mois- 
 ture soon appears on his back, in which they dip 
 the points of the small arrows, and so subtle is this 
 poison, that a jaquar or panther whose blood is 
 touched by one of these poisoned arrows, soon be- 
 comes convulsed and dies. But in hunting the 
 tiger, panther, bear, wild boar, &c. the Indians 
 make use of larger arrows with the blow-pipe, and 
 also carry with them the bow and arrow and long 
 spears. The arrows are always poisoned ; a little 
 cotton is put neatly round the lower end of the 
 arrow, in lieu of feathers, to make it go steadily 
 through the air, and about an inch of the point is 
 spiral. 
 
 Colonel Mosquera told me that the Indians had 
 only a faint idea of religion, but still their minds 
 were impressed with the belief that a good deity re- 
 sided in the heavens, and a bad one below the earth. 
 
 As there was no chance of improvement in the 
 weather, and as the roads would be getting worse 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 69 
 
 each day, we took leave of the gallant colonel's 
 family the following morning, and mounted our 
 mules to return to Popayan ; the colonel and his 
 brother accompanied us for a couple of leagues ; 
 when we bade adieu to these polite and hospitable 
 gentlemen, regretting, on both sides, that we 
 had seen so little of each other. Our journey back 
 to Popayan was most disagreeable, as it rained in 
 torrents nearly the whole way, and our mules, from 
 the exceeding slippery state of the roads, were on 
 their sides or haunches every minute, and we were 
 all heartily rejoiced when we arrive^ at Popayan in 
 the afternoon. We received, the next morning, 
 a visit from the bishop of Popayan, who fixed on 
 the Sunday for our dining with him in state, at his 
 palace, on which occasion he told me all the dis- 
 tinguished characters of the place should be invited. 
 The bishop was as usual very kind, and endea- 
 voured to find out if we wanted any thing, and 
 said he should be extremely angry if we applied to 
 any other person. We had also frequent morning 
 visits from Dr. Wallace. I generally called on 
 
70 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 him every day, and frequently found him employed 
 in giving advice and medicine gratis to the poor 
 of the town and neighbourhood. The doctor one 
 day told me, he had not tasted roast beef or plum- 
 pudding for above twenty years. On hearing this, 
 I invited him and his son to come and dine with us 
 in a scrambling way, as we had but a small canteen 
 for two persons, and promised that he should have 
 roast beef and a plum- pudding dressed by an English 
 cook, if we could manage to get raisins. These the 
 doctor engaged to procure, the pudding was made, 
 and would not have disgraced any English table 
 on a Christmas-day, and I never saw a man enjoy 
 his dinner more than our friend the doctor ; he said, 
 he never expected to have partaken of these good 
 things again. The cook contrived to roast the 
 beef very well by means of a string. I had the 
 pleasure of the doctor's company, with his son's, 
 several times during our residence at Popayan, and 
 always took care to have a large plum-pudding on 
 the table. At last the doctor got the receipt for 
 making this delicacy from Edle ; he made sad com- 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 7^ 
 
 plaints that his wife would interfere, and that the 
 manufacture was any thing but an English plum- 
 pudding. However, one morning the doctor called 
 on me highly delighted, having made the ex- 
 periment by himself the day before, and succeeded 
 to admiration. The doctor added, " I had much 
 difficulty in preventing that old busy devil of a wife 
 of mine from again spoiling my pudding." En- 
 glishmen, who have lived for four and twenty 
 years amongst foreigners, know how to appreciate 
 the good tilings which John Bull thinks little of, 
 being accustomed to see them in England every day 
 of his life. 
 
 In this province, and in that of Timara, the storax, 
 called by the Spaniards " cstoraque", is found ; this 
 is an odoriferous substance exuding from a tree of 
 common growth in these provinces. The nuns of I 
 Popayan make a variety of birds and animals with 
 this resinous substance, in the formation and exe- 
 cution of which they display much taste. Their 
 artificial flowers of shells and muslin, are also very , 
 beautiful, a selection of which I purchased. Some of 
 
72 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 the Pastucian wooden bowls are to be admired for 
 the elegance of the birds and flowers painted on 
 them and highly varnished, but are not equal to 
 those manufactured at Timara. It is rather dif- 
 ficult to procure them at present, as almost all the 
 Pastucian workmen in this line have been either 
 killed or have abandoned the country. 
 
 On Sunday we went at four o'clock, to dine with 
 the bishop, where we met all the personages of 
 rank of the place, ecclesiastical, civil, and military, 
 assembled together to partake of the good things 
 of Sir Illustrissimo. Suffice it to say, that all the 
 guests were feasted with choice delicacies from 
 various quarters both far and near. The priests 
 of the different towns and villages in the bishop- 
 rick make a point of sending, as presents to their 
 bishop, any thing particularly choice which can 
 be procured in their respective neighbourhoods ; 
 and the range to forage over for these good things 
 is very wide, as the bishoprick extends over the 
 provinces of Popayan, Buenaventura, Choco, 
 
 I 
 
 and Antioquia. The fete was worthy of the ge- 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMEIA. 7^ 
 
 nerous hospitality of the bishop, and notwith- 
 standing the presents, must have been got up at a 
 great expense. There were fish and fruits which 
 I had never seen before, sent from the valley of 
 Cauca, and all these choice bits were plentifully 
 moistened by the bishop's old Malaga and several 
 other sorts of Spanish wines ; and on this grand 
 occasion the bottles made a wider circuit than 
 when we dined at the bishop's country-house. At 
 eight o'clock we took leave of our host ; and Mr. 
 Cade declared he was the pleasantest bishop he 
 had ever met in his travels. I found his secretary, 
 the ci-devant captain of Spanish dragoons, im- 
 prove much on acquaintance ; he was jocose and 
 full of humour, and passed the wine quickly, ob- 
 serving, that the English dearly loved a good glass 
 of wine, while it required no great penetration to 
 discover that he was no practical friend to absti- 
 nence and fasting. 
 
 The palace of the bishop was not large, but well 
 furnished. It had suffered much, and been plun- 
 dered during the bishop's absence in Pasto, when 
 
74 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 lie was fighting at the head of the Pastucians in the 
 cause in Spain. The ornaments in the private 
 chapel were chaste, and not overloaded with tawdry- 
 gilded saints and bad paintings. There was a 
 large corridor round the ground buildings, and two 
 wings of these buildings were appropriated to a 
 public school for boys, to whom the bishop de- 
 voted a great part of his time, and in the progress 
 of whose studies he took much interest. 
 
 October 23rd. Colonel Ortega, the governor, 
 called on me, and said he should have much plea- 
 sure in shewing me the National School of Popayan, 
 on the Lancasterian system, which offer I gladly ac- 
 cepted for myself and Mr. Cade. We found the 
 boys, about 120 in number, dressed in a neat plain 
 uniform, looking healthy and well. The movements 
 of each class were performed by the ringing of a 
 small bell, or the shrill note of a whistle like a 
 boatswain^ on board a man-of-war, which each cap- 
 tain of a class used, and all these movements were 
 performed with the regularity and precision of an 
 English battalion of the line. Some of the boys 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. *J5 
 
 were examined before us in arithmetic, mathe- 
 matics, and reading, by their captains, and their 
 performance in these different branches of study 
 was highly. creditable. The school-room was large, 
 well white- washed, and clean in every part. Twelve 
 Indian boys were at one time sent to this school to 
 be educated, but remained only a short time, the 
 confinement being too great for them, and they re- 
 turned to their mountains, I saw no negroes 
 among the boys, the reason of which I could not 
 ascertain. Colonel Ortega was much pleased with 
 the eulogiums we bestowed on this public seminary, 
 which was certainly the best regulated I had seen 
 in Columbia. The governor frequently visited this 
 school, and observed to me that he looked to edu- 
 cation as the only means of recovering from bar- 
 barism the lower orders in Columbia. 
 
 We also visited the Government mint at Po- 
 payan, and saw the workmen go through the whole 
 process of coining ; all the machinery is very an- 
 
 I 
 
 tiquatcd, being the same which the Spaniards had 
 used ever since the conquest of the country. The 
 
76 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 Government was, at this time, building a new mint, 
 and intended to adopt a new system of coining, 
 both at this place and at Bogota. The master of 
 the mint was a well bred old man, who had mar- 
 ried a Spanish lady, sister of Count O'Donnel 
 who formerly commanded an army in Spain. On 
 this occasion they made a plentiful display of dou- 
 bloons, but as a great deal of the gold collected 
 from the mines of the southern provinces is sent to 
 be coined here, paying a fifth of the value to Go- 
 vernment, I could not draw an inference from this 
 show of money that the finances of the province 
 were in a flourishing state. 
 
 This morning we paid a visit to a respectable 
 merchant of the town, and were much surprised to 
 find his brother playing on a fine toned piano-forte 
 of Broadwood^s, which he said was the only one in 
 the town, and had cost him at least 1200 Spanish 
 dollars. It had been brought from England to 
 Guyaquil, and was then sent in a small coaster 
 to Buenaventura, whence it had been carried 
 on the backs of negroes over the mountains to 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 77 
 
 Popayan. This gentleman was a native of Chili, 
 but having married a Popayan lady had established 
 himself as a merchant in the place. 
 
 We were now very comfortably settled at Po- 
 payan for the rainy season ; the rain generally came 
 on about four in the afternoon, and lasted until day- 
 light in the morning, when a fine bright sun, unob- 
 scured by a single cloud, made every thing look 
 gay and cheerful, and a walk before breakfast was 
 particularly pleasant, when the air was scented with 
 a thousand delicious perfumes from the wild shrubs 
 and flowers which grow most luxuriantly on the hills 
 close to the town. We certainly had not much 
 merit in early rising, as a multitude of fleas were 
 our constant tormentors all night, and these lively 
 companions allowed us but little rest. The niguas 
 were also very troublesome in perforating our toes, 
 and two or three times a week we had them ex- 
 tracted with a needle by a half Indian lad named 
 Joaquin, who is now living with me in England. 
 This boy was very expert in taking out these little 
 insects from under the nails. A sensation of itching 
 
7% TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 at the toe soon gives notice that the nigua has pe- 
 netrated the skin, and on looking close to the part 
 yon sec a small white substance under the nail. To 
 get this out without breaking is rather a difficult 
 operation, but Joaquin seldom failed, and the nigua 
 buried in the middle of its eggs, for this is the white 
 substance, has when extracted the appearance of 
 a small pearl. Burnt tobacco ashes are rubbed in 
 the wound, and in two or three days the hole closes. 
 Should this abominable insect be allowed to remain 
 for any time in the toes, the eggs would hatch, and 
 the niguas increase so fast they would soon eat away 
 the fleshy part of the toe, and perhaps bring on mor- 
 tification. I was told that many of the Spanish sol- 
 diers of Morillo's army lost their lives from morti- 
 fication, and that others were compelled to have 
 their feet amputated from neglecting to extract the 
 nigua. The exertion of walking on the pavement 
 was very painful the day the niguas were taken out. 
 These insects are so small that you can never see 
 them on your stockings. 
 
 When we had been about a month at Popayan, 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 7^ 
 
 on my return one morning from an early walk I 
 was accosted by an elderly gentleman, who en quired 
 if I were Colonel Hamilton. Having been an- 
 swered in the affirmative, lie requested a few mi- 
 nutes' 1 conversation on a subject of considerable im- 
 portance. I conducted the gentleman up stairs, 
 when he informed me with a veiy serious counte- 
 nance that Mr. Cade had been too assiduous in his 
 attentions to a very pretty young pulpcra, or shop- 
 keeper, who lived a few doors from us. I replied 
 that I never interfered in affairs of gallantry. He 
 then stated, that the young woman was married, 
 and that he had sent her husband to sell dry goods 
 for him at Calli and Donga in the Valley of Cauca, 
 and that the husband, during his absence., had com- 
 mitted his wife to his charge, and that he hoped I 
 would forbid Mr. Cade's visiting her ; we then 
 parted. 
 
 A few days afterwards, I observed that the young 
 pulpera was removed from her shop with all its con- 
 tents, and to my surprise discovered that the young 
 girl was not married, but was the mistress of the 
 
80 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 amorous old merchant, which at once explained the 
 motives for the gentleman's great anxiety about the 
 young shopkeeper. 
 
 This young pulpera was the handsomest and best 
 made girl of her class that I had seen at Popayan, 
 with fine large black eyes, and a set of teeth white 
 as ivory, which showed she did not follow the fashion 
 of smoking, like most of the women in her situation 
 of life. 
 
 Nov. 8. Received a visit from the bishop early 
 in the morning, who mentioned that he was going 
 to call on the lady abbess of the order of El Car- 
 men, the Carmelite order, which convent was nearly- 
 opposite to our house, and politely offered to take 
 me with him, observing that the garden belonging 
 to the convent was well worth seeing, and the 
 orange-trees large and fine. He then turned round 
 to Mr. Cade, and said with a smile, that he was 
 rather too young to be admitted into a nunnery of 
 so strict and severe an order as that of El Carmen. 
 Perhaps for the first time in his life, my secretary 
 would have preferred being a few years older. 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 81 
 
 On our arrival at the convent gate, the bishop 
 sent for the lady abbess, and told her through 
 the locatoire who I was, and that he wished to shew 
 me the convent garden ; when she immediately 
 sent for the keys of the great entrance door, of 
 which there are two, one kept by the lady abbess, 
 and the other by one of the senior nuns, which open 
 different locks. The moment the gate was opened 
 a small bell rang, which was the signal for all the 
 nuns to retire to their cells, that they might not be 
 seen, agreeably to the rules of their order. The 
 lady abbess also retired, and left me alone with 
 the bishop. We walked round the garden, which 
 was kept very neat and nice, with rows of large 
 orange-trees round it, and at short intervals under 
 the trees small benches were placed for the nuns to 
 sit on, and indulge in their melancholy reflections, 
 probably often regretting they had been prevailed 
 on to perform such severe penance for their lives as 
 the order of El Carmen enjoins. The garden was 
 full of beautiful flowers, which the nuns cultivated 
 for their amusement. We walked from the garden 
 
 VOL. II. G 
 
82 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 to the refectory : the cloth was laid, and I saw some 
 pieces of dark-coloured bread on the table. At the 
 head of it was placed a human skull. Perhaps at 
 some of our civic feasts, it might be well for the 
 guests if a skull graced the top and bottom of the 
 table ; it might prevent some of them taking their 
 third bason of turtle soup, lest apoplexy should 
 transform their plump rosy cheeks into such an un- 
 sightly object. The bishop regretted that he could 
 not shew me the whole convent, no man having ad- 
 mittance inside, but himself and a medical gentle- 
 man to attend the nuns when they were ill. Just 
 as we were going from the convent, the lady ab- 
 bess came to take leave of us, and for a moment 
 raised her black veil. I should say that she had 
 been in her younger days handsome, having good 
 eyes and regular features ; she appeared about fifty. 
 She kissed the bishop's hand. The bishop after- 
 wards told me that she had been twenty years in 
 the nunnery ; that she belonged to one of the first 
 families of Calli, and was a pious good woman. 
 This convent had been very rich in lands, mines, 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 83 
 
 and ready money, previous to the breaking out of 
 the civil war. One Spanish governor of the pro- 
 vince carried off to Quito 200,000 dollars, which 
 they never recovered. Every Friday the nuns of 
 El Carmen discipline themselves ; and from their 
 bad living and constant fasting, most of them are 
 in a feeble state of health, although some of the 
 number have attained a great age. They are 
 dressed in black, and if I may judge from the 
 constant ringing of the bell, I should say they were 
 praying night and day. 
 
 When I told Mosquera that I had been in the 
 convent garden, he was quite astonished, never 
 having heard of any man but the medical attendant 
 being admitted within the walls, and remarked it 
 was a proof of the bishop's wish to shew me every 
 kind of civility. 
 
 We called the next morning on our friend Dr. 
 Wallace, and found him looking at a horse which 
 an Indian had brought from his farm, where he 
 kept him at grass. The doctor related an anec- 
 dote of this Indian, as a proof of his attachment 
 to him. When the Spaniards had possession of 
 
 g 2 
 
84* TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 Popayan, they found out that Dr. Wallace had a 
 good horse at grass, under the care of this Indian, 
 which they sent a serjeant and party to seize for 
 the use of the cavalry ; but on searching all over 
 the Indian's farm they were unable to find it. On 
 this they went to his hut, and accused him of having 
 concealed the animal, which he stoutly denied; 
 they tied him up to a tree and gave him 1 00 coups 
 de baton to make him confess where it was, but the 
 Indian still persisting in his first story, they left 
 him, believing it was not on the farm. This faith- 
 ful Indian suspecting that the Spaniards would take 
 the horse away, concealed him every day in a cave 
 in a small wood, and at night turned him out to 
 grass, but when the Spaniards were driven out of 
 Popayan, delivered him to the doctor. This story 
 of course opened all our purses. The Indian was 
 a fine stout-looking man with large features and 
 good open countenance. He had a wife and two 
 or three children, and was in comfortable circum- 
 stances. 
 
 The Indians make good servants when once they 
 form an attachment for the family. Dr. Wallace 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 85 
 
 had an Indian girl who had been seventeen years 
 in his service, and was particularly fond of his chil- 
 dren. She was rather fat in her person, but her 
 countenance and complexion quite Indian. I had 
 her portrait taken by a native artist of Popayan in 
 her Indian gala dress ; it was well done, very like 
 the girl, and did credit to the talents of the man, 
 who had taught himself drawing. 
 
 I was anxious to get an Indian boy from the 
 mountains to bring to England as a servant, and 
 Colonel Mosquera and the priest of Curace en- 
 deavoured to get one. They thought they had 
 succeeded, having found a boy of seven years 
 old, who had neither father nor mother, and was 
 then living with his grandfather. The colonel 
 had him brought to the village of Coconuco, in- 
 tending to send him to me at Popayan, by the 
 first opportunity, but before this could be effected, 
 he contrived to escape into the mountains, and 
 could not be heard of. The Indians delight in 
 the solitude of their mountains, and have an aver- 
 sion from a regular life in large towns. 
 
86 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 With all my exertions, backed by the bishop, I 
 was unable to get an Indian boy. A great many of 
 the Indians come to Popayan with their families, 
 to be hired to work on the estates of the Mosquera 
 and Arboleda families in the plains. The men 
 earn ninepence per day, and after remaining for 
 six weeks or two months, return to their huts in the 
 mountains. 
 
 I saw at Dr. Wallace's, in large hollow canes, a 
 quantity of the resina elastica, or Indian-rubber 
 in its liquid state. It had the appearance of cream, 
 though rather darker in colour. The Indians fre- 
 quently brought the liquid in canes to Popayan from 
 the adjacent forests, where it is obtained by tapping 
 a tree containing the fluid. The doctor's eldest son 
 had blown bladders of a considerable size from this 
 fluid, which were so light and buoyant as when 
 thrown up to remain suspended a short time in the 
 air. The roanas and other parts of men's dress 
 are lined with this Indian-rubber, which renders 
 them impervious to the rain. The doctor had also 
 made many experiments with the Pitoyan bark, 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 8? 
 
 which he considered of a finer quality in medicine 
 than the Jesuits' bark, which is procured in the 
 neighbourhood of Loco, on the frontiers of Peru, 
 near Guyaquil. 
 
 The mountains of Pitoyan, where this bark is 
 in great abundance, are three days' journey to the 
 west of Popayan. When the Spaniards had pos- 
 session of the country, the government monopolized 
 the bark, but at present, I believe, no one is re- 
 stricted from procuring it ; and as the exportation of 
 this drug has been found an unprofitable speculation 
 from the distance and difficulty of land-carriage, very 
 little of it is made use of, excepting for the inhabitants 
 of the adjacent provinces in cases of intermittent fe- 
 vers. Dr. Wallace gave me some of the extract 
 of the Pitoyan bark to take, should any of us be 
 attacked by fever in passing through the valley of 
 Cauca and over the province of Mariquita. 
 
 Nov. 17th. We received this day the infor- 
 mation that a young Popayan merchant, who had 
 left the town eight days before with several mules 
 laden with dry goods, English linens and cottons, 
 
88 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 on his way to Quito, had been murdered by a party 
 of Pastucians at a house where he slept. The 
 merchant had left Popayan in company with several 
 Pastucians, and an escort of a non-commissioned 
 officer and seven soldiers, and had in cash 6 or 7000 
 dollars belonging to Mr. Arboleda of Popayan, 
 which, it was conjectured, the Pastucians had by 
 some means discovered. On arriving at a small 
 house in a very solitary situation, the Pastucians 
 pretended their mules were tired, and prevailed on 
 the unfortunate merchant to remain at this place 
 for the night, contrary to his wish, as he was anxious 
 to have proceeded farther. It was supposed that 
 one or two of the Pastucians left the house in the 
 night to give information to the robbers in the 
 neighbourhood, who attacked the party, took the 
 soldiers by surprise, who immediately fled into the 
 woods, leaving the poor merchant to be butchered 
 by these miscreants. 
 
 The Pastucians are a brave people, but very 
 treacherous ; so much so, that latterly the Colum- 
 bian government had only trusted to keeping the 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 89 
 
 province in subjection by having a considerable 
 military force always stationed at Pasto, under one 
 of their most active officers, as it was found useless 
 to enter into treaties with a people who, on the first 
 favourable opportunity, were ready to take up arms 
 and violate them. On one occasion, in the begin- 
 ning of the war, the officers of the flank company 
 of the regiment of Cauca were invited to a dinner 
 by the Pastucian officers in their lines, two leagues 
 distant. The Columbian officers accepted the in- 
 vitation, excepting an Englishman of the name of 
 Brown, who happened to be unwell at the time ; 
 after dinner, one of the officers heard a Pastucian 
 whispering to another, that he should like to have 
 for his share the captain's jacket, as it had a great 
 deal of gold lace on it, — on hearing this, and feel- 
 ing convinced that some treachery was intended, 
 he jumped up, seized his sword to defend himself, 
 and recommended his brother officers to do the 
 same, and endeavour to cut their way through the 
 Pastucians. A desperate struggle immediately 
 commenced, but more Pastucians rushing in to the 
 
90 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 assistance of their comrades, the whole of the Co- 
 lumbian officers were killed, after defending them- 
 selves in the most gallant manner. The captain of 
 the light company, who first seized his sword, was 
 named Pinson, and he killed three of the Pas- 
 tucians before he fell covered with wounds. 
 
 I have heard from travellers, that the province of 
 Pasto now presents a most desolate picture of the 
 miseries of a fierce civil war ; that nothing is to be 
 seen but the ruins of villages and houses, the farms 
 once well cultivated, deserted ; and that nearly all 
 the population is extirpated. Vast numbers of those 
 men who were made prisoners were sent to Venezuela, 
 Carthagena, and Panama, where the hot climate 
 soon terminated the career of these superstitious 
 deluded creatures, as the temperature of the pro- 
 vince of Pasto is moderate, even some degrees cool- 
 er than Popayan. Considerable quantities of wheat 
 were grown in that province, a great deal of which 
 was sent to Popayan and the valley of Cauca, and 
 the people, previous to this war, were comfortable 
 and easy in their circumstances. 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 91 
 
 Nov. 18th. Mr. Cade and myself went with 
 our kind and worthy friend, the bishop, to pay 
 a visit to the lady abbess la II a . Thomasa dev ta . 
 Maria Magdalena, and the nuns of the order of 
 Encarnacion ; we were received with great polite- 
 ness by them and the novices. This order is much 
 less severe than that of El Carmen, and may 
 be considered in some respects as a comfortable 
 quiet retreat from the cares of the world, as they 
 pray and fast in moderation, and frequently see 
 their friends. One of the nuns was sister to Dr. 
 Wallace's wife, and to the learned Caldas ; a lively 
 clever woman. We found all these nuns chatty 
 and communicative, making many inquiries about 
 the English ladies and the way in which they were 
 educated. 
 
 This convent was extensive, and before the civil 
 war the establishment consisted of eighty regular 
 nuns, besides novices, and a great many attendants 
 and female slaves ; at this time, there were not 
 more than five-and-twenty nuns, and the greater 
 part of them appeared past the age of forty. I 
 
92 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 observed two who were extremely pretty, and I 
 should think not more than nineteen or twenty 
 years ' of age. Several of the novices dressed in 
 white, with large veils thrown elegantly over their 
 shoulders, possessed considerable personal attrac- 
 tions. 
 
 The convent was founded by Augustin Corana, 
 a bishop of Popayan, a native of the province of 
 Gallicia in Spain, in the year 1593. In the chapel 
 we saw a tolerably good painting of the founder of 
 the convent, and two of the present bishop, who had 
 been a great friend to it, and had expended consider- 
 able sums of money lately in repairs; for having 
 been neglected for some years, it had fallen into a 
 dilapidated state. The bishop informed me that 
 these nuns had suffered great privations during the 
 war, in consequence of not receiving any rents from 
 their estates ; and that on more than one occasion, 
 they had subsisted for days together on oranges and 
 lemons grown in their garden. We were shewn a 
 small crown of solid gold studded with pearls, 
 emeralds, rubies, and other precious stones, and 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 93 
 
 some saints richly ornamented, not one of which 
 the nuns would part with, although they were at 
 that time almost starving. When this was related 
 to us, the bishop observed, 4 4 If I had been with 
 them, I would soon have devoured this sacred crown 
 and all the saints into the bargain. r> On which the 
 lady abbess exclaimed in fun, " My good bishop, 
 you are really becoming a heretic 1 ', forgetting that 
 she had two standing by her side at the time. We 
 were also shewn a small image of our Saviour, 
 which was carried about the streets when either 
 rain or fine weather was wanted. Here the bishop 
 cracked another joke, and laughing heartily all the 
 time, said, " When the procession takes place for 
 rain, the sun becomes hotter ; and when the sun 
 is wanted, the clouds envelope it and the thunder 
 and lightning are incessant." The lady abbess 
 gave the bishop another lecture, which amused us 
 and Sir Ilustrisima exceedingly. We remained 
 for some time in the chapel, to hear a mulatto 
 female slave play the organ and sing. We were 
 astonished at her skill in playing, and at the sweet- 
 
94) TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 ness of her voice. The lady abbess told us she 
 was a remarkably quick lively girl, with an ex- 
 cellent taste for music, and that she succeeded in 
 all she undertook. The girl had a brilliant, lively 
 eye, and pleasing intelligent countenance, although 
 her features were not regular. In person she was 
 remarkably well made. There are several young 
 ladies of good family in Popayan and this province, 
 who receive their education here. Nuns of high 
 families wear black veils in this convent, and those 
 of inferior rank wear white. 
 
 After partaking of some sweet things and le- 
 monade, we took leave of the lady abbess and the 
 nuns, much pleased at the kind manner in which 
 we had been received and treated, and the bishop 
 made us promise to attend the carnival, which 
 would take place in the convent for two or three 
 days on the re-election of a lady abbess, which 
 happens once in three years ; and the present abbess 
 was so popular among the nuns that the bishop 
 told me she was sure of being re-elected. I forgot 
 to state that whilst we were walking about the con- 
 
rilOVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 95 
 
 vent, the lady abbess missed Mr. Cade, and imme- 
 diately sent an old nun to look for him, when he 
 was found chatting with a young pretty novice, for 
 which he received a lecture, the lady abbess telling 
 him she never allowed the novices to commune 
 alone with a young man ; — all this was said in a 
 good-humoured manner. The bishop whispered to 
 me, that M butter should be kept in the shade, it is 
 sure to melt in the sun's rays." 
 
 I heard, at this time, of a negro in the province 
 who had been bit by an aquas snake, whilst gather- 
 ing wild fruit from a tree ; unluckily he had not the 
 antidote with him, and before he could reach home 
 he broke out in a profuse perspiration, and became 
 so weak he was obliged to lie down, and was found 
 nearly dead. I did not hear whether he recovered. 
 
 In one of my walks in the neighbourhood of 
 Popayan, I had nearly trodden on a dark-coloured, 
 thin, long snake, lying asleep across a small footpath. 
 I perceived it just as I was about to step on it, and 
 retired quickly with a very unpleasant sensation, but 
 felt afterwards much pleased at my lucky escape. 
 
96 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 And as I had no weapon of defence with me, I 
 thought it most prudent to leave the creature in 
 quiet possession of the footpath, and take a cir- 
 cuitous route. Persons walking in woods, plains, 
 or savannahs, should have their eyes about them. 
 
 The city of Popayan, formerly the capital of the 
 province of the name, and at this time of the pro- 
 vince and department of Cauca, in the state of 
 Columbia, is situated in the south, 2° 27' of northern 
 latitude and 73° 36' of west longitude from Paris 
 (according to the Baron de Humboldt), at the foot 
 of the Cordilleras, looking on a beautiful plain, and 
 environed in a manner by two small rivers named 
 the Molino to the north, and the Egido to the south. 
 These streams finish their course about a league 
 below the town of Popayan by entering the fine 
 river Cauca, which winds to the westward through 
 the rich plains and the charming valley of the same 
 name. 
 
 As I before stated, the climate of Popayan is 
 really delicious, the inhabitants being never op- 
 pressed by heat or annoyed by cold — the periodical 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA, 97 
 
 rains falling in the months of October, November, 
 part of December, and April and May ; but even 
 in the rainy season the mornings are fine, the rain 
 seldom coming before two or three in the afternoon, 
 
 and continuing during the night. I never met, in i 
 
 I 
 
 any part of the world, with thunder and lightning 
 more awful than at Popayan during the rainy season. 
 The noise of the former is tremendous, owing to that 
 town being situated at the foot of a branch of the 
 Andes, and the sound re-echoing from one moun- 
 tain to another. The lightning is awfully vivid, and 
 extremely dangerous ; a year seldom passes but some 
 of the inhabitants are struck dead. A few years be- 
 fore this, the lady abbess of the convent of El Car- j 
 men had been killed. Dr. Wallace told me he had 
 been sent for to attend her, but found her quite dead. 
 The doctor added, that he conceived the electric 
 fluid was strongly attracted by the metallic particles 
 which abounded in the adjacent mountains. 
 
 The paramos of Puxana and Soltana are at a 
 short distance from Popayan, and present sublime 
 objects to the view, and early in the morning you see 
 
 VOL. II. H 
 
98 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 the Cordilleras of Chicquio, which extend to a 
 great distance to the westward. There is a hand- 
 some bridge over the Cauca, about a league to the 
 north of the city, built at the sole expense of a rich 
 Spaniard who had made his fortune as an apothe- 
 cary at Popayan, but he took care to remunerate 
 himself by obtaining permission of the governor to 
 establish a toll on the bridge. From the valley of 
 Cauca, suga^ rice, chocolate, &c, are sent to the 
 capital, and the Indians of the neighbouring moun- 
 tains supply the market with flour, potatoes, maize, 
 plantains, vegetables, &c. ; and previous to the ci- 
 vil war, a considerable trade was carried on through 
 Popayan from the departments of Quito, the province 
 of Pasto, valley of Patia, and other adjacent small 
 towns. The principal articles brought from these 
 places were baizes and coarse linens ; from Quito 
 also come roanas and cloaks; from the Pastos, wool ; 
 and Indian pepper from the valley of Patia. Be- 
 fore the war, large droves of cattle were sent from 
 the province of Pasto, and 8,000 head of horned 
 cattle had, a short time before, been driven from 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 99 
 
 that province into the valley of Cauca, as a punish- 
 ment to the Pastucians for their obstinate resistance 
 to the Columbian government. Popayan contains 
 a college with two professors, one of grammar, the 
 other of philosophy ; and has also a rector and vice- 
 rector. There is a cathedral, which is used at pre- 
 sent as a parochial church, until the ancient cathe- 
 dral shall be rebuilt. There were four convents, 
 those of St. Francisco, St. Domingo, St. Augustin, 
 and St. Caucias ; and two nunneries, those of El 
 Carmen and of the Encarnacion; but of the convents 
 at present there only remains that of St. Francisco, 
 the others having been suppressed by the law of the 
 Congress of Cuenta in 1821. Besides these there 
 are two or three other churches called Del Betem 
 and La Hermistad, and a chapter-house, in which 
 assemble the individuals composing the chapter, 
 which consists of twelve regidores, two alcaldes or- 
 denarios, one lawyer, and a magistrate. 
 
 The great square of the town has a desolate ap- 
 pearance, from the cathedral being in ruins, and 
 some of the best houses having been deserted by 
 
 h 2 
 
100 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 their proprietors during the war, or converted into 
 barracks for soldiers. Dr. Wallace told me that in 
 this square he had once witnessed great presence of 
 mind and gallantry on the part of a Columbian 
 serjeant, when the place was attacked by the Spa- 
 niards. The Columbian troops had been surprised, 
 and some Spanish cavalry had charged the Colum- 
 bian soldiers in the great square, when a Spanish 
 colonel galloped after a serjeant, who offered to sur- 
 render provided the colonel would spare his life ; 
 but observing that the Spanish officer was getting 
 his pistol out of his holster to shoot ' him, he 
 instantly made a desperate lunge at him with 
 his lance, which passing through a cloak slightly 
 wounded the colonel in the side, who became so 
 alarmed that he threw himself off his horse, which 
 the serjeant mounted with much adroitness, and 
 galloped off, master of a good horse and all the 
 colonel's appointments. On this occasion an- 
 other Columbian serjeant was badly wounded, but 
 by the skill and attention of Dr. Wallace the 
 poor fellow recovered ; when, by a refinement of 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 101 
 
 cruelty on the part of the Spaniards, the serjeant 
 was led out and shot. 
 
 The public officers of government are, the ad- 
 ministrator of tobacco, chief of the custom-house, 
 and the post-master. The Lancasterian school, 
 which I visited with the governor, is in the ancient 
 chapel of the seminary of the college. The dress 
 of the females of the middling classes is gay, and 
 displays much taste. They wear generally a scarlet 
 petticoat with an embroidered border, a white body 
 ornamented with frills and ribands, and round the 
 waist, a cotton band wove in different colours. The 
 hair is plaited, curled, and adorned with artificial 
 flowers. 
 
 A few days before we left Popayan, Mr. Cade 
 went on a hunting party with some gentlemen of 
 the town, a few leagues off. He had excellent 
 sport, and three deer were killed. They had after- 
 wards a cold dinner at a farm-house, which had 
 been sent from Popayan. Mr. Cade saw a negro 
 make an admirable shot at a buck at full speed; the 
 man was on horseback, and sent a ball through the 
 
102 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 deer's head; the animal jumped a considerable 
 height, and fell dead. We had some of the venison, 
 which, like that at Bogota, was lean, and had little 
 flavour. 
 
 On the coast of the Pacific, a small shell-fish is 
 found, from which a fine purple dye is extracted, 
 nearly equal in lustre to the Tyrian dye, and the 
 colour never fades. This fish is drawn partly from 
 its shell, and by a slight pressure discharges the 
 purple dye. This may be repeated several times, 
 but a smaller quantity of dye is obtained each time, 
 and at last the fish dies from the want of the fluid. 
 
 I was now anxious to leave Popayan, although 
 the rainy season was not quite over, and the roads 
 were still in a bad state, but the bishop requested I 
 would remain a day or two longer in order to see 
 a comedy performed by the nuns of the order of 
 Encarnacion on the occasion of the re-election of 
 the former lady abbess. 
 
 On the 21st of November, Mr. Cade and myself 
 went to the convent, where we were received with 
 the usual politeness by the bishop and the lady 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 103 
 
 abbess who was now gaily dressed. Several of the 
 nuns also were attired in dresses corresponding to 
 the characters they were about to personate in the 
 comedy ; they were so completely disguised by their 
 new habits that neither Mr. Cade nor myself should 
 have recognised them. We congratulated the lady 
 abbess on her re-election, who appeared in high 
 spirits and on the alert to make arrangements that 
 the festivities should be carried on with life and 
 spirit. The servants and slaves were all gaudily 
 dressed ; these were to perform a play first, in the 
 square of the convent, which was to represent a 
 battle between the Spaniards and Moors. At two 
 o'clock the performance commenced with the ser- 
 vants in the square, who were drawn up in two lines, 
 each having their general in front, the Moorish ar- 
 my being commanded by the Mulatto girl who play- 
 ed so well on the organ. After a number of speeches 
 and bitter reproaches between the contending ar- 
 mies, a desperate fight took place with wooden 
 swords, and of course the Christians gained a com- 
 plete victory over the Infidels. We then went to 
 
104 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 a large room adjoining the chapel, which was neatly 
 fitted up as a theatre, and at a proper distance in 
 front of the stage three chairs were placed. In the 
 centre sat the governor, and the bishop and myself 
 occupied that on each side, the rest of the spectators 
 were accommodated with small benches on the right 
 and left. The comedy had been written by one of 
 the nuns, sister to Mrs. Wallace. The nuns and 
 novices performed their parts extremely well, par- 
 ticularly the authoress of the piece, who made the 
 governor, bishop, and all the audience laugh heartily. 
 The comedy represented the difficulties the lady 
 abbess and nuns had to contend with during the 
 civil war, and the chief scenes were between the 
 lady abbess and the steward of the estates belonging 
 to the convent, who, to get the rents and their daily 
 subsistence, adopts many ludicrous ways and means, 
 contriving by his ingenuity to overcome all obstacles. 
 After the comedy we had the gratification of seeing 
 the nuns and novices dance boleros and other Spa- 
 nish dances, and the whole concluded with an en- 
 tertainment of confectionary, fruits, wines, &c. 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 105 
 
 On my remarking to the bishop that I had not the 
 slightest idea nuns and novices were ever allowed to 
 be so gay, or could make such good actresses, he 
 smiled, and said, " My good friend, these ladies 
 are not quite such severe saints as you suppose." 
 
 After returning thanks to the lady abbess and her 
 companions for their kindness, we took our leave, 
 exceedingly pleased with the afternoon's amuse- 
 ment. The next day was employed in bidding 
 farewell to all our kind friends in Popayan, and on 
 the 23d of November we took our departure, being 
 accompanied a short distance by Seiior J. Mos- 
 quera, Dr. Wallace, and some other gentlemen on 
 our way to the valley of Cauca. 
 
 We had not proceeded more than a league from 
 Popayan, when, to our surprise, we found, seated on 
 the bridge built over the river Cauca, the lad Joa- 
 quin, who had assisted the servants during our re- 
 sidence in Popayan in purchasing provisions, &c, 
 and who had had his meals with them. On our 
 asking Joaquin what he was doing there, he replied, 
 he was determined to go with us to Bogota, and af- 
 
106 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 terwards to England, as he much wished to see that 
 country, and that he was not kindly treated at home, 
 his mother having married a second time. After 
 consulting with Mr. Cade what was to be done with 
 the lad, we decided that he should mount one of the 
 baggage mules and go with us. Joaquin was about 
 twelve years of age. He is now living with me in 
 England, and has turned out a remarkably good 
 boy, and speaks English extremely well. His coun- 
 tenance is pleasing and intelligent, having the large 
 dark eyes of the Indians with European features. 
 
 Our first day's journey was most disagreeable, as 
 it rained almost the whole day, and the roads were 
 in a very bad state. My mule fell once with me 
 from the roads being exceedingly slippery, and I 
 got well covered with mud. Towards evening I 
 waited a considerable time for Mr. Cade and the 
 baggage mules, but I could see nothing of them, 
 and continued my route to an hacienda (or farm- 
 house), called Pendamon, about five leagues from 
 Popayan, where we had been recommended to pass 
 the night. The owner of the estate said his house 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 1(>7 
 
 was much at our service, and he very civilly sent 
 two of his servants to endeavour to find Mr. Cade, 
 who, with the baggage, arrived at eight o'clock in 
 the evening. It appeared he had lost his way, and 
 at last came to the house of a cure, who insisted 
 on his alighting and taking some refreshment, and 
 then sent a guide with him to Pendamon. During 
 this day the Cordilleras were close to us on our 
 right, and once or twice we got a view of Purace, 
 which was covered with snow. We had consi- 
 derable difficulty in getting across some of the 
 streams, which were much swollen from the rains ; 
 and I began to be under some apprehension that 
 we should be unable to proceed on our journey if 
 the rain continued a few days longer. 
 
 We left Pendamon at seven a.m., the 24th. 
 This day we fortunately escaped the heavy rains, 
 which did not set in till we had arrived at a lonely 
 cottage five leagues distant from Pendamon, when 
 it poured the whole night. Our baggage mules 
 did not arrive until three hours after us, servants, 
 mules, and baggage having got a complete soaking. 
 
108 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 At this season travellers should start as early as 
 possible in the morning to get under cover before 
 the rain falls in the afternoon. The whole of this 
 day we did not see a single house or cottage, al- 
 1 though fine woods and extensive pasture land, suf- 
 ficient for large herds of cattle and sheep, appeared 
 to offer temptation to settlers. Here we found very 
 indifferent accommodation, but the poor people 
 were anxious to make room for slinging our ham- 
 mocks, and willing to sell us poultry and eggs. 
 
 Since we had turned our backs on Popayan, we 
 had been gradually descending towards the valley 
 of Cauca, and found the climate three or four de- 
 grees warmer than at the capital, but by no means 
 unpleasant. In this day's journey the roads were 
 so slippery in ascending and descending the hills, 
 that the mules sometimes slid down on their hind 
 parts for thirty or forty yards together, we sitting 
 back as much as possible to throw all the weight of 
 our bodies on their haunches, at the same time 
 giving them their heads. In ascending the hills, 
 the mules had great difficulty in getting a purchase 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 109 
 
 with their fore feet, and they fell several times ; 
 luckily no bones were broken. 
 
 We got away early, still travelling through a fine 
 country without seeing a single habitation. On the 
 road we met with some negroes conducting the 
 mules and baggage of a Columbian merchant to 
 the town of Bouga ; they were much amused, and 
 cracked their jokes pretty loudly at seeing my cook 
 Edle scrambling up and down the greasy hills on 
 foot ; his nerves were not equal to sitting on the 
 back of a skaiting mule. It was provoking to see 
 these black fellows sit on their mules with as much 
 sang froid as if they had been riding over the best 
 roads in Europe, long habit and custom having well 
 trained their bodies and nerves to this dangerous 
 sort of travelling; and as the negroes are nearly 
 naked and very active, they contrive, when the mule 
 falls, to be off his back in an instant, and safe on 
 their own legs. The people at the cottage where 
 we slept told us that the woods and forests were 
 full of deer, and that the spotted leopard and tiger- 
 cat were frequently seen, but that no one came to 
 
110 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 hunt, excepting now and then the Indians from the 
 adjacent mountains. We were this day near the 
 Pitoya mountains, where the best bark in America 
 is procured, and I much regretted being so hard 
 pushed for time as not to be able to visit these 
 mountains and examine the trees from which the 
 bark is taken. 
 
 We arrived rather early at the hacienda of 
 Mondomo, situate on a fine gentle slope, with the 
 small river Mondomo winding round the hill, which 
 empties itself into the river Cauca, three leagues 
 from this estate. Here I saw, for the first time, two 
 of the beautiful little calli paroquets ; they were not 
 much larger than sparrows, the breast a light blue, 
 head red, and the back a bright green. I wished 
 much to have got a pair of these paroquets, but the 
 natives told me they would never live in a cage, as 
 they were " muy bravos" (very wild). There were 
 at this hacienda a few miserable small cottages, 
 and a chapel of nearly the same description. Some 
 slaves, who brought earth from the neighbouring 
 hills to wash for gold in the river Mondomo, had 
 
t 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. Ill 
 
 formerly resided here, and the property belonged to 
 a gentleman at Popayan, but at this time there 
 were but few slaves remaining, and these appeared 
 in a comfortless state. The Spaniards had, some 
 months before, in marching through that part of 
 the country, carried off all the cattle and sheep, and 
 plundered the slaves, out of revenge to the master 
 of the estate, who was a staunch patriot. They 
 also took seventeen of the best slaves to serve in 
 one of their corps. Here I again heard of the 
 Chapitones or Spaniards killing the beasts merely 
 for their tongues. 
 
 At Mondomo we met with the Columbian mer- 
 chant, whose slaves had amused themselves at the 
 expense of our cook. He had left the town of Bar- 
 bacoas a few days before. He gave me more par- 
 ticulars of the gallant conduct of Colonel Mos- 
 quera, as he happened to be in the place when Aqua- 
 longamade his attack, and assisted him in defending 
 the house. I found the merchant an intelligent 
 man, and derived some useful information from him 
 respecting the valley of Cauca, and I was much 
 
112 TRAVELS IK THE 
 
 pleased to hear him say he considered the rainy 
 season was over, and that I should find the road to 
 Bouga much better in the valley of Cauca. On 
 one side of the road, on this day's journey, we 
 were shown a very strong position occupied for a 
 considerable time by a detachment of the Columbian 
 troops. This position commanded the passage of 
 a bridge over a rapid river, and the ascent to the 
 batteries was over steep and rugged rocks. The 
 selection of this military post proved to me that 
 the Columbian officers knew the strength of ground, 
 and the advantages to be derived from it when 
 acting on a defensive system. Some of the huts of 
 the encampment were still remaining. 
 
 On the 24th of November we left Mondomo, 
 and had not proceeded more than two leagues when 
 we met on horseback the servant of Mr. Arboleda 
 who lived at Capio in the valley of Cauca, and who 
 had politely sent me a note to request I would spend 
 two or three days with him at his country-house. 
 Soon after this meeting we ascended a hill, from 
 the summit of which we had a grand view of the 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 113 
 
 beautiful and extensive valley of Cauca. The river 
 of that name ran through its centre, the town of 
 Calli lay in the distance to the westward at the foot 
 of the Cordilleras, and the large village of Killa- 
 cho lay directly under us, at the very mouth of 
 the valley, which appeared, from this spot, to be 
 skirted on each side by the Cordilleras (or high 
 mountains) of the Andes. We remained here for 
 a quarter of an hour, to feast our eyes on this no- 
 ble expanse, and to have the different objects ex- 
 plained to us by Senor Arboleda's servant, Mr. 
 Cade and myself rejoicing at the idea of travelling 
 through this delightful valley, which had always 
 been described to us by our friends at Bogota and 
 Popayan as the finest spot in all Columbia. 
 
 In passing through the village of Killacho, I 
 called on the sister of Mr. Hurtado, the Colum- 
 bian minister in this country, who received us 
 with much politeness, and offered us refreshment. 
 Colonel Palma had informed me at Popayan, that 
 Mrs. Hurtado had a large collection of Indian 
 curiosities, and I was in hopes of being able to 
 
 VOL. II. I 
 
114 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 purchase some from the lady, but I found on en- 
 quiry the report was not correct. Mrs. Hurtado 
 shewed us a considerable quantity of gold dust, 
 which I believe had been brought from her mines 
 in the neighbourhood. 
 
 This day I had the bad luck to stick with my 
 mule into a deep slough, and I had no alternative 
 but to get off his back into the mud with my 
 jack boots, where I soon became lost, to the mer- 
 riment and amusement of my secretary, servants, 
 muleteers, &c, who seemed delighted to see the 
 master and mule verifying the old proverb of " the 
 more you try to get out of the mire, the deeper 
 you stick." However, the muleteers at last pulled 
 me out, nearly minus my jack boots and spurs, and 
 the poor mule having got rid of fourteen stone 
 weight was also extricated from the bog, both of 
 us to be sure in a sad plight, which was rather an 
 annoyance, as I was to make my debut at Mr. and 
 Mrs. Arboleda's, who were people of great con- 
 sequence in this part of the valley of Cauca. Soon 
 after this, as we were going to cross a stream, we 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 115 
 
 observed a large snake swimming towards us, and 
 when he arrived near the bank he stopped, appa- 
 rently to watch our motions, with his head and 
 part of his body out of water ; I then observed 
 the black cross on his neck, and knew it was the 
 snake called the aques. A negro who was passing 
 on foot at this time, agreed for a dollar to en- 
 deavour to kill the . reptile. For this purpose he 
 went a short distance in the rear, and cut a large 
 long bamboo with his manchette, and advanced to 
 the attack of the snake, who had remained quiet 
 in his position with his eyes fixed on us. As the 
 negro approached the aques, he put out his forked 
 tongue, and raised himself higher in the water, as 
 if preparing to make a dart at his enemy, which 
 the black observing, retired a few paces, and then 
 told me he was afraid to attack it, as it was prepared 
 to spring on him. In this position the negro and 
 snake remained for two or three minutes, watching 
 each other, when suddenly the aques turned round 
 to swim to the other side of the river. The mo- 
 ment the negro observed its head turned from him, 
 
 i 2 
 
116 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 he rushed to the bank, and gave the aques two or 
 three tremendous blows with the bamboo, which 
 made him turn on his back, and the negro followed 
 up his attack and succeeded in killing his enemy. 
 This aques measured six feet in length. The black 
 brought it to me on his bamboo, and appeared 
 much elated at his victory, and not less so when 
 he received his reward. 
 
 After we had left the village of Killacho, we 
 found the road almost impassable, as it lay through 
 swamps and morasses, in which our poor mules 
 were up to their knees at almost every step ; and 
 whilst myself and mule were struggling to get out 
 of a hole, Mr. Arboleda, accompanied by a clergy- 
 man, met us, and introduced himself and friend to 
 us, and in a very hospitable manner requested we 
 would pass two or three days with him at his country 
 house, called Capio, which wag a league and a half 
 from Killacho. Mr. Arboleda apologized for the 
 bad state of his roads, which he said was chiefly 
 owing to his having been absent from his property 
 for a long time during the civil war, when every 
 
PROVISOES OF COLU7.IEIA. 117 
 
 thing had been neglected, and his estate plundered 
 by the Spaniards. 
 
 A short distance from Capio, Mr. Arboleda 
 pointed out to me a small range of hills, the soil 
 of which was a red clay ; these, he said, were the 
 hills of which his slaves washed the soil for gold 
 dust, and that if we had no objection he should 
 have much pleasure in riding with us there the next 
 day to show us the process. Afterwards, on our 
 further progress through the valley of Cauca, we 
 saw these red clay hills containing gold dust ; they 
 were on our right for several leagues. Mr. Arbo- 
 leda mentioned, that he had at that time 800 slaves 
 on his estates in the valley of Cauca and in the 
 province of Choco, the greater portion of whom 
 were employed in washing for gold dust. 
 
 On our arrival at Capio we were introduced to 
 Senora Arboleda, a fine elegant young woman, who 
 was daughter to Senor Piombo, Master of the 
 Mint at Popayan, and niece of General Count 
 O'Donnell, who was in the Spanish service. The 
 lady could not help smiling at seeing me so com- 
 
118 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 pletely plastered with mud, and remarked that their 
 roads must appear particularly bad to Englishmen, 
 who were accustomed to such -good ones in their 
 own country. After making ourselves clean and 
 comfortable, we sat down to an elegant dinner 
 served on massy silver dishes and French china, 
 and soon forgot all our past grievances, or rather 
 they served to amuse us, over Mr. Arboleda^s old 
 Spanish wines. 
 
 We found Mr. and Mrs. Arboleda very well in- 
 formed ; the former had previously been mentioned 
 to me at Popayan, as possessing superior abilities, 
 and having taken infinite pains to cultivate his mind 
 by reading ; and in a room which he called his study, 
 he had an extensive library of French, English, 
 Italian and Spanish books, a great many of which 
 he had recently purchased at Lima, where he had 
 been sent on a diplomatic mission by the Columbian 
 government with his cousin Senor J. Mosquera. 
 During the civil war, when Morillo had possession 
 of nearly the whole of Columbia, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Arboleda suffered great hardships, being obliged 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 119 
 
 to conceal themselves for two years among the 
 forests, and in the caves near their estates in the 
 province of Choco, during which time they ex- 
 perienced great kindness and attention from their 
 slaves, which proves he had been a good master to 
 them. 
 
 Mr. Arboleda was once taken by the Spaniards, 
 and conducted as a prisoner to Bogota. When 
 brought before the Spanish General, Morillo, the 
 first question he put to him was, " Are you a doc- 
 tor of laws ?" to which Senor Arboleda answered 
 " no." " It is a lucky circumstance for you thatyou 
 are not", said Morillo, " for if you had been one, I 
 would have had you shot in less than twenty-four 
 hours, as I consider these vile lawyers the very 
 focus of rebellion and sedition ; and although I am 
 aware you are married to a niece of General CTDon- 
 nell, that alliance should not have saved you, had 
 you been a doctor. r> 
 
 Previous to the revolutionary war, 10,000 head of 
 cattle, each worth eight dollars, were kept on the 
 estate of Capio; at present there was not above a 
 
120 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 tenth part of that number, as the Spaniards were 
 continually demanding contributions, during the war, 
 of three or four hundred head at a time. If the 
 demand were opposed, the steward of the estate 
 received one or two hundred coups de baton on his 
 shoulders as a punishment for his refractory con- 
 duct. Mr. Arboleda assured me, that before the 
 struggle for their liberty commenced, above a mil- 
 lion head of cattle were fed and fattened in the 
 valley of Cauca, and at the present period he sup- 
 posed there were not 200,000 all over the valley 
 and province. 
 
 When I entered my bed-room, I was struck 
 with astonishment to see the neatness with which 
 every thing was arranged, and luxuries provided 
 for the toilet which are only found among rich 
 families in Europe, and which I little expected 
 to find in the secluded, although beautiful valley 
 of Cauca. My bed and curtains were completely 
 in the French style, the latter ornamented with 
 , artificial flowers, and on a table was placed eau de 
 Cologne, Windsor soap, huile de Macassar, creme 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 121 
 
 (Vamandes ameres, brushes, &c. I slept most pro- 
 foundly in my luxurious bed, which, in every sense 
 of the word, might be called a bed of roses. 
 Early in the morning a servant announced that a 
 cold bath was ready. The whole appeared to me 
 almost like enchantment, and I could have fancied 
 myself like one of the heroes in the Arabian Nights 1 
 Entertainments transported to a palace, after the 
 poor lodgings and humble fare I had been accus- 
 tomed to. This good arrangement gave me a high 
 opinion of the refined taste of our hostess, having 
 never met with any thing of the kind in Columbia. 
 
 After breakfast, Mr. Arboleda proposed that we 
 should ride to one of his hills to see the operation 
 of washing for gold dust, which was a league from 
 Capio. On our arrival, we found about a dozen 
 negresses very neatly dressed in white petticoats 
 with blue ornaments and large straw hats, busily 
 employed, by the side of a small stream, washing 
 the earth in bateas (or wooden bowls), for the gold 
 dust, while the negroes were occupied in bringing 
 the red clay to the side of the water. Mr. Arbo- 
 leda explained to me the manner in which the ne- 
 
122 TRAVELS TX THE 
 
 groes separate the earth and other stony particles 
 from the gold dust, winch, he said, in the depart- 
 ment of Cauca was a very simple operation. The 
 working negroes, from long experience, know imme- 
 diately, on examining the earth or clay, whether it 
 contains much ore. For some time a great numher 
 of them are employed in digging the earth and 
 crumbling it, and then by means of a channel 
 of water, artificially brought along the side of the 
 hill, the earth is moistened, and the gold, from its 
 weight, falls to the bottom of the channel, the 
 lighter particles being carried away by the current, 
 which is contrived so as always to run with the 
 same degree of velocity. The stones are then 
 picked out by the women. 
 
 The canal before us was dug on the third stra- 
 tum of earth, called pena, from its being a soft 
 rocky stone, and the sides and bottom were kept 
 smooth, to prevent the gold dust being lost in the 
 crevices. After the stones were taken out, and the 
 earth carried off by the water, there remained in 
 the canal gold dust, very small stones, a quantity 
 of sand, and particles of iron. All these substances 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 123 
 
 so deposited arc collected in large wooden bowls. 
 The women take a small quantity of the above in- 
 gredients into their batcas, and shake them about 
 very skilfully on the surface of the water, taking 
 care to get rid of the extraneous substances, and 
 retaining in the batca the gold dust, mixed with 
 fine sand. As this sand is very small, and spe- 
 cifically heavier than the water, the miners, in order 
 to thicken the water, mix with it a certain herb, 
 which is generally found in the mining districts, 
 and by its means separate the gold from the sand 
 in the following manner. 
 
 They place the ore in a kind of basin or pan, 
 made of a hide, inclining it gently towards one <>i" 
 the batcas ; they then pour softly and gradually 
 this decoction of the herb over the gold and sand, 
 which, carrying the sand with it into the batca, 
 leaves the pure gold in the basin of hide. Then a 
 
 piece of Lighted wood is brought to a negress, who 
 
 dries the gold, and puts it into paper. Such was 
 the process we witnessed at Mr. Arboleda's mines, 
 
124 TRAVELS IX THE 
 
 and an old negress presented me the paper filled 
 with gold dust, all the slaves exclaiming repeatedly 
 at the same time, " viva el Sefior ArbolecUu" He 
 gave them a handful of silver, and I presented to 
 the slaves some gold in a more solid tangible shape 
 than the gold dust. All these negroes worked at 
 gold washing four days in the week for Senor Ar- 
 boleda, and two days for themselves in the mines. 
 Each married man had a cottage and a small piece 
 of ground for cultivation, for which he paid no 
 rent. From what I witnessed, I believe these slaves 
 are most happy and comfortable under their pre- 
 sent master, and enjoy more of the comforts of 
 life than the labourers of some countries in Europe. 
 Both men and women appeared in the enjoyment 
 of excellent health, and some of the negro girls 
 were fine stout buxom lasses, in shape perfect. 
 Previously to my visit to Mr. Arboleda, I had 
 formed a very different opinion of the life led by 
 the slaves working in the gold mines. The negroes 
 are certainly much exposed to the sun, but this ex- 
 
1'ROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 125 
 
 posurc to great heat does not prove injurious to 
 Africans, although it would be fatal to European 
 constitutions. The thermometer at two p m. in the 
 shade, was 79°. This mine was called " St. Vin- 
 cente de Quiramays." 
 
 Mr. Arboleda had a very nice garden laid out 
 in parterres, with a variety of flowers and plants 
 in it, and among them some small cypress trees he 
 had brought from Peru. Some years back his 
 father established a cotton manufactory in the vi- 
 cinity of Popayan. When the Spanish viceroy 
 heard of it at Bogota, he gave orders that it should 
 be destroyed ! ! ! The estate of Capia is seven 
 Spanish leagues in circumference, and Mr. Arboleda 
 told us that some of the estates in the valley of 
 Cauca were much larger. 
 
 At the breaking out of the war, the slaves ge- 
 nerally in the province of Cauca, and the province 
 of Choco, first espoused the cause of the Spaniards ; 
 but the act of emancipation passed by the general 
 congress had the effect of converting them into 
 friends of the patriot cause. 
 
126 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 Since my return to England I have been ex- 
 tremely sorry to hear from Mr. Hurtado, that a 
 younger brother of Mr. Arboleda had been com- 
 pelled, from the state of his health, to return to Co- 
 lumbia. I became acquainted with him at Bogota ; 
 he had come over to this country in order to learn 
 the English language. 
 
 On Sunday, 28th of November, we took leave of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Arboleda, having passed two most 
 agreeable days with them. Mr. Arboleda begged 
 my acceptance of a map, which he had made him- 
 self, of the department of the Cauca and this part 
 of the coast of the Pacific, which I have published 
 with this work, and which I have reason to believe 
 is correct. Mr. Arboleda accompanied us a league on 
 the road, and then sent a guide on with us, as some 
 parts of the way were nearly impervious, excepting 
 by the passes, which were only known to the people 
 of the neighbourhood. 
 
 The weather had now set in fine, and we had a 
 most delightful ride for five leagues through this 
 fine valley, until we arrived at the hacienda of 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 127 
 
 Cabrede Secca. We slept at the foot of the 
 Cordillera which separates the valley of Cauca 
 from the province of Neyva, from which descended 
 small rivers whose waters were as clear as crystal. 
 One river, called the Pelo, is sometimes crossed in 
 canoes, but we were able to ride through it. Our 
 guide told us that all the beds of these rivers con- 
 tained gold dust, and that considerable quantities 
 were sometimes obtained by the natives washing the 
 sand of the Cauca. 
 
 The situation of Cabreda Secca was really beautiful, 
 having two clear streams running on each side within 
 a few hundred yards of the house, flanked also by 
 noble woods, and in the front and rear were ex- 
 tensive pasture grounds well stocked with cattle. 
 From the front of the house, you had a distinct 
 view of the convents, churches, and white houses 
 of the town of Calli, with the grand range of 
 mountains in its rear which separates this valley 
 from the Pacific Ocean ; and in the rear of the ha- 
 cienda were the Cordilleras which we had on our 
 right during our journey. On our arrival, the 
 
128 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 slaves said their master was from home for a day 
 or two, and refused to sell us a couple of fowls 
 which we wished to dress for our dinner. As we 
 had nothing to eat, and there was abundance of 
 poultry in the yard, we determined on killing a 
 couple, and paying for them. Whilst my servants 
 were in the act of catching the fowls, the master of 
 the house made his appearance, who, we found out, 
 had been taking his siesta after dinner. I informed 
 him of the conduct of his slaves, which he con- 
 demned, and ordered them to kill poultry for us. 
 We thought, however, he did not give these orders 
 with a very good grace, but afterwards we became 
 good friends, and walked with him into his garden, 
 where he showed us a large cinnamon tree twenty 
 years old, some fine tobacco plants, and a tree with 
 large round fruit on it. The shell that covers this 
 fruit is made into tertumas, or bowls, by the people. 
 He ordered one of his servants to gather us some 
 dwarf French beans, the first we had seen in Co- 
 lumbia, and to boil them for our dinner. In his 
 woods we received a welcome from our Magdalena 
 
FltOVlNCES OF COLUMBIA. 129 
 
 friends, as the red monkeys, scarlet macaws, and 
 green parrots were in abundance, which proved we 
 had again entered a tropical climate, although we 
 did not find the heat oppressive, owing to a fine 
 cool breeze which descended from the high mountains 
 in the rear. Our landlord gave us a great deal of 
 information about the animals and birds which are 
 found in the valley of Cauca, and said that there 
 were seven different kinds of macaws and parrots 
 there. Some of the latter had yellow plumage on 
 the breast, wings, and tail, and red feathers on the 
 head. In the plains were abundance of stags, j 
 deer, wild turkeys, a species of grouse, and par- 
 tridges. About two months before, our host and 
 his slaves had killed a large fat black bear, which 
 he considered good meat when roasted. 
 
 For upwards of two years he had lived in the 
 Cordilleras, behind his house, when the valley of 
 Cauca was occupied by the Spaniards, where he 
 was frequently on the point of being starved 
 to death, and where he underwent almost incre- 
 dible hardships. The Spaniards robbed him of 
 
 VOL. II. K 
 
130 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 5000 dollars, and killed and carried off all the 
 cattle belonging to the estate. Notwithstanding 
 this destruction, excellent meat could be purchased 
 at three pence per pound. In the afternoon, we 
 saw the slaves laso a bull very adroitly, and 
 in half an hour he was skinned, cut up, and di- 
 vided amongst the negroes belonging to the estate, 
 all which work was done in the open field. An 
 arroba (or 25 lbs.) of beef was allowed to each full 
 grown slave for a month's allowance. 
 
 All the large haciendas in this valley have their 
 chapels and cures, who say mass to the negroes 
 morning and evening, and confess them. There is 
 this advantage attending the custom of confessing, 
 that if any conspiracy is plotting among the blacks, 
 the priest will, in all probability, find it out in the 
 confessional chair. 
 
 The morning before we left this place I pur- 
 chased for Mr. Cade a young handsome mule for 
 eighty-five dollars ; this we considered a bargain, as 
 black mules are scarce, and much sought after at Bo- 
 gota. Soon after six on the Monday morning, we 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 131 
 
 mounted our mules, and bid adieu to the owner of 
 Cabeda Secca, and in passing through a wood near his 
 house saw a great many nests of the oropendulum, 
 hanging from the branches of the highest trees. — 
 Wild cotton and vanilla are found here in abundance, 
 but the natives scarcely ever gather them, not having 
 a market for these articles. On crossing some of 
 the small rivers this day, we observed that the water 
 was of a reddish colour, and on enquiry, found it 
 was caused by washing the red clay for gold dust. 
 
 Our ride this day was most agreeable ; we enjoyed 
 a refreshing cool breeze from the north, and every 
 three or four miles passed, either to the right or 
 left of the road, haciendas, belonging to different 
 gentlemen, some of which were substantial, good 
 houses ; and near these places, there were nume- 
 rous cottages built of bamboo, with fences and small 
 enclosures made of cane, in a very neat, and at the 
 same time strong manner. In these cottages a 
 great many of the free peasantry lived ; who were 
 a tall, dark, handsome looking people, well clad, and 
 possessing, what is pleasant to see in all countries, 
 
 k 2 
 
132 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 a number of little comforts attached to their cot- 
 tages. 
 
 We had now got well into the valley of Cauca, 
 and I found the favourable reports I had received 
 relative to this vale had not been exaggerated ; for 
 I had seen no part of Columbia that could bear any 
 comparison with this extensive valley, either in the 
 fertility of its soil, or in the beauty of its scenery, 
 and comfortable and respectable appearance of the 
 country houses and cottages ; and this was the 
 state of things at the conclusion of a sangui- 
 nary civil war, which had raged all over the country 
 for fourteen or fifteen years. What might this 
 valley become in twenty or thirty years, under a 
 good government, possessing such great natural ad- 
 vantages ? In the small enclosures of the peasants, 
 were cultivated rice and Indian corn ; and the plain- 
 tain, cocoa, orange, lime, and lemon trees, presented 
 a delightful appearance to the eye after the rainy 
 season. Our bacchiero told us, that some of the 
 country houses, which we saw at a distance from 
 the road, would not bear a much closer inspection, 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 133 
 
 as during the war they had been deserted by their 
 proprietors, and had fallen into decay from the want 
 of timely repair. 
 
 We arrived at three o'clock at a large country 
 house called El Bolo, where we were politely re- 
 ceived by Senor Caytano de Erenbol, doctor of 
 law, late a member of Congress, but who had lately 
 given in his resignation on account of his living at 
 so great a distance from Bogota ; and he was also 
 anxious to look personally after his property, and 
 endeavour gradually to improve it, and bring it back 
 to its former state, as it had shared the fate of all 
 other estates and been well plundered by the Spa- 
 niards. He had two nephews living with him, 
 fine young men, who had been educated at one of 
 the public colleges at Bogota. Our dinner was 
 rather a curious one ; first soup, then a course of 
 vegetables, followed by meat and fruits, which were 
 removed for dulces and sweet things with cheese, 
 which the Americans eat together. 
 
 This gentleman had a brace of the handsomest 
 gray hounds I had , seen in this country, marked 
 
134 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 black and white ; he told me he had got them from 
 Guyaquil to hunt deer, and that they were very swift 
 of foot. In the room was hanging a beautiful 
 painting of the Virgin and infant Jesus, which 
 came from Quito. I gave several broad hints that 
 I should like to purchase the painting, as I still 
 felt anxious to bring the work of the Quitonian 
 master to England, but these hints were not taken, 
 as Senor Caytano had a high value for this picture. 
 The countenances of the virgin and child were 
 very pleasing and interesting, the style of composi- 
 tion was good, and the colouring full of truth, 
 warmth, and force. I regretted not being able to 
 learn the name of the master who had attained 
 such perfection. We saw here, in a cage, a very 
 pretty bird, called the azulejo; the whole plumage 
 J was of light blue, it was the size of a canary bird, 
 and sang sweetly. The gentleman informed us, 
 that this bird was only found in the valley of Cauca ; 
 we had never seen it before. A bird of three colours, 
 yellow, black, and red, called the palaton, is seen 
 in these parts; it is about the sizeyf a small parrot, and 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 135 
 
 is constantly saying "Dios ti de." There is also here 
 a mico (or small brown monkey), with a large bushy 
 tail ; and another species also of a light brown, 
 with a long tail : each holds that of its companion in 
 skipping from tree to tree, or in crossing small 
 rivers. 
 
 The nephews were great sportsmen, and told 
 me, that they had sometimes excellent sport in 
 shooting the black partridge in the adjacent : 
 mountains, which was the size of a hen; this, I 
 conceive, must be the black cock. In the river 
 Cauca, these young men told me, they caught 
 the begre, bochachico, and barbudo, and in the 
 smaller rivers, el capitan and la savilleta, a species 
 of small salmon, with bright silver scales. They 
 had also taken white and spotted deer : in short, by 
 their account, the hunting and shooting must be 
 capital in this neighbourhood, and Mr. Cade and 
 myself regretted that we could not remain a few 
 days at this hacienda, to partake of the field sports. 
 However, it is necessary that every keen sportsman 
 should sometimes recollect the old French adage, 
 
136 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 " qui va a la chasse, perd sa place." The principal 
 trade now carried on from this part of the valley 
 of Cauca, was to Popayan, the province of Pasto, 
 and even as far as Quito, consisting of dried beef, 
 sugar, chocolate, coffee, and spirits. 
 
 Senor Caytano told me, the peasants of the val- 
 ley of Cauca make excellent soldiers ; they are 
 brave, patient under privation, and obedient on all 
 occasions to their officers. The battalion formed 
 in this valley by the patriots, fought desperately 
 against the Spaniards, whom they detested for their 
 cruel conduct and the robberies and plunder they 
 committed in this beautiful valley, which may fairly 
 be called " the Garden of Columbia." The pea- 
 santry here are also very industrious, much more 
 so than the inhabitants of the province of Neyva, 
 on the other side of the Cordilleras, to the east- 
 ward of Cauca. 
 
 We walked out with Senor Caytano and his 
 nephews, who showed us nearly two hundred brood 
 
 I 
 
 mares, with their colts and fillies in large enclosures. 
 The slaves collected them into these enclosures twice 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 137 
 
 a week, to examine the animals, and to dress and fo- 
 ment any wounds or kicks they might have received. 
 There were few entire horses in this valley, which 
 was owing to the Spaniards always carrying them 
 off for their cavalry ; these dons never condescended 
 to ride mares. We also went over the trapiche, or 
 sugar-mill, and saw the negroes placing the sugar- 
 canes between two large copper rollers, to express 
 the juice of them into large bateas (or wooden bowls). 
 These bowls are cut out of the wood of a tree, 
 called igaron, which bears a fruit much sought 
 after by the deer and monkeys. The juice is then 
 removed into rather shallow and wide wooden 
 troughs, to clear it, and put into the boilers, 
 thence into large earthen covered pots, where the 
 sugar remains to cool. This was the whole pro- 
 cess of making sugar which we saw in the valley of 
 Cauca ; and as the people had never heard of refined 
 sugar, they were contented with the article thus 
 simply procured, at a small expense, which renders 
 the concern a profitable one to the owner. 
 
 As the estates are of great extent in this valley, 
 
138 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 those slaves who have the management of the cat- 
 tle are mounted, and ride remarkably well. Their 
 appearance on horseback is singular ; a cloak, 
 made of rushes, covers their whole bodies, while 
 their head is overshadowed by a large straw hat. 
 The cloak is worn to keep out the heat as well as 
 the rain. Their legs are bare, but they protect their 
 feet with sandals, to which are attached prodigious 
 spurs ; they carry a long manchette fixed in a 
 girdle on their left side. I hardly ever met these 
 blacks riding at any other pace than a sharp gallop, 
 and I was quite pleased to see them wheel their 
 horses round, or halt, in a moment, with all the 
 adroitness of a Mameluke. The cattle keepers are 
 selected when boys for this business, and those 
 only who are quick and intelligent have the honor 
 of filling this post. There are also slaves whose 
 duty is to attend their masters in hunting the jaquar, 
 leopard, black bear, stag, and deer. The slaves on 
 the estate of El Bolo, must have been numerous, 
 if one might judge from the great number of cot- 
 tages near the mansion, having a good sized chapel 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 139 
 
 in the centre ; but they had not certainly the 
 healthy appearance of those of Senor Arboleda, 
 whom we had seen washing the gold dust, and there 
 appeared a want of comfort in the habitations on 
 the estate of El Bolo. — A man travelling in any 
 part of the world, may soon discover where a Sir 
 Roger de Coverley resides ; the appearance of the 
 servants and dependants soon lets out the secret, 
 although I must add, in justice to Senor Caytano, 
 that I never heard he was an unkind or severe 
 master. 
 
 On these sugar estates, a great number of pigs 
 are kept, which are fattened on the sugar cane, after I 
 the juice has been extracted, and on other refuse 
 arising from the preparation of the sugar. The pork 
 is good tasted, but rather soft and flabby. The ne- 
 groes also get fat when the sugar canes are ripe, 
 being remarkably fond of it. Mr. Cade and 
 myself had the same taste ; we often regaled our- 
 selves with a piece of sugar-cane, after eating which, 
 a draught of cold water is particularly pleasant ; 
 with this, a cigar, and a cup of chocolate, you 
 
140 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 may undergo great fatigue, even in a tropical cli- 
 mate. We found the tobacco which grows in this 
 valley mild and pleasant : in short, Providence has 
 certainly been most bountiful to this favoured vale, 
 which possesses within itself every thing that 
 human beings can covet or desire in the way of 
 food or luxury. 
 
 An administrador of tobacco in Bouga had just 
 written a pamphlet, in which he clearly proved that 
 government might make, annually, one million and 
 a half of dollars by the cultivation of tobacco in the 
 valley of Cauca ; but the people wisely, for their 
 own interest, refused to cultivate that plant to a 
 great extent, since the sale of tobacco, as I before 
 stated, is monopolized by government, and they 
 have not always the funds to purchase it from the 
 cultivator. The climate was here rather warmer, 
 as we had still descended a little in a north westerly 
 direction, but the thermometer was not more than 
 80° in the shade, in the middle of the day, and 
 there was at all times a cooling breeze from the 
 Andes, to the eastward. The tree bocalico was 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 141 
 
 pointed out to us, which bears a small wild fruit, 
 on which pigs fatten quickly. Many of these trees 
 grow near the river Cauca, and in the proper season 
 herds of swine are turned out to fatten on their pro- 
 duce. We saw some Guinea fowls at this hacienda, 
 not having before met with them. They are full as 
 noisy as in Europe, and are considered a delicacy 
 for the table. 
 
 On Tuesday the 30th of November, we quitted 
 El Bolo early, accompanied by Senor Caytano and 
 his nephews, who insisted on escorting us to the 
 boundary of the estate, nearly two leagues from the 
 house. Mr. Cade having much admired a gray 
 stallion, four years old, we were a great deal sur- 
 prised to find his German servant leading the horse 
 away in the morning, and on enquiry, we found 
 that Senor Caytano had given orders that the horse 
 should be delivered to the servant, for his master. 
 Mr. Cade rode up to Senor Caytano, to thank him 
 for his kindness and attention, and to decline ac- 
 cepting the horse, but all to no purpose, as the 
 Senor told him, he should feel hurt if he returned 
 
142 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 his present, particularly after admiring the animal 
 so much the preceding evening. This was cer- 
 tainly not a Spanish compliment. We had some 
 rain this morning, but not heavy, and our ride was, 
 as usual, agreeable and pleasant. About two o'clock 
 we met Dr. Soto, a clergyman, and his son, who 
 had come to the confines of his estate to meet us ; 
 the Bishop of Popayan had written, apprising him 
 that we should arrive about the latter end of the 
 month ; and I had also a letter of introduction to 
 him from the worthy bishop. The doctor embraced 
 us, and received us in the kindest manner, and told 
 me that he would excommunicate us if we did not 
 remain four days with him, which I said was im- 
 possible, but that we would willingly stay one. 
 
 His place was called San Jose, and was four 
 and a half Spanish leagues from El Bolo. I had 
 heard his character from the bishop, who de- 
 scribed him as a pleasant, jocose companion, al- 
 ways in excellent spirits, fond of good living, and 
 never happier than when he had his friends around 
 him to partake of his hospitality ; the consequence 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 143 
 
 was, that Dr. Soto was universally beloved in the 
 valley of Cauca, where he had great influence with 
 all classes, and was also much respected. He told 
 me, that himself and Senor Caycedo (since killed 
 in action by the Pastucians) were the two first gen- 
 tlemen who raised the inhabitants of the valley of 
 Cauca to resist the tyranny of the Spaniards, and 
 that he considered it the most glorious deed of his 
 whole life. 
 
 The doctor, previous to becoming a priest, had 
 married, and had several children, two sons and a 
 daughter, who were now grown up and living with 
 him. Our first meal convinced us he was a bon 
 vivant ; every dish was well dressed, agreeably to 
 the Spanish style of cookery, and the doctor, as 
 well as ourselves, had an excellent appetite. 
 After dinner, he related to us some of the events 
 of the late war, from which we discovered, that 
 the old divine (I suppose he was sixty-five) could 
 fight as. well as preach ; he certainly did not preach 
 over his wine, which was old Malaga, and very 
 fine. He had been taken prisoner by the Spanish 
 
144 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 general Samano, who was afterwards viceroy of 
 New Grenada, and sent by him to Quito. When 
 he was examined by the captain-general of that 
 province, Mentes, he boldly avowed that he was 
 a patriot, and that nothing should induce him to 
 change his political sentiments. This frankness 
 pleased the captain-general so much, who was a 
 man of education and of a humane disposition, 
 that he immediately gave orders to let the doctor 
 go where he liked, remarking " that such frank 
 and open enemies should be treated with liberality 
 I suspect if there had been a few more such men 
 in the country, as the captain-general Mentes, Co- 
 lumbia might still have been a Spanish colony ; 
 but Morillo, Saberno, Morales, and men of the 
 same violent character, completely counteracted the 
 good effects of the prudent policy of General 
 Mentes. 
 
 Here I tasted the fruit of the royal palm-tree, it 
 is the size of an acorn, straw colour, and of a sweet 
 pleasant flavour, with a large stone in it. Pigs 
 fatten well on this fruit, and their flesh is firm. 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 145 
 
 On the morning of the 1st of December, a de- 
 putation of the principal people of the little town 
 of Llano % Grande arrived at the doctor's house, to 
 congratulate us on our safe arrival in this neigh- 
 bourhood, and to request we would do them the 
 honor of visiting their town. I told them I should 
 have much pleasure in acceding to their wishes, 
 and accordingly, as soon as we had breakfasted, 
 and our host was booted and spurred, we all 
 mounted our horses and mules for the town of 
 Llano Grande, which was about three quarters of 
 a league distant. On our approach to the town, 
 we were met by a great many more horsemen, 
 who joined our cavalcade, and in this manner 
 we rode through the streets of Llano Grande, re- 
 ceiving the smiles of the old and young women 
 and the bows of the men. 
 
 Llano Grande is a neat little town, and, as its 
 name denotes, is situated in an immense plain, al- 
 most in the centre of the valley of Cauca. This 
 plain is a fine rich pasture, and supports a vast 
 number of cattle, which constitute the riches of the 
 
 VOL. II. I, 
 
146 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 inhabitants. During the time we were riding 
 through the streets, rockets and squibs were let 
 off in several parts of the town, as a compliment 
 to us, and to demonstrate their joy at our arrival. 
 The population of Llano Grande and the outskirts 
 consists of seven thousand souls. This town was 
 the head quarters of the Spanish and Columbian 
 armies, and suffered severely during the war. The 
 choice of this place for head quarters was good, 
 from its central situation ; and if a strong de- 
 tachment of cavalry were stationed in the place, to 
 act in the large plain, the post would be secure. 
 
 We called on a gentleman in the town (a friend of 
 the doctor's), where I saw a most beautiful parrot ; 
 his whole plumage was a fine bright yellow, with 
 the tip of the wings red ; the bird was large, very 
 tame, and talked some words in Spanish very dis- 
 tinctly. We were amused at an Indian girl, who 
 cried sadly when she brought the parrot into the 
 parlour, as she supposed we were going to take away 
 her favourite bird. I certainly was most anxious 
 to do so, as it was a rara avis, and seldom seen 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 147 
 
 in these provinces, I commissioned the doctor 
 to offer the gentleman fifty dollars for the bird, I 
 which he did, and I believe I should have effected 
 the purchase, had not the lady, and I suppose the 
 Indian girl, put in their vetos against the sale. I 
 had never seen a yellow parrot before, nor have I 
 ever met with such a bird since. I had a black 
 parrot with me at the time, which I had procured 
 at Popayan. I was shown some embroidery, which 
 was very beautiful and had been worked by the same 
 Indian girl who prized the parrot so much. Among 
 the persons who came out to meet us, was our friend 
 the merchant with whom we had fallen in on the road 
 from Barbacoas, and I found this town was his place 
 of residence, and not Baga, as I at first understood. 
 He very civilly requested we would take some re- 
 freshments at his house, and introduced us to his 
 wife, who was a pretty little woman. After we 
 had been a short time with him, he inquired if I 
 was a mineralogist. I told him I knew a little on 
 the subject, but not much. He then showed me a 
 piece of pure gold, weighing rather more than two 
 
 l 2 
 
148 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 ounces, which had been found in the gold mines of 
 Barbacoas : this rare and fine specimen of the pre- 
 cious metal I purchased of him at the regular price 
 of gold per ounce, and I was much pleased with 
 my bargain. The lay of gold found in the mines 
 of Barbacoas is from twenty-two to twenty-three 
 quilates, which is the second purest gold found in 
 the mines of Columbia. I afterwards gave it to a 
 friend in England. 
 
 The Spaniards, on their first visit to this place, 
 j carried off 3000 head of cattle and 500 mules. A 
 country that could furnish such contributions must 
 have been very rich ! Even at this time, I did not 
 observe any want of cattle on the pasture lands 
 near the road. 
 
 We now took leave of the good people of Llano 
 Grande, thanking them for their kindness, and 
 wishing the town might flourish and prosper under 
 the new government ; on which they took off their 
 hats and exclaimed, in an enthusiastic manner, 
 " viva la Columbia, viva Bolivar which made 
 the doctor's eyes sparkle with joy, and I could see 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 149 
 
 the tears trickle down the good old man's cheeks, 
 who could not find utterance for his words, being 
 quite overcome by his feelings. I perceived at once 
 the amor patriae burning in his breast ; no selfish 
 motives had influenced his political conduct : the 
 people were fully aware of his good qualities, 
 and he was sincerely beloved by every one. We 
 had afterwards a small party to meet us at dinner, 
 and passed the day very agreeably. Our host 
 had a tolerably good library and some French 
 books, among which I found the amusing one of 
 Les Causes Celebres. We walked over the farm- 
 yard, and found every thing in excellent order: 
 the agricultural department was managed by his 
 sons. We saw plenty of fat pigs and a couple of 
 peacocks, one of which had been in his possession 
 thirty years. It was a singular circumstance that 
 the pea hens always died. The doctor had a 
 great desire to get some geese, never having seen 
 any, and I promised to send him a couple from 
 Bogota. 
 
 The great source of amusement to Dr. Soto was 
 
150 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 his garden, which was in the nicest order, having 
 small artificial streams running through different 
 parts of it, to convey water to the trees, plants, 
 and flowers, at all seasons. He was a scientific 
 botanist and florist, and piqued himself on having 
 introduced some useful plants and trees into the 
 valley of Cauca. The doctor pointed out to us 
 the following, in his garden, all looking very 
 healthy : — 
 
 The mango of J amaica : the sago plant from 
 Jamaica : the bread tree, from the South Sea Is- 
 lands : the nispero, twice the size of a large straw- 
 berry, the taste of which resembled the quava jelly : 
 the membrillo, very good in cases of dysentery ; 
 preserves are likewise made of it: the pita, like 
 the pine, the seed of which, chewed, acts as a 
 gentle purgative : the maragon, shaped like a 
 pear ; this fruit is excellent for preserves, resem- 
 bling in colour a rosy apple ; the seed is on the out- 
 side of the fruit ; the peel of the maragon is an ac- 
 tive caustic : camito, a large tree, the fruit nearly 
 the size of a melon. All these trees bear fruit twice 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 151 
 
 a year. Sweet orange, lemon, chirimdyas, tamarind, 
 and coffee trees ; the coffee was gathered every 
 morning from the tree, and roasted for our break- 
 fast : the aguacate, the fruit is of an olive colour, 
 in shape like a large bottle, rich and oily, and oil is 
 extracted from it : the sapota, its fruit is like the 
 mango, sweet and of a fine flavour : mamei, a fruit 
 from Columbia and the valley of Cucuta, sometimes 
 the size of a boy ? s head, very sweet ; preserves are 
 made of it : three sorts of pine-apples and a va- 
 riety of melons : plantains of St. Domingo, of Ota- 
 heite, of Acton, of Magrondo, of Azaranfado, of 
 Mauteguillo, Negro, Guinea ; from this last vinegar 
 is distilled. 
 
 The doctor also informed me there were a great 
 many wild fruits in the valley of Cauca, among 
 them the madrona, colour yellow, its taste sweet, 
 with a little acidity, the size of a cocoa-nut : the 
 uchova, size of a cherry, amber colour, good as a 
 preserve : the bade'a, also sweet, with a little 
 acidity, the size of a melon, colour green and yellow : 
 cojorosos, a small wild cocoa-nut, the size of a 
 
152 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 walnut, the kernel very pleasant to the taste : the 
 agreasas, a small wild black grape, from which wine 
 and vinegar are made ; the juice extracted from the 
 tree is taken as a medicine in bilious fevers. There 
 were also in the doctor's garden a great variety of 
 medicinal plants, whose qualities he appeared to un- 
 derstand perfectly. As much of his time was passed 
 in collecting and cultivating herbs, he became a St. 
 Luke in his neighbourhood, and was able to ad- 
 minister tam curae corporis quam animarum. In 
 this valley also they cultivate three sorts of Indian 
 corn, and three sorts of tobacco. 
 
 I omitted to mention a plant called the colegal, 
 which was in the doctor's garden ; it bore a bright 
 scarlet flower like a geranium, a decoction of which 
 is an antidote to the bite of snakes. We were never 
 tired of walking in this garden, and the doctor 
 seemed much pleased at our taking so much interest 
 in his trees and plants. He made us laugh heartily 
 with an account of his manner of rejoicing, on hear- 
 ing the news of the great victory obtained by Boli- 
 var at Boyaea. He said, he determined that every 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA, 153 
 
 animal and bird belonging to him should get drunk 
 on this glorious occasion, and he therefore gave his 
 horses, cows, pigs, poultry, &c. as much of the juice 
 of the sugar-cane as they could drink, and he said 
 he was highly entertained at seeing the pigs jump 
 about in the most frolicsome manner. 
 
 A fat ox, previous to the war, was not worth in 
 the valley of Cauca more than sixteen dollars. 
 The sheep lamb twice in the year. With respect \ 
 to snakes, the doctor said they had one sort peculiar 
 to the valley of Cauca, called the Jarruma; it is 
 small, and exactly the colour of the tobacco-leaf 
 when prepared for smoking ; the bite is considered 
 extremely venomous, but, fortunately for the inha- 
 bitants, this snake is rare, and also drowsy. 
 
 On Thursday, 2d December, we left the hospit- 
 able mansion of Dr. Soto, who, with his sons, in- 
 sisted on accompanying us a league on the road. 
 The doctor gave us an affectionate embrace, exclaim- 
 ing in Spanish " I love the English nation most ! 
 sincerely for their virtues and their bravery." I 
 must say, I never saw a man who gained so much 
 
154? TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 on one's affections as this gentleman ; his frank- 
 ness and urbanity of manner were quite delightful. 
 Poor Dr. Soto ! I think there is but little chance 
 of our meeting again in this world, as I heard, 
 previously to my leaving Bogota, that he was dan- 
 gerously ill. 
 
 The rest of our journey this day Mr. Cade and 
 myself passed in a pensive mood, until we arrived at 
 the hacienda of Guavas, five Spanish leagues distant 
 from the doctor's house. The proprietor of this 
 estate was his nephew, to whom he had kindly given 
 us a letter of introduction. His style of living 
 was by no means equal to that of his uncle, 
 but it was prudent to have a banyan day after the 
 feasting of St. Jose. The situation of this hacienda 
 was open, in the centre of a large fertile plain, with 
 a fine stream of water near the house, in which we 
 bathed early in the morning. Our landlord's mind 
 was not quite so well cultivated as the doctor's ; he 
 asked a great many questions relative to England, 
 and amongst others, whether we had any cats in our 
 I country ; I assured him we had, and plenty of rats 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 155 
 
 and mice to amuse them. Another gentleman en- 
 quired of Mr. Cade, whether England was not di- 
 vided from France by a high range of mountains. 
 
 We left this hacienda early, accompanied by the 
 owner ; and as we approached the town of Bouga, 
 we observed country-houses at every mile and a 
 half on the right and left of the road, and the po- 
 pulation appeared considerable. Here and there 
 were large enclosures, with strong bamboo fences 
 round them, in which were growing the finest trees, 
 apparently as if they had been planted to give ef- 
 fect to the scenery, and which gave to these fields 
 the appearance of a gentleman's park in England. 
 We passed also through a noble forest, well 
 watered with clear streams. Here we saw some 
 prodigiously large trees, whose wide-spreading 
 branches covered a vast space of ground. One 
 river, called the Hinatura, was pointed out to us, 
 on the banks of which they wash for gold dust, but 
 it is not procured in any great quantity. 
 
 On reaching the summit of a small hill about 
 three miles from the town of Bouga, we saw to our 
 
156 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 great astonishment the whole cabildo (or corpo- 
 ration) headed by a band of music, and large 
 crowds of people on foot, coming towards us. 
 When they approached, a speech was addressed to 
 me, welcoming our party to Bouga, to which I made 
 a short reply, and we all rode into Bouga together ; 
 the mob at intervals hurraing and shouting " viva 
 los Ingleses, viva la Columbia, y nuestro Bolivar." 
 On entering the town the band struck up, and 
 rockets and fire-works were let off in all direc- 
 tions. This kind reception was extremely flat- 
 tering to Mr. Cade and myself, and our servants 
 appeared to enjoy the fun as much as any of the 
 party. The cabildo conducted us to a large house, 
 which had been prepared for our reception, and 
 wine, cakes, and sweetmeats, were set out on the 
 table. In a short time they retired, that we might 
 repose after our journey, saying they should do 
 themselves the honor of dining with me at four 
 o'clock, and that a lady and six slaves were in 
 the house to see we had every thing we required 
 during our residence at Bouga. This was really 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 157 
 
 doing the thing comme il faut, and I began to think 
 if we were treated in this noble and hospitable 
 manner throughout the valley of Cauca, I should 
 never get back to Bogota. 
 
 At the last hacienda where we stopt I received 
 a message from some of the inhabitants of Calli, 
 stating they were exceedingly disappointed that I 
 had not paid a visit to their town. I told their 
 messenger, that I well knew how to appreciate the 
 kindness of the good people of Calli, but that my 
 time was limited, and that I could not possibly 
 deviate so far from my road. 
 
 A considerable trade is carried on between this 
 town and the port of Buenaventura on the Pa- 
 cific. Going from Calli you travel two days by 
 land, and then embark in a small canoe on the river 
 d'Aqua, and in two days more you are at the port of 
 Buenaventura, which is at present only a miserable 
 village, with a captain who commands a small de- 
 tachment of the military. The navigation of the 
 river d'Aqua is dangerous, from its great rapidity 
 and sharp descent and large rocky stones in the 
 
158 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 bed of the river ; but the negroes display great 
 skill and dexterity in guiding their canoes through 
 all these difficulties. 
 
 The port of Buenaventura is fine, and, I under- 
 stand, capable of containing a great number of 
 large vessels. Perhaps, ere long, the poor village 
 of Buenaventura may become a commercial town 
 of some consequence, when the communication 
 with the interior is improved. 
 
 At four o'clock all the members of the corpo- 
 ration and some military gentlemen returned, and 
 we adjourned into another apartment, where a 
 sumptuous dinner was served, and I was obliged, 
 agreeably to the Spanish fashion, to take the head 
 of the table, having the mayor on one side and a 
 Columbian colonel on the other. This was by no 
 means a banyan day ; the mayor was most vigilant 
 in keeping my plate well supplied with good things. 
 After dinner we drank a great many bumper 
 toasts, and were as good friends as if we had 
 been acquainted with each other for half a cen- 
 tury. The effect of a few glasses of champagne 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 159 
 
 may be seen every day at cold formal dinner par- I 
 ties in this country. I have often sat by a lady 
 who, for the first quarter of an hour, could only 
 utter a short " yes or u no but a glass or two 
 of sparkling champagne soon transformed the frigid 
 fair one into a pleasant chatty companion. 
 
 The next morning at ten o'clock all the clergy, 
 the juez politico (or chief judge), and the corpo- 
 ration, visited me in form, and until dinner-time 
 we amused ourselves in walking about the town, 
 which was well built, the houses generally low. 
 There was rather a fine square in one part of the 
 town. At four we went to dine with the chief judge, 
 Senor Barcla. The party consisted of twenty-five 
 persons ; and if I may judge from these two dinners, 
 the people of Bouga were determined to convince 
 us that they knew how to live. I was introduced to 
 Senor Barclays wife and two daughters, the latter 
 pretty lively brunettes ; and we were very sorry to 
 find they were not to be of our party at dinner, as 
 it was contrary to etiquette here for ladies to dine 
 with the gentlemen on these occasions. I was 
 
160 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 obliged, as I had done before, to take the head of 
 the table, but all the gratification I should have de- 
 rived from the society and hospitality was alloyed 
 by one of the alcaldes insisting on standing behind 
 my chair, and waiting on ine during dinner ; and 
 notwithstanding all my remonstrances I could not 
 prevail on this gentleman to give up his menial 
 duties. After the dinner was over, the alcalde re- 
 tired into another apartment, where he got a hur- 
 ried meal, and then joined our party. I suppose 
 this is one of the abominable Spanish customs of 
 etiquette, and the sooner it is got rid of the better ; 
 it ill suits the character of citizens of an inde- 
 pendent government. 
 
 In the evening we walked about, visiting the 
 Bouga ladies, with our friends, and were every 
 where received with the greatest kindness ; the 
 only danger we had to encounter was the bewitch- 
 ing smiles and sparkling eyes of some of the 
 Bouga belles. The women are small, well made, 
 with regular features, and, in general, fine dark 
 eyes : but their complexions are darker than those 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 161 
 
 of the ladies of Bogota and Popayan. About 
 nine in the evening we repaired to the large 
 square, where a small balloon was let off, and more 
 fire-works, as a compliment to us. 
 
 The population of Bouga, at this time, was com- 
 puted at between 5000 and 6000 persons ; before 
 the civil war it was much more numerous. The 
 canton contains 20,000 souls. Most of the best 
 houses in the town belong to gentlemen who have 
 haciendas in the neighbourhood, where they reside 
 for nine months in the year, and the other three at 
 their town residences, following the example of our 
 rich people in England. Christmas is the time when 
 they come to Bouga to enjoy the festivities of the 
 carnival. What is particularly pleasing in walking 
 
 i 
 
 through the streets in this town, is a pleasant cool I 
 river, which descends from the Cordillera, to the 
 eastward. In its limpid waters, ladies of the first 
 rank bathe every morning, at five or six 
 o'clock, during the summer season ; and the first 
 morning that Mr. Cade and myself went to bathe, 
 we (shall I say unfortunately ?) stumbled on a 
 
 VOL. II. M 
 
162 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 groupe of these Naiads, and rather alarmed them, 
 but of course we retired as quickly as possible, 
 without stopping to ask, " do we intrude ?" How- 
 ever, we could not help looking back, though we 
 had been sure of receiving the punishment of Peep- 
 ing Tom of Coventry ; and we saw the fine long 
 dishevelled tresses of these goddesses, who, in the 
 bath, are clothed in light blue dresses. Bathing 
 is considered by the inhabitants highly conducive 
 to health. 
 
 As I before observed, the houses in Bouga are 
 in general only one story in height, and most of 
 them have long gardens, with orange, tamarind, 
 and palm trees, which sometimes almost conceal 
 the house. There are four churches, but all the 
 monasteries have been suppressed since the revolu- 
 tion, and the government hold the estates that be- 
 longed to them. Bouga is situate near the top of a 
 valley, formed by two lofty branches of the Cor- 
 dilleras, which diverge toward the east and west; 
 and the valley in that part is not more than three 
 Spanish leagues in breadth, but on proceeding to 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 163 
 
 the north, it gradually expands. There is a pub- 
 lic school here on the Lancasterian plan, at which 
 eighty boys are educated. Excellent straw hats 
 and beautiful artificial flowers are made in this 
 town. The horses bred in this part of the valley 
 of Cauca are in high estimation, and a great 
 number are sent every year to Bogota, and other 
 provinces. We were told there was a great deal of 
 gold in the river which runs through the town, 
 but no one is allowed to go through the process of 
 washing for it, lest the water should be rendered 
 impure — an excellent regulation, which shows the 
 philosophy of the inhabitants of Bouga, in prefer- 
 ring pure water to pure gold. The climate is warm. 
 We found the thermometer at 80° in the middle 
 of the day in the shade, but you have generally 
 refreshing breezes from the north, and the morn- 
 ings and evenings are delightfully pleasant. 
 
 Bouga is supplied with wine, spirits, and English 
 goods (linens, cottons, &c.) from the town of Ca- 
 tana, which is the capital of the province of Choco. 
 The communication between these places is chiefly 
 
 m 2 
 
164 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 by small rivers, navigated by canoes ; and in the 
 short distance of land carriage, the goods are car- 
 ried by men, or mules, over the mountains. Catana 
 is situated on the large river Retratto ; the boats 
 get down in nine days to the mouth of thp river, 
 which empties itself into the Atlantic. The na- 
 vigation up the stream is tedious, but not so bad 
 as that of the river Magdalena, as there is less 
 current, and not so many sand shoals. The mos- 
 quitoes are likewise not so numerous in the Retratto. 
 Carthagena is the port to which the merchandise is 
 sent from Europe, and then it is put on board a 
 large boat, and conveyed to Catana. Bouga has 
 also a considerable trade with the provinces of 
 Buenaventura and Choco, in the supply of hung 
 beef, for the slaves who work in the mines. 
 
 In this neighbourhood they have a spider called 
 the caya, rather large, found in the broken ground 
 and among the rocks. A poison is emitted from 
 the body of this spider, which is so active that 
 men and mules have died in an hour or two after 
 the venomous moisture had fallen on them. The 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 165 
 
 guaga, an amphibious animal, is found in a large 
 lake near the town ; its colour is brown, with white 
 spots on the sides. It is the size of a half-grown pig, 
 and has. the same sort of coarse hair. The guaga 
 holds a high rank at the tables of the bon-vivants of 
 Bouga. It has always two holes in the ban!:s of 
 the river to retire into from its enemies ; one of them 
 is gener Ly stopt up with leaves. It is remarkable 
 that the snake called the aquas is found in these 
 holes, and that the guaga and aquas dwell together 
 on the most friendly terms. The guaga lives on fish 
 and roots. A small animal called the guatin is 
 hunted here. It is the size of a hare, and its hair 
 is of a light green, and coarse ; it runs fast, and 
 affords excellent sport to the hunters ; its flesh is 
 good for the table. The beaver and otter are found 
 in abundance on the banks of the river Cauca. I 
 had several skins of the latter, which were of a fine 
 soft silky brown. 
 
 The above information respecting animals, &c, 
 was communicated to me by Senor Vincente liamilez, 
 
166 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 chief alcalde of Bouga, who was a great sportsman. 
 He related to me a curious occurrence that hap- 
 pened to himself, which seems to prove that fat re- 
 sists the venomous bites of snakes. One day, 
 shooting, he was walking through some long grass, 
 when suddenly he was attacked by a large aquas, 
 before he could get his gun up to shoot him ; the 
 snake gave him so severe a bite in the calf of his 
 leg that the blood ran profusely down his stocking, 
 but before he could repeat the bite, he shot him 
 dead. He had nothing to put to the wound for 
 nearly three hours until he got home, when he ap- 
 plied the seeds of the algala, which are an anti- 
 dote to poison. Senor Vincente supposes that the 
 fangs of the aquas had only penetrated the fat of 
 the calf of his leg, which he conceived had saved 
 his life. This gentleman was above six feet in 
 height, and at this time at least sixteen stone in 
 weight. The seeds of the algala are contained in 
 a pod, something like that of a pea, and striped 
 brown and white. Senor Vincente informed me, that 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 167 
 
 the people of the canton of Bouga are more in- 
 dustriously and morally disposed than their neigh- 
 bours, and that in consequence of this their com- 
 forts are augmented. Seventeen slaves were eman- 
 cipated the last year, the price of their freedom 
 being defrayed by means of a fund established for 
 the gradual emancipation of slaves who have mar- 
 ried and become fathers of families, and have con- 
 ducted themselves well. This may be a useful 
 hint to our own colonists in the West Indies. 
 
 I remarked an ingenious way of carrying water 
 from the river to the town of Bouga. Six large hol- 
 low canes are fixed on each side of a mule, which are 
 filled with water, and bushes put on its surface to 
 prevent the motion of the animal from spilling the 
 fluid. The ladies here are remarkably prolific ; we 
 heard of fifty-one children who had been brought into 
 the world by only three mothers, but some of them 
 had died. One of these mothers had borne twenty- 
 four children ! ! ! Near the town was the large ta- 
 marind tree, the trunk of which was measured by 
 Baron de Humboldt when he passed through 
 
168 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 Bouga on his way to Quito, twenty-five years ago. 
 Time, which spares nothing, has at last destroyed 
 this fine old tree. 
 
 On Sunday after dinner we rode with the juez 
 politico, Senor Vincente Ramilez, and a few other 
 gentlemen, to see the lake of Bouga, which was 
 about three miles distant from the town. Dispersed 
 on each side of the road were numerous cottages 
 neatly constructed of bamboo, situate in fields of 
 sugar-cane, cocoa-trees, plantains, maize, &c. ; the 
 pasture grounds were generally stocked with fine 
 fat cattle, and here and there the country was in- 
 tersected with groves of tall majestic trees. The 
 guadia (or tall bamboo) growing in clumps is a great 
 ornament to the grounds in this neighbourhood ; 
 the branches are like the weeping willow. Imagine 
 to yourself a bunch of ostrich feathers magnified, 
 and the appearance of these clumps, with branches 
 waving to the wind in every direction, seems to re- 
 alize your fancy. Here we saw, for the first time, 
 the large dark-green macaws with a scarlet head, in 
 a wild state ; they are rather larger than the scarlet 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 169 
 
 macaw, and their note is deeper. I brought one 
 of them to England with me. Our ride did not 
 repay us with a sight of the lake, in consequence of 
 the waters being unusually high, and my friends 
 entreated us to remain one day more with them, for 
 the purpose of going the next day to the lake by 
 another road, which would present but few obsta- 
 cles to our approach. 
 
 In the evening we paid a visit to some young 
 ladies, who shewed us some remarkably nice straw 
 bonnets, interwoven with narrow silk riband which 
 they had made. These bonnets were adorned with 
 artificial flowers made by the same delicate fingers, 
 which would not have disgraced the head of one of 
 the first Parisian belles. After this, these young 
 ladies gave ample proof that they could make use 
 of their feet as well as their hands, and the rest of 
 the evening was passed in Spanish country dances 
 and waltzing. 
 
 This night a circumstance occurred which rather 
 annoyed me, the death of a little playful animal 
 
170 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 my favourite companion. I had with me a mico, a 
 very pretty small monkey, which had been given 
 me by the governor of the province of Popayan, 
 and to prevent any thing happening to it, I had it 
 fastened up in a corner of my bed-room, but as the 
 nights were sultry, I slept with the windows open. 
 In the night I heard an odd sort of noise, but be- 
 ing half awake paid little attention to it. When 
 I got up in the morning, I was quite grieved to 
 see my little favorite lying dead on the floor, and 
 one side of his neck bloody. On shewing it to the 
 slaves, they immediately told me that he had been 
 killed by one of the large bats or vampires, which 
 had sucked nearly all the blood out of the poor 
 animaFs body. This monkey had a very pretty 
 countenance, and his great amusement was catching 
 spiders, flies, and other small insects, which he de- 
 voured. The next night I kept the windows down, 
 lest the vampire should have any curiosity to taste 
 my own blood. I have always understood that 
 these animals are as expert in drawing blood as a 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 171 
 
 skilful surgeon with a lancet, and during this ope- 
 ration they continue to fan their patient gently with 
 their wings. 
 
 At Bouga large quantities of the quava jelly is 
 made, which is sent to several provinces, as it is 
 considered the best in Columbia. In all the valley 
 of Cauca, I saw neither man nor woman with the 
 goitre, or swelled throat. The palma Christi tree, 
 from the fruit of which the castor oil is extracted, 
 grows here in great abundance. The inhabitants 
 are plagued with two sorts of the chinche (or bug), 
 and if you scratch their bite, inflammation ensues. 
 They are of a darker colour than the European bug, 
 and run very fast. I saw several of them ; but 
 Bouga has the advantage of being free from fleas 
 and niguas. 
 
 In the afternoon of the 6th of December I set 
 out a second time to see the lake of Bouga with 
 the companions of my former expedition. We 
 found some parts of our second route extremely bad, 
 and began to fear we should be obliged to leave the 
 country, without seeing this fine expanse of water ; 
 
172 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 but by persevering we at last arrived on its mar- 
 gin. This cienaga (or lake) was certainly grand, but 
 not to be compared to some of those we had crossed 
 in our way from Santa Martha to the river Magda- 
 lena. In some parts we could see nothing but high 
 reeds, which appeared full of wild fowl, as we saw 
 flocks of them ascending and descending ; among 
 the number was the pato real (or royal duck). Here 
 was also pointed out to me the black duck, which is 
 nearly as large as a goose, and good for the table. 
 It is entirely black, excepting a few white feathers 
 in each wing. Among the inhabitants of this lake 
 were the pato-cuchara (or spoon-bill) ; the white and 
 blue heron ; sarcetta (or small wild duck) with plu- 
 mage of a variety of colours ; pallaras, plumage 
 white, black, and brown. All these after having af- 
 forded pleasure to the sportsman, are submitted to 
 the dominion of the cook. We saw a bird called 
 here gaceones, six feet in height, neck red, and bill 
 black. This bird appeared to be the same as the 
 capitan, which we had seen on the river Magda- 
 lena. There were the gallitas, which were small, of 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 173 
 
 a coffee colour, with red bill, yellow feet, and various 
 other sorts, including the tribui de la cienaga. I 
 also saw in this ride a new parrot, called the cota- 
 micha, head blue, body fine green, tail scarlet, ra- 
 ther small ; and in the same tree a humming-bird, 
 whose colours were beautiful beyond description. 
 The sensitive plant is here in great abundance, 
 growing about a foot in height with a small purple 
 flower ; the sheep are very fond of it. 
 
 We conversed with some persons fishing with nets 
 in a small canal communicating with the lake of Bou- 
 ga; their information was, that the magistrates allowed 
 only a certain quantity of fish to be sold to the in- 
 habitants of Bouga, because too much fish diet was 
 considered injurious to their health. Perhaps these 
 gentlemen, who formed the medical board, were part- 
 ly led to this salutary conclusion from an apprehen- 
 sion, that too great a sale of fish might lessen the 
 consumption of their own fat beef and mutton. 
 We afterwards rode to the banks of the Cauca, 
 which is here a fine river, but the water muddy, 
 like that of the Magdalena. I saw a small cham- 
 
174 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 pan on the other side, which reminded me of our 
 severe pilgrimage up that river. 
 
 " Sweet are the fleecy moments, fly they must 
 
 therefore, early on the morning of the 7 tn we had 
 all prepared for leaving the hospitable town of 
 Bouga, where they had taken such infinite pains to 
 make our sojourn pleasant and agreeable. I shall 
 always recollect with the warmest gratitude the at- 
 tention and kindness shewn to Mr. Cade and my- 
 self. As the country-house of Senor Vincente Ra-. 
 milez lay in our road to the town of Cartago, he 
 insisted on our dining there, and with his friend 
 the juez politico accompanied us to his mansion. 
 All the other gentlemen rode with us a couple of 
 leagues, and then returned to Bouga. On our road 
 this day we saw a great many trees bearing the 
 chirimdya fruit in a wild state ; a single wild chi- 
 rimdya has been known to weigh an arrdba (251bs.). 
 It is a very nice fruit, rather more acid than when 
 cultivated in gardens, and is considered a good re- 
 medy in bilious fevers. Monkeys are very fond of 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 
 
 it. Senor Vincente pointed out to me the caucho 
 tree, from which the Indians extract the juice, 
 or rather gum, which when solid becomes In- 
 dian-rubber. There are a great many of these 
 trees in the Cordilleras near Bouga. Our route 
 lay through a very fine country, and the pas- 
 ture lands appeared to be extremely luxuriant, and 
 there was no want of cattle to consume the thick 
 herbage. We arrived at the hacienda called Ta- 
 pias, belonging to our friend the alcalde, at twelve 
 o'clock, and at two were regaled, as usual, with all 
 the luxuries of the valley of Cauca, and at four we 
 bid adieu to our liberal host and his friend ; the for- 
 mer took from his shirt a large emerald set in gold, 
 which he insisted on my accepting as a small token 
 of remembrance. 
 
 Our guide was a fine old man, who had per- 
 formed the same office to the Baron de Hum- 
 boldt in his journey through this valley ; and a 
 gentleman at Bouga having given me a beautiful 
 and rare parrot, I thought I could not do better 
 than commit the bird to the care of our old guide, 
 
17^ TRAVELS IN" THE 
 
 who was to accompany us to Cortago on foot. But 
 pets and favourites generally come to an untimely 
 end. We had preceded the guide, and one of my 
 servants, on his joining us, informed me, to my great 
 vexation, that the parrot was gone. The day be- 
 ing very hot, the old man had stopped by the side of 
 the road, and taken the parrot out of the cage to 
 get him some water ; the moment his back was turned, 
 i a tiger-cat sprung on poor Polly and carried her off 
 with the quickness of lightning. The poor old 
 guide was greatly alarmed at having lost the bird ; 
 but as the man was not to blame, I could say nothing. 
 This bird's plumage was of bright green, wings half 
 red, throat and breast pink and white, tail scarlet, 
 and the eyes a light blue. We passed through the 
 village of Tapias, which was not more than a mile 
 from Don Vincente's house, and it had, apparently, 
 suffered much in the war, as some of the houses 
 were still in ruins. At seven in the evening we ar- 
 rived at the cure's house at Bouga la Grande ; he 
 was absent, being at another village for the cele- 
 bration of a feast in honour of some saint. We 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 177 
 
 were glad to get to bed early, as the distance of this 
 day's journey had been nearly eight Spanish leagues ; 
 and very early on the 8th we left Bouga la 
 Grande. 
 
 At three in the afternoon we got to the hacienda 
 of La Lacas. The country was rather more hilly, and 
 not so fertile, but still furnished very good pasture. 
 The number of cottages had diminished considera- 
 bly in this part of the valley, which probably might 
 arise from the scarcity of water, as this part of the 
 Cordilleras to the eastward did not afford many 
 springs or rivulets. The owner of this estate was 
 in the house, although he generally resided at Car- 
 tago. We were received politely, but nothing offer- 
 ed in the way of refreshment ; and I heard after- 
 wards that he was considered in the country a very 
 close-fisted gentleman, although particularly well- 
 informed. He told us he had two thousand head 
 of cattle on this estate, and complained exceedingly 
 of some wild dogs which were running about the 
 country, and had a few days before killed two dozen 
 of his sheep. 
 
 VOL. II. N 
 
178 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 We quitted Lacas the next morning early, the 
 9th, and arrived at the' town of Cartago at four in 
 the afternoon, all of us uncommonly fatigued from 
 the heat of the day, and the distance of our jour- 
 ney ; we had traversed again eight Spanish leagues, 
 and we had been nine hours on our mules. 
 
 Our reception at Cartago was very different from 
 that we had experienced at Bouga. Three or four 
 gentlemen came out a short distance to meet us, 
 and we were shown into an empty house swarming 
 with cock-roaches, and left to our own resources. 
 These, however, were ample, as I had a cook, 
 money, and a market at hand. The country through 
 which we passed was always pleasing to the eye 
 of a traveller ; we had the Cordilleras to our 
 right overhanging the road, where the scenery was 
 bold, and most striking; some of the mountains 
 towering up to a prodigious height, and covered to 
 their very summits with forests. 
 
 We were surprised to find some parts of the road 
 in a very bad state, and scarcely passable, though 
 there had been no rain for nine days. In the rainy 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 179 
 
 season we should certainly never have gotten across 
 the country. 
 
 Here you frequently meet horses and mules 
 without ears, and some with their ears lying flat on 
 their necks ; this is occasioned by an insect like a 
 wood-louse getting inside them, which is as prolific 
 as the nigua in the toes of the human species, and 
 gradually devours the nerves of that organ. To 
 prevent this, the muleteers rub the inside with hogV 
 lard, from which that insect is very averse. 
 
 In the valley of Cauca great use is made of the 
 bamboo and cane. It serves for the building of 
 houses, and the construction of a great variety of 
 fences and frames for flower-beds. It is formed, too, 
 into flutes and fifes ; the former have a soft and me- 
 lodious tone. It furnishes the inhabitants with drink- 
 ing-cups, water-buckets, and bird-cages. It is 
 made, also, into rafts for conveying cocoa down the 
 rivers, chairs and bedsteads, blow-pipes and arrows. 
 Ox-hides appear, also, nearly as useful for do- 
 mestic purposes in Columbia, as the bamboo and 
 
 n 2 
 
180 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 cane ; as they make of them coverings for tables, 
 sofas, chairs, bedsteads, doors, lasos, patakas (or 
 square cases to carry luggage on mules). These 
 patakas are much better than trunks ; the baggage 
 is kept very dry, as one case forms a cover for 
 the other ; two of these are a load for a mule. 
 Large bottles, for wine, spirits, and chicha, are 
 made of these hides ; and they furnish a substitute, 
 though a bad one, for wheel-barrows, when earth is 
 to be carried away. 
 
 The town of Cartago is situate in a pleasant 
 small plain ; on the south are undulating green hills, 
 which afford good pasture for stock of all sorts. 
 Cartago is 4° 36' north latitude. The population 
 of Cartago is about 3000 souls; there are four 
 churches, one of them belonging to the Franciscan 
 friars, who have a convent, where ten of them are 
 still resident. The thermometer in the winter at 
 Cartago is 74°. 
 
 This town suffered much during the war, from 
 being a thoroughfare, as four roads meet here ; that 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 181 
 
 to the eastward is over the Quindio mountains into 
 the province of Mariquito, and to Bogota ; to the 
 westward, to the towns Citaria and Novita, in the 
 province of Choco ; to the southward, to Popayan, 
 Las Pastas, and Quito ; and to the northward, to 
 the province of Antioquia. The population of the 
 Canton is about 9000. You may travel to the 
 northward for six days in the valley of Cauca, 
 which has a fine river of the same name gliding 
 gently through the vale. Unfortunately for the 
 navigation between the province of Antioquia and 
 the valley of Cauca, there are considerable water- 
 falls soon after the river enters the defiles of the 
 mountains which separate Antioquia from the Cauca 
 valley, otherwise there would be a direct water 
 communication for 1500 miles, to the mouth of the 
 river Magdalena, as the Cauca enters the Magda- 
 lena a short distance below Mompox. 
 
 We regretted the loss of our little monkey, who 
 would have had glorious sport, and been very use- 
 ful in catching cock-roaches, emmets, spiders, and 
 flies, which were in abundance all over the house, 
 
182 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 and I could not sleep at night from their crawling 
 over my face and hands ; but still I preferred them 
 to the fleas and niguas of Popayan. In our gar- 
 den at this place, one of my servants killed a coral 
 snake, a foot and a half in length. The belly was 
 the colour of coral, the back a dark purple, with 
 light blue rings round the body, about half an inch 
 asunder. I believe I before remarked that the bite 
 of this snake is extremely venomous. I found our 
 old guide very communicative on the road. He 
 spoke in high terms of the Baron de Humboldt, 
 who appears to have been a universal favourite 
 among the inhabitants of the valley of Cauca. 
 The old man told me he had carried a curious in- 
 strument for the baron, such as he had never seen 
 before or since, and that he was terribly afraid of 
 falling down and breaking it. I suppose it was a 
 barometer for measuring heights. As the old 
 guide had been a fellow traveller with the baron, I 
 thought it incumbent on me to give him some extra 
 pay, and we parted most excellent friends. 
 
 The morning after our arrival at Cartago, we 
 
PKOVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 183 
 
 received a visit from the juez politico, the alcalde, 
 and some other great personages. Monsieur de la 
 Roche, a Frenchman, who, having married a Car- 
 tago lady, had resided in the place nearly twenty 
 years, and had a numerous family, was one of our 
 visitants. We were amused, in talking French to 
 M. de la Roche, to find he was constantly mixing 
 Spanish words with his French, and he told us 
 that he now found more difficulty in speaking his 
 native language than Spanish. This gentleman 
 then held the situation of administrador of tobacco, 
 the salary of which, was, as he remarked, " pas 
 grande chose." 
 
 We had some sad news from the juez politico, 
 who informed us, that as the feasts were now going 
 on at Ibegues, there would be no chance of any 
 peons (or foot couriers) coming over the Quindio 
 mountains for some time, and that our best plan 
 would be to send a peon to the juez politico of 
 Ibegues, stating what number of men and horses we 
 should want to convey us and our baggage over the 
 Quindio mountains. This plan was instantly 
 
184 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 adopted, and the judge procured a trusty peon, 
 to whom we paid eight dollars for carrying the 
 letter to Ibegues, and said, I should have an an- 
 swer in nine days. He smiled, and observed, 
 " you are rather heavy, colonel, but I have par- 
 ticularly requested my friend at Ibegues, to pro- 
 cure for you two of the best silleros (or chairmen) 
 in the town, and I can with confidence assure you, 
 that they will carry you safely over the moun- 
 tains." I thanked him for this attention, and told 
 him that I was in hopes I should be able to ride 
 over the mountains, but that if I found that im- 
 practicable, I should certainly walk ; at this he 
 laughed exceedingly, I added, that it was my firm 
 determination not to ride on the back of a man, 
 unless I was taken ill on the road, and in that case 
 I must certainly be carried, not having a particular 
 desire to be devoured by the tigers and other wild 
 beasts which infest the forests in the Quindio moun- 
 tains ; and that I should request Mr. Cade and 
 order my servants to adopt the same plan. 
 
 To be obliged to remain for at least fourteen 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 185 
 
 days in the dull town of Cartago, was certainly a trial 
 of patience, particularly as I was anxious to get to 
 Bogota ; but as there was no remedy, Mr. Cade and 
 myself were determined to make ourselves as com- 
 fortable as we could, and to ensure this object, I 
 desired the servants to wage an active war against 
 the cock-roaches and other troublesome insects ; for I 
 the former, we found, were devouring our boots and 
 shoes, provisions, and every thing that came in 
 their way. 
 
 As we found dinner-parties were not much in 
 vogue at Cartago, I invited the juez politico and 
 M. de la Roche to dine with us, and told the 
 former, I should be obliged by his ordering some 
 wine for the occasion ; and the next day he sent 
 some pleasant Spanish red wine from his own 
 cellar. After dinner I enquired of M. de la 
 Roche, how it happened that his fate had fixed him, 
 for the greater part of his life, in so secluded a 
 place as Cartago, when he immediately commenced 
 his history. He said he was of a good family in 
 La Vendee ; that, like all persons in his province, he 
 
186 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 had taken up arms ; that in the unfortunate af- 
 fair of Quibon, he was taken prisoner, but his life 
 spared by a republican officer with whom he had 
 formerly lived on terms of intimacy. That after 
 this, he embarked for the Mauritius, with the de- 
 termination of quitting "la belle France" for 
 ever. On his voyage thither, the vessel put into 
 Monte Video, and now finding himself in the 
 country of whose silver and gold mines he had 
 read much, and having studied mineralogy for 
 his amusement, he determined to try his fortune in 
 the New World. From Monte Video he went to 
 Buenos Ayres, thence over the immense pampas 
 (or plains) to Chili, from Chili to Sima, Quito 
 and to Cartago, to examine some mines in the 
 neighbourhood, but here, exclaimed M. de la 
 Roche, <c Tamour finit ma carriere," as he fell in 
 love w r ith his present wife, and had vegetated at 
 Cartago ever since. 
 
 I had some conversation with M. de la Roche 
 about the mines of Vega de la Supia, as I had 
 heard them highly spoken of by some Columbian 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 187 
 
 gentlemen at Bogota, and the Baron de Humboldt 
 visited them in his travels in this part of South 
 America, and on examining a specimen of these 
 mines, he considered them rich in ore. M. de la 
 Roche had the kindness to give me specimens of the 
 mines of Sachafeute. — There is found in this river 
 a mixture of gold and silver. 
 
 I understand that the mines in the neighbour- 
 hood of Vega de la Supia have not been worked 
 for some years, and that some of the shafts are 
 filled with water. The mines are the property of 
 government and of private individuals, and will be 
 soon worked by the agents of mining companies 
 established in England. One serious obstacle to 
 any undertaking in this part of Columbia is the 
 dreadful state of the roads ; but as regards cli- 
 mate, provisions, &c, I think the miners would 
 get on tolerably well. M. de la Boche mentioned 
 Captain Charles Cochrane of the R.N., having 
 been at Cartago the year before, and that he had 
 given him much information respecting the mines 
 in the' neighbourhood of Vega de la Supia. 
 
 WS^ — — — . 
 
188 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 On my return to Bogota, I found that there was 
 great anxiety on the part of some gentlemen, agents 
 to large mercantile establishments, to purchase the 
 mine of Sichapata, and I believe the house of 
 Messrs. Goldsmidt and Co. succeeded in getting 
 I it from the Columbian government. There is 
 no medical man at Cartago; perhaps it may be 
 a problem, whether the mortality is greater or less 
 in the place from this circumstance. Here I saw 
 a few geese lately arrived from Carthagena. An 
 arrdba of bark is here worth three dollars ; in ex- 
 porting it to Jamaica, a profit of seventy per cent, 
 may be made. A small quantity of cotton stuffs 
 are manufactured in Cartago ; the machinery ap- 
 peared to me very clumsy. Lace is made here on 
 a pillow with bobbins, similar to those used in the 
 counties of Oxford and Buckingham. About a 
 quarter of a mile from the town runs the river 
 La Vieja, which has its source in the Cordillera to 
 the eastward. The water is very cool. Mr. Cade 
 and myself took an early bath in it every morning 
 during our stay at Cartago. The river La Vieja is 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 189 
 
 navigable for small boats from the Cauca to Cartago. 
 There are two sorts of fish taken in this river, the 
 barbuda and the getudo ; they resemble each other, 
 but the latter has no whiskers, and is considerably 
 more delicate for the table. A fat sheep is here 
 worth nine shillings. 
 
 There are in Cartago a great number of slaves, 
 negroes and negresses ; the latter wear only a blue 
 petticoat. Two or three of these negresses asked 
 Mr. Cade to purchase them of their masters ; others 
 said they should purchase their liberty at the price 
 fixed by the Congress, and then sell themselves 
 again, and get a profit of one hundred dollars. We 
 used to meet great numbers of them coming from 
 the river with large pigs of water on their heads, 
 walking in the most graceful manner, and as upright 
 as darts. I have often thought that it would be an 
 excellent plan 'for drilling young ladies, to make 
 them carry a pig of water on their heads, and walk 
 up and down the room for half an hour. 
 
 We paid a visit to M. de la Roche, and was in- 
 troduced to his wife, who was still a very pretty wo- 
 
190 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 man, although she had had a large family ; they 
 had ten children living. We then strolled about 
 the town, and walked into one of the churches, 
 where I found some negroes digging a grave for a 
 mulatto woman ; and in going to the other end of 
 the church, we almost fell over the corpse, which 
 was lying on a bier, without much covering, and 
 two candles burning at each end of it. There was 
 nothing remarkable in the church. 
 
 On my arrival at Cartago, I had mentioned to 
 M. de la Roche, that if he should hear of any In- 
 dian curiosities to be sold, I should be glad to pur- 
 chase them. Consequently, one morning he brought 
 me an Indian idol made of clay, hollow, and with 
 an ugly countenance, about eighteen inches in 
 height, which had been dug up on the banks of the 
 Cauca, two leagues from Cartago. M. de la Roche 
 told me that the idol belonged to a poor woman, 
 whose husband had found it, and that she allowed 
 her children to play with it, who had broken off one 
 of the feet. We went to the woman's house to ask 
 what she would take for the clay idol, when she 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 191 
 
 modestly said two reals (tenpence), and her joy and 
 astonishment were great, when I put two dollars 
 into her hand, and carried off my prize, both of us 
 highly delighted with our bargain. 
 
 The finding this clay idol on the banks of the 
 Cauca, is an incontestible proof that the fine, fertile, 
 and extensive valley of Cauca had formerly been in- 
 habited by the Indians ; and tradition says that pre- 
 vious to the conquest of the country by the Spa- 
 niards, the valley was covered with Indian villages 
 and cottages ; while at this time not one solitary In- 
 dian hut is to be seen ! What a scourge these con- 
 querors must have proved to the poor Indians to 
 have so completely exterminated them from this 
 large valley ! Travelling through the country you 
 may easily see the old narrow furrows on the land, 
 a mode of cultivation peculiar to the Indians, and 
 which is still practised by them in the neighbour- 
 hood of Popayan. I verily believe most of the In- 
 dians died in the gold mines of Choco and Buena- 
 ventura from the hard labour, and the severity ex- 
 ercised by their relentless and avaricious masters. 
 
192 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 Las Casas (the great champion and friend of the 
 Indians under Charles V.) may have occasionally 
 exaggerated the cruelties of the Spaniards towards 
 the aborigines of the country, but they certainly 
 were as a pestilential blast to the poor Indians, 
 whose constitutions were unequal to perform the 
 task- work, and whose hearts were broken by the 
 loss of their liberty. 
 
 M. de la Roche had also the kindness to give me 
 a couple of small Indian ornaments made of gold, 
 and a necklace of lime-stone, which he had found in 
 an ancient Indian sepulchre in the mountain of 
 Cucuana. He gave me in writing the following 
 account of what he discovered in the graves of the 
 Indians. 
 
 " In the mountain of Cucuana near the Paramo 
 of Banegar, I met with a huaco (or ancient sepul- 
 chre) of the Indians, in which were two skeletons ; 
 one was in a sitting posture, and wrapped in a cover- 
 ing of palm which formed a pyramid : on the bone 
 of the forehead was a plate of gold, which repre- 
 sented a sort of fleur-de-lis, and in the place of the 
 
PHOVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 193 
 
 nose, were two rings of gold clasped in one another, 
 of two inches diameter. The other skeleton, which 
 by the ornaments appeared a female, was lying in a 
 large sort of jar which served for a coffin. She 
 had round the vertebrae of the neck eight beads 
 of lime-stone, which appeared like marble, and 
 formed a necklace, from which was suspended an- 
 other plate of gold like the first, and on the bones 
 of the arms were a multitude of small pearls which 
 seemed to have been bracelets. In the nose was only 
 one large gold ring, falling v over the front teeth, 
 and these, with the double teeth, were all in such 
 perfect preservation as shewed the woman had 
 died young. I also found here, joined to the first 
 body, a piece of baked clay representing the ex- 
 panded wings of a butterfly, broken off from its 
 body ; and recollecting that the Egyptians of anti- 
 quity represented the divinity with similar wings, 
 to denote that it had dominion over the winds and 
 inhabited the air, one can by analogy suppose, that 
 this without doubt related to the religion of the 
 Indians, and draw some inference as to their origin." 
 vol. II. o 
 
194 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 I have still the stone necklace, having given 
 away the wings of the butterfly and gold orna- 
 ments. M. de la Roche stated to me, that a Spa- 
 nish colonel sent to command in the valley of 
 Cauca, carried off upwards of 400,000 hard dollars. 
 
 Persons in Europe, who receive presents of cu- 
 rious birds and animals alive, scarcely know how to 
 appreciate their worth sufficiently ; for when they 
 come from the interior of South America, it re- 
 quires infinite pains and trouble to save them, 
 owing to the bad roads, and the great variety of 
 climate you pass through. 
 
 We found the bread good at Cartago, as the 
 flour is brought from Bogota, over the Quindio 
 mountains. Here we saw a carpenter making use 
 of wooden nails made of a tree called grenadillo, 
 whose wood is extremely hard and tough. The 
 negroes are fond of the pulp that covers the seed of 
 the fruit of the guava tree ; numbers of these trees 
 grow about here, with their fruit hanging down, of 
 a dark colour, and in shape like a French bean. 
 In my walks in the neighbourhood, I saw in the 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 195 
 
 small streams and ponds, plenty of wild duck, wid- 
 geon, teal and snipes. In one small pond, about 
 two miles from the town, I put up more than thirty 
 brace of snipes. They took very short flights and 
 laid well, and we might have had excellent shoot- 
 ing, but I had given my friend Senor Vincente Ra- 
 mirez the only two pounds of English gunpowder 
 which I had left, which present, as he was fond of 
 shooting, pleased him exceedingly. 
 
 Near our dwelling lived four young ladies with 
 their mother, in a neat small house. They had a 
 few acres of land, and kept a couple of cows, and wc 
 found them excellent neighbours ; every morning 
 the mother sent us a large bowl full of new milk. 
 Common courtesy required that we should call to 
 return thanks for the attention paid us ; we found 
 her living very comfortably with her four daughters 
 and a little boy, the son of the second daughter. 
 The three youngest daughters were very pretty 
 girls, the eldest of them not more than twenty, with 
 fine European complexions. I learnt their history 
 from M. de la Roche, who informed me that they 
 
 o 2 
 
196 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 were of the family of Caycedo, one of the richest 
 in the valley of Cauca ; that in the civil war, the 
 husband of Sefiora Caycedo had lost nearly all his 
 property, and that the widow had a small estate 
 left which produced them four or five hundred a 
 year, on which they lived. The second daughter 
 had been seduced by a merchant under a promise 
 of marriage, who was the father of the little boy we 
 had seen. The widow's house was a capital lounge 
 for my young secretary in a dull town like Cartago ; 
 occasionally I paid the ladies a visit, and found 
 them very agreeable good-natured girls. In one of 
 these visits 1 heard them whistle a trio remarkably 
 well, and they all played on the Spanish guitar, 
 accompanying the instrument with their voices, and 
 sang Spanish songs with much taste. They possess- 
 ed also another accomplishment, that of swimming 
 well ; we saw them all one morning swim across the 
 river La Viega. Fortunately I had some books 
 with me, otherwise I should have found some diffi- 
 culty in getting through the fortnight we remained 
 at Cartago. 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 197 
 
 The lower class play on an instrument here, 
 called the alfandoki, which is made of the wood of 
 a tree, called mano de leon, naturally hollow. They 
 put into it small black seeds of a fruit named cha- 
 kera ; by shaking the instrument the seeds make a 
 considerable, and not altogether disagreeable noise, 
 and on this they accompany the guitar players. 
 The carraska, on which they also play, makes a 
 tremendous, and not a melodious noise. It is made 
 of the wood of the black poplar tree, and large 
 notches are cut on one side. The fiddle-stick is one 
 of the ribs of a bullock, which is rubbed over the 
 notches, and would, I conceive, in Europe, pro- 
 duce the same scene as the inimitable Hogarth has 
 so well depicted in his Enraged Musician. The tiple 
 is a small guitar played on at Cartago. I brought 
 with me to England a very curious small harp, 
 which was about three feet high, with three octaves 
 of catgut strings. The sounding-board part was 
 made of a whole gourd, large at the bottom and 
 smaller towards the top, to which were pieces of 
 wood roughly joined in the harp shape. 
 
198 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 In the neighbourhood of Cartago were a great 
 number of the large black ant, called the cazadores 
 (or hunters) ; they are encouraged, as they kill the 
 small snakes, toads, and other vermin, by stinging 
 them to death. If a column of these black ants 
 enter a cottage, the owners resign their habitation 
 immediately, and wait until they pursue their jour- 
 ney, so much do they dread the sting of these 
 ants. The black bears come frequently from the 
 mountains into the plains, to feed on the fruit of 
 the palm trees. 
 
 One morning early, we were much amused at 
 seeing a small bird come into the room to attack 
 the cock-roaches, which he darted on with great 
 force, and perforated their bodies with his sharp 
 bill, and flew away with them. The plumage of 
 the bird was of a light brown, with a large black eye, 
 •; and his note very sweet. I have observed night- 
 ; ingales attack black-beetles in this country, in 
 I nearly the same manner, having, at a gentleman's 
 house, seen a jar of black-beetles emptied into an 
 aviary which was full of nightingales. 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 199 
 
 On the 18th of December M. de la Roche 
 dined with us again, and the next day we had the 
 honor of dining with the juez politico, who proved to 
 us that he knew how to live, by the display of a great 
 many savoury dishes. Dr. Rodriquez (the name of 
 the juez) shewed me the skin of a large snake which 
 had pursued a negro-boy in the province of Choco 
 for a considerable time, and the boy, finding the 
 snake gaining on him, leaped into the river and 
 dived under water. A negro, who was at work 
 near the spot, heard the boy's cries, and ran to the 
 river, when he saw the snake raising himself up in 
 the bushes looking about for the young negro ;.he 
 instantly attacked him with his long knife, and killed 
 him. This snake was of the boa constrictor kind. 
 There is a snake in the valley of Cauca which early 
 in the morning cackles like a hen. The eldest 
 daughter of the juez politico was a remarkably 
 pretty girl, with fine blue eyes and light auburn 
 hair, which I had not seen before in the valley of 
 Cauca. She appeared to us a very sensible, mo- 
 dest girl. * 
 
200 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 After dinner, the wife of Senor Rodriquez asked 
 me if I knew any thing of medicine, as her eldest 
 daughter had been very unwell for the last twelve- 
 months, and she should like me to prescribe for her, 
 which made Mr. Cade laugh heartily. The dis- 
 ease of the poor daughter was disappointed love. 
 She had formed a strong attachment to a European 
 officer in the service of Columbia, who had been 
 quartered at Cartago, but as he was only a soldier 
 of fortune, the juez politico, who was a wealthy 
 man, would not consent to the match ; I felt much 
 for the poor girl, whose health was suffering severely 
 from this unfortunate passion. The next even- 
 ing we saw a funeral with a drum and fife playing 
 at the head of it, and in the great square the people 
 were letting off fire-works. On enquiring the cause 
 of this apparently anomalous conduct, it was ex- 
 plained to me that this was the funeral of a young 
 girl, daughter of the brother-in-law of the juez 
 politico, and that there are always public rejoicings 
 when persons die young, on account of their having 
 fewer sins to answer for. I saw the father of the 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 201 
 
 deceased girl the next day, who told me, with a 
 smile, that his wife had just filled up the vacancy. 
 The Creoles have a great share of philosophy in 
 their composition. There were some rich men in 
 Cartago. I heard that one had died a few months 
 before, worth 200,000 dollars. The only stimulus 
 to their exertions seems to be the amor nummi; 
 and the only enjoyment of their gains, their hoard. 
 
 At last the glad tidings arrived from the juez 
 politico of Ibaque, saying that he was making 
 every exertion to procure the necessary number of 
 silleros (or chairmen), peons, and mules, as he had 
 received instructions from his government to afford 
 us every assistance ; and on the 20th of December, 
 the men and mules arrived. 
 
 The juez politico called on me on the 21st, 
 to say the peons would require one day's rest be- 
 fore they returned to Ibaque, and that they also 
 required some time to purchase a few things for 
 themselves. Some hours were passed this morning 
 in weighing our persons. I weighed seven arrobas, 
 
202 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 minus 5lbs., which is equal to 12 stone 21bs. ; 
 Mr. Cade weighed five arrobas, (or 8 stone 81bs.). 
 We were much amused at the two silleros, who 
 supposed they were to carry me over the moun- 
 tains, eyeing me minutely all over; and when 
 the juez politico asked them what they thought 
 of their load, they replied that they could carry 
 me very well, that they had carried much hea- 
 vier men ; and from what the juez politico had 
 told them, they had expected to find the English 
 consul-general (a title they always gave me) a 
 much greater personage. We had four silleros, 
 fourteen peons for the baggage, three mules 
 besides our own, and a head man, who is a sort 
 of commanding officer, but whose influence over 
 the others is far from great. By the advice of 
 Senor Rodriquez, we left Mr. Cade^ gray horse 
 behind, as the farrier had lamed it in shoeing. My 
 silleros were to receive each sixteen dollars, Mr. 
 Cadets and EcQVs ten, and the peons nine each, 
 and I promised them an additional reward if they 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 203 
 
 performed the journey well, and took care of our 
 baggage. 
 
 The person employing the silleros and peons 
 over the Quindio mountains, finds them in pro- 
 visions, which consists of salt beef, pork, plantains, 
 and rice, in certain proportions to each man. We 
 were glad to hear from Senor Rodriquez, that these 
 carriers were of a very different character from the 
 rascals who are employed in poling the champans up 
 the river Magdalena. I was fully convinced that they 
 might be better, but could not possibly be worse. 
 The machine on which they carry the baggage, 
 is a sort of frame of bamboos, about three feet long 
 with a cross piece at the lower end, on which they 
 put their load. It is secured with straps made of 
 the bark of a tree, which first cross the burthen, 
 then go over the shoulders and across the breast of 
 the peon 5 another strap passes over his forehead, 
 which is fastened to the top of the bamboo at the 
 back. They are careful to put a pad between the 
 strap and the head, and between the chair and the 
 
204 TEAVELS IN THE 
 
 loins, to prevent chafing. They are naked, except- 
 ing a handkerchief tied round the middle. The 
 sillero on which they carry people, is much the 
 same as the silla de cargo above described for bag- 
 gage, excepting that the sillero has rests for the 
 arms and a step for the feet. The usual load of a 
 peon is about lOOlbs., but many carry a greater 
 weight, and some have been known to carry eight 
 arrdbas (or 2001bs.). With these weights they 
 climb the mountains with the greatest ease, and 
 seldom stop to rest. We found the juez politico 
 particularly kind and attentive in seeing that every 
 thing was properly arranged for our passage over 
 the mountains, and he exhorted the peons to con- 
 duct themselves well during the journey. 
 
 On the morning of the 22d of December, we 
 were all in readiness to leave Cartago, and previous 
 to our departure, I desired my servants not to think 
 of being carried by the silleros unless they were 
 taken ill on the road, which order I had the satis- 
 faction to find was strictly obeyed. Having taken 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 205 
 
 leave of the juez politico, M. de la Roche, and two 
 or three other gentlemen, not forgetting the female 
 whistlers, we commenced our journey for the Quin- 
 dio mountains at nine in the morning, all mounted 
 on mules, as I was resolved to ride as far as I could. 
 For about three quarters of a league the road was 
 very tolerable, but after that it became so desperate- 
 ly bad that I was obliged to dismount, and wade 
 through the mud in a pair of jack-boots and large 
 spurs, to the no small amusement of the peons, but 
 at the expense of a great deal of my own fat. The 
 descent on mules from some of the heights was an 
 undertaking replete with danger, from their exces- 
 sive steepness and the slippery state of the mule 
 track. The mules take every precaution, and seem 
 to know the danger they incur in descending these 
 heights, for they inspect the road narrowly before 
 them, and then place their fore-legs close together, 
 and slide down on their hams, in a manner which 
 scarcely any one but an eye-witness would credit. 
 All that the rider has to do on these occasions is, to 
 keep himself well back in his saddle, and trust to 
 
206 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 Providence and the mule to prevent his being dashed 
 to pieces by going headlong into some frightful 
 abyss. 
 
 At three in the afternoon we arrived on the banks 
 of the river La Vieja, at a solitary house, where we 
 were to remain for the night. I was much fatigued 
 with my walk this day, having been so ill equipped 
 as a pedestrian, and the heat was excessive, as we 
 had ascended but little from the valley of Cauca. 
 Mr. Cade contrived to ride a mule, being so much 
 lighter than myself. We were annoyed all night by 
 mosquitoes, the house being built close to the banks 
 of the river. We found from the state of the road 
 or mule path that there had been a considerable fall 
 of rain in the mountains lately, although we had 
 had fine weather at Cartago, and this was confirmed 
 by the peons who had crossed the mountains from 
 Ibaque. 
 
 We rose early on the morning of the 23d of De- 
 cember to proceed on our journey, and I was now 
 well prepared for walking over the Quindio moun- 
 tain. I had on my feet a pair of alborgas (or 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 207 
 
 sandals), which I had bought at Cartago, made of 
 the bark of a tree, which cover the soles of the feet 
 and part of the toes, and are fastened behind with 
 two strings which come over the instep; no stockings, 
 as I "should have lost them in the mud ; loose white 
 trowsers, shirt, waistcoat; a straw hat with a very 
 broad brim ; and a long strong stick with a sharp 
 point to assist me in getting over the rocks and deep 
 muddy holes, completed my equipment. 
 
 We found the roads this day in the same dreadful 
 state. I got into two or three sloughs, out of which 
 the peons were obliged to drag me, and I began to be 
 apprehensive lest I should not have sufficient strength 
 to accomplish my undertaking of walking over these 
 mountains; but as long as I could move a leg, so 
 long I was resolved to persevere in my determina- 
 tion. We remained to rest ourselves at the ruins 
 of a small village called La Balsa, which are the last 
 dwellings seen by the traveller until he arrives near 
 Ibaque. For four days you travel through a part 
 of the Quindio mountains named La Trucha, which 
 is a muddy, miry country ; after that you get to a 
 
208 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 firmer soil, where the mountain-path is rather better. 
 We found the water excellent in these mountains, 
 very clear and deliciously cool, and the climate is 
 considered extremely healthy. We slept at a place 
 called El Cuchillo, where we found the small tent 
 given to me by Sefior J. Mosquera very useful; it 
 was just large enough for Mr. Cade ajyl myself to 
 sleep in. The peons made a sort of shed called 
 ranchas with large plantain leaves, which they 
 brought with them for that purpose from Cartago ; 
 this covered themselves and our servants. 
 
 We started from El Cuchillo at six a.m. the 24th 
 of December, and arrived at a place called Portachilo 
 at three o^clock. This day I lost my footing twice, 
 and in one of these falls shook myself a great deal; 
 but by practice I had much improved in ' stepping 
 from one small ridge to another, to avoid the deep 
 pools which had been made by mules and oxen, and 
 I found the alborgas much better than shoes to 
 walk over this deep and slippery country. To see 
 the cargeroes go along over these vile roads with 
 their heavy loads on their backs was quite surprising: 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 209 
 
 nothing but long use could have so well trained 
 their bodies to this dangerous and laborious work. 
 We were told they begin when boys to carry a small 
 load, which is increased as they grow older. In 
 some places large trees had fallen, and were lying 
 parallel with the road, and to avoid the deep mire 
 I have seen the peons skip along the trunks of them 
 with as much firmness as if they had been walking 
 over a bowling-green. My two silleros were faits a 
 peindre, from their fine figures ; one of them had a 
 very handsome and intelligent countenance, and was 
 a pleasant good-humoured fellow about thirty. He 
 told me that he had had the honor of carrying over 
 these mountains the wife of Colonel Ortega, who was 
 now governor of the province of Popayan, and that 
 he never made one slip the whole way. The juez po- 
 litico of Ibaque, in talking afterwards of these men, 
 said that they seldom lived beyond forty years, 
 being generally carried off by the bursting of a 
 blood-vessel or by pulmonic complaints; and like 
 most men who work hard and gain much money at 
 the time, they do not like to resume their labours 
 
 VOL. II. P 
 
210 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 until they have got rid of their earnings in drunken- 
 ness or dissipation. There are between three or four 
 hundred peons at Ibaque, who subsist entirely by 
 carrying persons and baggage over the Quindio 
 mountains. It is to be hoped that the government 
 will improve the roads over these mountains, so that 
 persons may be enabled to travel safely on mules, 
 for it is really disgraceful for the human race to 
 be debased, by doing the work that ought to be 
 performed by brutes. I have been told that the 
 Spaniards and natives mount these chairmen with 
 as much sang froid as if they were getting on the 
 backs of mules, and some brutal wretches have not 
 hesitated to spur the flanks of these poor unfortunate 
 men when they fancied that they were not going fast 
 enough. In travelling one after the other the car- 
 gero who leads whistles every five or ten minutes, to 
 let the others know the way which he is going, and 
 that all is well. 
 
 All our party were ready to start early in the 
 morning of the 25th of December from Portachilo. 
 W e had kept up good fires all night to keep off the 
 
*■' ' "~ ' iraidm fad? 
 
 %tmw m iftaz pass ifirqwt i$nnri'Ta>z©, 
 
 JHF. PKOVnTOT. OF PO KAYAK, k CARSTMLOS OU lAIUUEJtf J WHO TtU^F.l. 9t. 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 211 
 
 tigers and protect our mules, as they are sometimes 
 very bold in their attacks on these animals ; we 
 heard them roaring frequently during the night, and 
 a dismal howling was kept up by the red monkeys ; 
 added to this was the loud screeching of some night 
 bird, all which formed a serenade by no means pleas- 
 ing to the English ears of Mr. Cade and myself. This 
 day we passed over the same deep country, sur- 
 rounded with gloomy forests ascending gradually 
 towards the summits of this branch of the Andes, 
 and in a few places where there were openings we 
 had views of the mountains on our right and left, 
 some of whose tops were concealed in the clouds. 
 Mr. Cade persevered in riding, although he had 
 two or three falls from his mule ; the servants occa- 
 sionally rode their mules and walked great part of 
 the way. I found I was becoming a good traveller 
 on foot, although my feet were rather sore from 
 being unaccustomed to sandals, and I had received 
 numerous blows and rubs against stones and roots of 
 trees. We saw some curious birds in the trees, 
 some with brilliant plumage which were new to us, 
 
 p 2 
 
212 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 one was the size of a pheasant, with a long bill and 
 dark blue plumage. The peons told me that these 
 forests abounded with birds which were never seen in 
 the valley of Cauca or in the provinces of Mariquito 
 or Neyva. What an occupation in these mountains 
 for the scientific and active ornithologist! and I have 
 no doubt but the botanist would be equally repaid 
 for his labours ; but the naturalist must make up his 
 mind to endure many hardships and privations. 
 
 One of the silleros killed this morning with his 
 spear a beautiful bright-green snake, eight feet in 
 length ; it was sleeping two or three yards from the 
 path. The peon told me that this species of snake 
 grew to a great size, and that they frequently had 
 seen them in the trees hunting after birds and small 
 animals. The bite of them is not venomous. We 
 arrived at a sleeping place at three o'clock, on a flat 
 situation on an eminence, which had been cleared 
 away by the peons ; there was grass for the mules 
 and water near it. 
 
 I was much tired with my walk to-day, and obliged 
 to rest by the side of the road several times. When 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 213 
 
 we left Cartago, Edle, the cook, had his legs much 
 swollen with some sores on them ; but from the 
 climate becoming cooler as we ascended the moun- 
 tains, the thermometer here was 64°, his legs were 
 getting well, and the swelling had subsided. Our 
 peons conducted themselves remarkably well, and I 
 promised them twenty dollars extra if this good 
 conduct continued until we arrived at Ibaque. Our 
 four silleros had no loads, so they kindly assisted 
 the other peons in carrying our baggage. Some of 
 them, like the cunning iEsop, had taken heavy loads 
 of provisions, for which they had an extra price. 
 After two or three days these fellows went dancing 
 along with their diminished load, as our consump- 
 tion had much lessened our provisions. One of the 
 peons pointed out to me the palm a de la cera (or wax 
 tree). 
 
 This being Christmas-day, Mr. Cade and myself 
 took an extra glass of punch, to drink to the health 
 of all our friends in England. We did not forget our 
 servants, who did the same, and seemed very happy 
 with the peons. I cannot say that we passed a very 
 
214 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 merry Christmas in the Quindio mountains, but we 
 were all fortunately in good health and not bad 
 spirits, hoping soon to get to Bogota, and hear of 
 our friends in England. I had not received a letter 
 from my family since the beginning of May, just 
 eight months. We had now passed the Trucha, 
 and got to a soil more firm and solid ; and having 
 ascended considerably, the views became more ex- 
 tensive. The mountains were clothed as far as the 
 eye could reach with immense forests, into which 
 man had never penetrated, excepting by this almost 
 impassable road. In the evening I walked down 
 with two of the peons to a stream of water at the 
 bottom of the hill, and one of the men pointed out 
 to me a large jaquar that was drinking about 200 
 yards from us. The jaquar looked at us for two or 
 three seconds, and walked quietly into the forest, 
 which movement I much approved of, as we were 
 unprovided with lances or fire-arms. One of my 
 silleros complained this evening of being unwell. I 
 wished to give him some medicine, but he declined 
 taking it ; finding him well the next day I enquired 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 215 
 
 what remedy he had taken, he replied, sugar and | 
 water, which was a certain cure for all diseases. 
 The European doctors will, I think, hardly acquiesce 
 in this theory. 
 
 On this day we passed the river Quindio, which 
 running in a southerly direction falls into the river I 
 La Vieja. We found the nights cold and the 
 blankets very comfortable, in our little tent. Left 
 our sleeping place at six a.m. the 26th of Decem- 
 ber, and now we began to ascend rapidly. Early in 
 the morning, we saw many wild turkeys, and had 
 we been provided with our guns and ammunition 
 we might have procured for ourselves two or three 
 good meals, as the birds would have kept well in 
 this cool climate; but a traveller going over this 
 rugged and difficult country has only one object in 
 view every day, which is, to get to his journey's 
 end, particularly when he is forced to tramp on foot. 
 One of the silleros pointed out to me the tracks of 
 some tigers 1 and black bears 1 paws, one of the former 
 was very large and fresh, and I kept a sharp look 
 out as we passed some of the dark defiles in these 
 
216 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 mountains, that we might not be surprised by these 
 visitors. 
 
 We arrived at our sleeping-place a little before 
 three, which I always hailed with much satisfaction. 
 We had got rid of most of the deep sloughs, but in 
 lieu of them had large rocks and stones to scramble 
 over, and the sharpness of the ascent made walking 
 hard work ; and from the rarified state of the air I 
 found a difficulty in breathing. Those peons who 
 carried baggage which was not to be unpacked, laid it 
 in an evening in a sloping direction, and covered 
 the trunks with plantain leaves, which will throw off' 
 a great deal of rain. Hitherto we had been so for- 
 tunate in the weather as to have had scarcely a drop 
 of rain since we entered the Quindio mountains, 
 while the week before, the peons said, it had rained 
 every day as they were on their way from Ibaque to 
 Cartago. From this place we had a fine view of 
 the mountain of Tolema, some leagues to our left, 
 whose summit is the shape of a cone, and is always 
 covered with snow. This is the mountain I men- 
 tioned before, as being visible from Bogota earjy in 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 217 
 
 the morning. I believe its height is not known, but 
 it must be very great to be seen at so many leagues"' 
 distance. 
 
 Left our sleeping-place at half past six a.m. the 
 27th of December, and by eleven o'clock we had 
 crossed the Paramo on the summit of the Cordillera, 
 which is 13,000 feet above the level of the sea, and 
 now began to descend rapidly. The ascent for the 
 last two leagues had been very steep, and I had 
 gone so much in advance, accompanied by my two 
 silleros, that we arrived three quarters of an hour at 
 our resting-place, on the other side of the Paramo, 
 before Mr. Cade with the servants and peons. 
 The silleros paid me a handsome compliment on 
 my walking so well, which they had never seen a 
 gentleman do before. This great, and perhaps it 
 may be called imprudent, exertion nearly brought 
 me to a stand-still, some biscuit and a glass of rum 
 and water however revived me, and I reached our 
 halting-place at three in the afternoon quite done up. 
 Near the summit of the Andes we saw on the road 
 the tracks of the danta (or wild ass) ; the hoof of this 
 
218 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 ^ shy animal is divided like that of a pig ; they are 
 only found on the summits of the Andes, and it is 
 very seldom that the Indians are able to approach 
 one of them sufficiently near to kill it. The peons 
 described its colour as dark-brown, that it is very 
 swift of foot, and rather larger than a full-grown 
 donkey. One of my silleros gave me a piece of 
 frankincense that he had gathered from a tree which 
 is called the patilla ; the colour is that of amber, and 
 the smell very fragrant. Quicksilver has been found 
 in the mountain near Ibaque. The leagues from 
 the summit of the Cordilleras to the eastward are 
 measured , and the number carved on a wooden post. 
 
 Nothing could be more grand and sublime than 
 our views when we arrived on the Paramo, and when 
 we were descending. We were able to see the Cor- 
 dilleras next to the province of Choco, which must 
 have been seventy or eighty miles distant. The eye 
 comprehends at one view these immense mountains, 
 and as the traveller observes their apparently per- 
 pendicular sides and thick gloomy forests, he ima- 
 gines that it must be impossible for him to traverse 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 219 
 
 them, for the narrow mule-path which goes winding 
 round their steep sides cannot be discerned ; but 
 the perseverance of man overcomes the most for- 
 midable obstacles of Nature. However, in these 
 roads on the Quindio mountains, Nature is fast re- 
 suming her former empire, and if the government 
 does not shortly take some means for improving 
 this passage, it will be soon only passable for wild 
 beasts. 
 
 All our servants and peons were ready to leave 
 this resting-place at half past six on the 28th of 
 December. The water which we drank the prece- 
 ding evening was so cold as to give pain to the 
 teeth. Mr. Cade still persevered in riding his mule, 
 although the animal had fallen, or he had been 
 knocked off its back by the branches of trees, six or 
 seven times ; for in the very narrow deep defiles, the 
 trees have fallen across them, leaving scarcely room 
 to ride under them, unless by stooping as much as 
 possible. This gentleman escaped all these dan- 
 gers with only a slight cut on the side of his head ; 
 and soon after his arrival at Bogota, as he was 
 
220 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 riding on the barouche-box of the consul-general's 
 carriage, was overturned in a narrow road, and had 
 one of his legs broken in two places. In some parts 
 of the road the deep dark galleries which we passed 
 through were not more than three or four feet wide, 
 and frequently near two miles in length. On the 
 sides of them the vegetation is most luxuriant ; 
 and a person riding through these nearly dark 
 passages must be on his guard continually, to pre- 
 vent his legs being bruised by pieces of rock 
 which project into the road, and his eyes scratched 
 out by the long thorns of the bamboo, or else, 
 being knocked off his mule by the branches of 
 trees. In these situations it is far preferable to 
 walk. Sometimes great inconvenience and delay is 
 experienced by the peons, when two parties happen 
 to meet in one of these dark long denies, particu- 
 larly when they have oxen or mules with them, and 
 then they have violent disputes as to who is to back 
 the cattle. We met one party of peons this day, 
 with oxen, going to Cartago with salt. Their 
 cargoes are small, and they are fixed on the back 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 221 
 
 of the oxen in such a manner as to enable them to 
 pass through these narrow places. They carry from 
 eight to ten arrobas of salt, and from their strength 
 get through the deep places, where the mules cannot. 
 
 About two o'clock in the afternoon we arrived 
 at a tambo (or shed), built for travellers, which we 
 were all glad to see, as it gave us some small idea 
 of civilization. We had now descended considera- 
 bly towards the plains of Ibaque, and again found 
 the climate warm and comfortable. 
 
 Off early in the morning of the 29th from this 
 tambo, and I now found the walking easier, from 
 having almost constantly a descent and from the 
 improvement in the roads, which on the eastern 
 side of these mountains are much better than on the 
 western. This day we saw a great variety of but- 
 terflies, and some of them of a prodigious size, with 
 brown wings and orange-coloured spots ; also a 
 great many of the red monkeys, skipping from tree 
 to tree, and frequently they would come and look 
 at us and make grimaces. 
 
 This day we crossed the river St. Juan, which 
 
222 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 taking a south-easterly course empties itself into 
 the great river Magdalena in the province of Ney va. 
 Close to the road they showed us two chalybeate 
 springs, the one very hot, the other tepid ; the 
 peons said there was much sulphur near these 
 springs. We were all now in high spirits at the 
 thoughts of soon arriving at Ibaque, and finishing 
 this fatiguing journey ; the peons informed us we 
 should certainly be there the next afternoon. 
 
 About twelve o'clock, I heard one of the servants 
 exclaim that he saw a cottage. Immediately all 
 eyes were strained to catch a sight of it, with the 
 same avidity that passengers cooped up on board 
 ship look out for land. Soon after this came we to 
 a field of Indian corn, and at one o'clock arriv- 
 ed at a place called Morales, where this solitary 
 cottage was situate, and where we were to take up 
 our quarters for the night. We had gone this day 
 
 ) four Spanish leagues (eighteen miles) ; it was high 
 
 / 
 
 time for me to arrive at Ibaque, as my alborgas 
 were wearing out, and both my heels much cut 
 with the strings. As soon as we got in, Edle 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 223 
 
 purchased two fowls of the woman who lived at the 
 cottage, and with the addition of potatoes, a great 
 luxury, we made a famous dinner. Edle killed an- 
 other coral snake on the road this morning. Our 
 poor peons were as gay as larks this evening, 
 amusing themselves by dancing with two mulatto 
 girls of the cottage, and playing on the guitar with 
 the noisy caraska. We preferred sleeping in our 
 tent to taking up our quarters in the cottage. 
 
 At seven in the morning we left Morales, all 
 impatient to get sight of the town of Ibaque and 
 the plains of the province of Mariquito; when 
 we arrived within a league and a half of the former 
 place, we had a charming view of the town and the 
 fine plains, which extend to the river Magdalena. 
 At a great distance might be seen the mountains 
 which run towards Bogota, flanking the river of 
 that name. The descent to the town of Ibaque is 
 uncommonly steep, and must be an extremely dif- 
 ficult road for the mules to ascend and descend in 
 rainy weather. 
 
 We were particularly fortunate in the passage of 
 
224? TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 the Quindio mountains, as during our nine days' tra- 
 velling we had not had one drop of rain. Just before 
 we reached Ibaque, Mr. Cade got into one of the 
 chairs of the silleros to try how he liked the po- 
 sition, and the sillero ran off with him with as much 
 ease and facility as if he had been only a butterfly 
 on his shoulder. Mr. Cade told me he found it 
 very comfortable. I was much pleased to think we 
 had performed this journey without any one of the 
 party being obliged to employ the silleros. We 
 were very kindly received by the juez politico of 
 Ibaque, Senor Ortega, brother to Colonel Ortega, 
 governor of the province of Popayan, and took up 
 our quarters in a large empty convent which had 
 formerly belonged to the order of Franciscan friars, 
 and which appeared as a palace, after the vagabond 
 life we had led on the mountains. Senor Ortega 
 requested we would not think of providing ourselves 
 with any thing during our stay at Ibaque, and ac- 
 quainted us that he would have the pleasure of 
 dining with us at four o'clock, and bring a friend. 
 We now made ourselves comfortable. We had 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 225 
 
 not shaved for nine days, and having finished my 
 pedestrian career, I put on a more substantial dress. 
 An excellent dinner was sent to the convent, and a 
 medical gentleman from Europe, whose name I 
 forget, came with Senor Ortega to partake of the 
 repast. This gentleman was going into the pro- 
 vince of Choco to examine some of the gold mines, 
 particularly those where the platina is found. The 
 largest piece of platina ever discovered was given by 
 Senor Iquacio Hurtado to the Spanish general 
 Morillo, in 1815, when at Bogota. This spe- 
 cimen was in shape like a strawberry, and weighed 
 nineteen ounces ; it was found in one of the gold 
 mines of the province of Choco, and was sent by 
 General Morillo to the king of Spain. 
 
 The next day I paid all the peons, and made a 
 present of the twenty dollars as the reward of their 
 good conduct, and we parted as the best of friends. 
 I also made a favourable report of them to the 
 juez politico. 
 
 The second night of our sleeping in the convent, 
 I was awoke by my bed rocking under me, and 
 
 vol. n. Q 
 
226 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 every thing shaking in the room. I called out to 
 Mr. Cade, who was sleeping in the same apartment, 
 asking him whether he felt the motion ; he replied, 
 he was sure it must have been the shock of an 
 earthquake. Finding all quiet for some time after- 
 wards, I fell asleep again, but Mr. Cade told me 
 he could not close his eyes for the remainder of the 
 night, expecting the old convent to come tumbling 
 over his head. In the morning we enquired of the 
 juez politico respecting the motion we had felt, who 
 informed us there had been a severe shock of an 
 earthquake, and that many of the inhabitants had 
 been so much alarmed by it, that they ran out of 
 their houses, and remained for some time in the 
 streets. He further stated, that they had felt a 
 great many slight shocks for the last two months, 
 and that they expected some unusual convulsion of 
 nature, as the weather had been particularly sultry 
 for three months, and they had had scarcely any 
 rain in the province for the last six months, which 
 had occasioned much distress and misery among 
 the lower classes, their crops having been burnt up. 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA, 227 
 
 All the higher classes at Honda had left their 
 houses at this time, and were living in cottages on 
 the hills, so much did they dread the consequence 
 of these repeated shocks. Mr. Cade and I con- 
 gratulated ourselves that we had escaped being 
 buried in the ruins of the Franciscan convent. I 
 had once before felt a slight shock of an earthquake 
 at Messina in Sicily, but not so violent as this at 
 Ibaque. 
 
 Talking one day to Mr. Riviero, director of the 
 National Museum, of the shock we had felt in the 
 convent at Ibaque, he told me he had recently re- 
 ceived a letter from the priest of that place, an 
 avaricious and ignorant man, requesting to know 
 what means he had best adopt to put a stop to 
 earthquakes, as he was much alarmed at their fre- 
 quency ! The climate of Ibaque is very pleasant, 
 the thermometer being on an average throughout 
 the year, in the middle of the day, 74°. There 
 are in this Cordillera, at no great distance from 
 Ibaque, the bocas de monte (or craters), which are 
 
 q 2 
 
228 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 always kept open by the inhabitants to prevent 
 earthquakes. 
 
 The Franciscan convent in which we were living, 
 and the estates belonging to it, had recently been 
 appropriated to the formation of a public college, 
 and the head of the college was shortly expected 
 here to make the necessary arrangements for the 
 establishment of this useful institution. This col- 
 lege was to be on the same plan as those of Bogota, 
 for the education of young men of the valley of 
 Cauca, of the provinces of Mariquita and Neyva, 
 and some parts of Choco and Antioquia. The si- 
 tuation of Ibaque was central, provisions abundant 
 and cheap, and the climate one of the healthiest 
 in Columbia; these advantages had induced the 
 government to establish the college at Ibaque. 
 
 General Santander, the Vice-President, and Dr. 
 Rastrapo, the Minister of the Interior, deserve in- 
 finite praise for their indefatigable exertions to ex- 
 tend learning and knowledge to all classes, in every 
 department of the state, by the establishment of 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 229 
 
 colleges, schools and seminaries in the most eligible 
 situations ; and the wealth and riches which were 
 for centuries appropriated to enable a set of mo- 
 nastic idlers to lead indolent and luxurious lives, 
 will now be expended in supporting these useful 
 institutions, to which all classes of citizens belonging 
 to the state are admissible ; to the latter of them 
 
 without any expense to their parents. In this in- 
 
 pi 
 
 stance, Columbia has set a noble example to the 
 other independent South American states, and it is 
 to be hoped it will be followed by them, and the 
 same plan adopted for creating revenues. 
 
 Of all useless members of society, I consider 
 friars the most so ; and not unfrequently they are 
 restless, intriguing, and dangerous to the go- 
 vernment they live under if they fancy they are 
 thwarted in their views and schemes. History 
 proves to us, that the most active ambition has 
 sometimes lain concealed under the cowl. The 
 extraordinary ascendancy obtained by the order of 
 Jesuits all over Europe and the New World, is a 
 
230 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 remarkable instance of what can be accomplished 
 by a set of men whose minds and bodies are at the 
 absolute disposal of their superior, and who possess 
 none of those ties in society which influence the 
 conduct and actions of other men, It is, I think, 
 to be regretted that this order, which had been ba- 
 nished from all the Catholic states in Europe and 
 America, should again be gradually obtaining an 
 ascendancy in some parts of Europe ; and I con- 
 ceive education could be carried on in all countries 
 without the assistance of the J esuits, who will pro- 
 bably again abuse the power and influence which 
 they are sure to acquire over the minds of their 
 pupils. 
 
 The peasantry of the province of Mariquita are 
 good horsemen, and their canton can muster on 
 extraordinary occasions 2000 men, well mounted 
 and armed with lances, many with carbines, and 
 all having the manchette, which in close combat 
 becomes a formidable weapon. The inhabitants of 
 Ibaque are skilful in killing the condour, eagle and 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 231 
 
 vulture, with poisoned arrows blown through the 
 bodiquera (or blow-pipe). To accomplish the de- 
 struction of these voracious birds, they build a small 
 shed with holes in the side, and at a proper distance 
 carrion is placed. When the birds are feeding 
 they are shot with the poisoned arrow, the bodi- 
 quera being placed at one of the holes in the shed. 
 The stratagem has this advantage, that the birds 
 of prey are not alarmed with any noise, as would 
 be the case in using fire arms. The peons say, the 
 birds when struck with the arrow, seldom fly more 
 than a few yards before they fall dead. They told 
 me there were eight different sorts of tigers, leo- 
 pards, panthers, and tiger-cats in the Cordillera 
 which stretches from Popayan towards the province 
 of Antioquia, one nearly black, another red, and 
 one of a lighter colour with white spots. I have 
 myself seen the skins of five different sorts of the 
 feline race. 
 
 Having remained two days at Ibaque to rest our- 
 selves, during which time we received every possible 
 attention from Senor Ortega, we left that town early 
 
232 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 on the 2d of January 1825, and I had now the 
 pleasure of mounting a horse, which I was recom- 
 mended to ride, as our road lay over extensive 
 plains. No boys, just arrived at home for the 
 holidays, and mounting their favourite ponies for 
 the first time, could enjoy a ride more than Mr. 
 Cade and I did. We cantered merrily along nearly 
 the whole distance, five Spanish leagues, of this 
 day's journey, passing through a fine grazing coun- 
 try, well stocked with cattle, but apparently rather 
 deficient in water, which might be owing to the 
 long drought they had experienced in this province. 
 We saw two or three large haciendas near the road, 
 one of which had been recently purchased by my 
 friend Colonel Ruis, the senator, now residing at 
 Bogota. 
 
 We halted for the night at the house of a wi- 
 dow, who informed us that the inhabitants who re- 
 sided near the river Magdalenawere in great distress, 
 as the last harvest had entirely failed from the 
 want of rain during the usual season, but within 
 twenty miles of the Cordillera of Quindio they had 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 233 
 
 been more fortunate, and had had moisture sufficient 
 to save the crops of Indian corn, and a fair pro- 
 portion of plantains. We purchased a fat kid from 
 our hostess, which was nearly as good as a lamb. 
 
 At six a.m. on the 3d of January, we left this 
 station, and at three in the afternoon we arrived at 
 the small village of Valtequi, on the right bank of 
 the river Magdalena, a few leagues below the place 
 where we had crossed it in the beginning of Sep- 
 tember on our way to Popayan. We were as glad 
 to see the old river Magdalena as we had formerly 
 been to take leave of it; in short, we were in the 
 best humour with every thing, from the reflection 
 that we should soon finish our toils and labours. 
 
 Shortly after our arrival at Valtequi, news was 
 brought me that one of our baggage mules was 
 missing, and on examining the others, we found 
 the stray one to be that which carried all the cu- 
 riosities we had collected. I was in sad dismay 
 at this discovery, and sent the peons and two of our 
 servants on the other side of the river to endea- 
 vour to find it, and two or three hours after, our 
 
234 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 lost mule was brought with all the baggage safe, 
 which put me once more in good spirits. The 
 mule had taken a wrong turn on the road, and had 
 travelled on until it came to the river Magdalena, 
 where it stopped, and was found. It was extremely 
 careless of our servants and peons not to have missed 
 the mule until they were swimming them over the 
 river, as if any of the Bongo fellows had unfortu- 
 nately seen it in their passage up or down the Mag- 
 dalena in their champans, they would have carried 
 off the load, and I should never again have seen my 
 curiosities. 
 
 We took up our quarters at the house of the 
 priest of the parish, a Franciscan friar, who received 
 us well, and invited us to partake of what he had. 
 He told us his parishioners had suffered greatly from 
 losing their crops of maize, and that he had been 
 obliged to send to Ibaque, distant ten leagues, for 
 provisions. We found the heat exceedingly great 
 at this place, the thermometer being above 85° in 
 the shade at three o'clock. We drank here a great 
 deal of chicha, and found it agree very well with us ; 
 
PEOVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 235 
 
 we therefore set it down as a wholesome beverage. 
 Our host belonged to the Franciscan convent at 
 Bogota, and was a great friend of the superior, Father 
 Candia, who treated us so kindly when we went to 
 see the waterfall at Tequendama. He told us he 
 had lately sent the superior a present of a fat pig. 
 
 We left Valtequi the morning of the 4th of Janu- 
 ary for Tocayman, and had a particularly pleasant 
 ride by the side of a small river, which is shaded on 
 each side by the foliage of noble trees. W e saw a 
 buck pass close by us across the road. Previously 
 to our leaving Valtequi, the friar had desired us not 
 to drink any water on the road, as these waters 
 were considered very unwholesome. I gave this 
 advice to our servants, but Edle imprudently disre- 
 garded it, and having indulged in a draught of this 
 bad water, slept a short time exposed to the sun, and 
 was taken ill. We arrived once more at the house 
 of the old miserly priest we had before visited, who 
 affected to be glad to see us, but took good care 
 to offer us no refreshment. A sort of low fever con- 
 tinued to annoy Edle for nearly a month after our 
 
236 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 arrival at Bogota, and I was afraid it might prove 
 fatal to him. Our friend the commandant called 
 on us, and congratulated us on our safe arrival at 
 Tocayman, bringing with him the bone of the mam- 
 moth he had promised to keep for me, He told me 
 some gentlemen had been anxious to get it from 
 him, to place in the national museum at Bogota ; 
 but that having promised it to me he could not pos- 
 sibly accede to their wishes, for which handsome 
 conduct I expressed my best thanks. We saw 
 nothing of the old priest, who, as usual, shut him- 
 self up in his room to eat his solitary meals, and 
 feast his eyes on his riches. We had a most com- 
 fortable and refreshing bath in the evening in the 
 river Bogota. It was quiter-distressing to hear the 
 accounts of the sufferings of the lower classes in this 
 district, and I have no doubt but that some must 
 have perished from starvation. 
 
 We quitted Tocayman early on the 5th of Ja- 
 nuary, and in our way to La Mesa called on the good 
 old priest at the village of Arapoyma. We were 
 shocked to find the good man in a deranged state, 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 237 
 
 and his housekeeper told us he had been disordered 
 in his mind for nearly a month. We shook hands 
 with the poor priest, who did not know us, took 
 some refreshment, and continued our route to La 
 Mesa. Here we slept at the house of the alcalde, 
 a captain on half-pay, who requested us to dine with 
 him. I called on our friend Seiior Olaya, the co- 
 lonel of militia, who was absent at his country-house. 
 
 Left La Mesa on the 6th of January, and passed 
 the night at the inn at Quatre Bocas, and the next 
 day at four o'clock we arrived at Bogota, after an 
 absence of just four months. The next day we had 
 abundance of visits from our Bogota friends, to offer 
 us their congratulations on our getting safely back 
 from our long and arduous journey. We found 
 that there had been little or no rain at Bogota, and 
 in the latter end of January we saw a grand religious 
 procession to Santa Barbara, to implore her inter- 
 cession. But the saint appeared very hard hearted 
 and totally unmoved by their supplications, as all 
 these prayers did not produce a drop of rain at that 
 time. Santa Barbara is the saint to whom the Co- 
 
238 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 lumbians address themselves to petition her to keep 
 off earthquakes, pestilential diseases, famine, &c. I 
 think the bishop of the diocese should have given 
 the priest of Ibaque a severe lecture for having ad- 
 dressed himself to Seilor Riviero instead of Santa 
 Barbara, to get rid of the earthquakes. 
 
 On the 3d of March we received, at Bogota, the 
 great and important intelligence of the battle of 
 Ayacucho, gained over the army of the viceroy La 
 Carna, by the Columbian general, Sucre, who com- 
 manded the Columbian and Peruvian troops. This 
 victory decided at once the fate of Peru ; and as 
 the strong fortress of Callao, which was bravely de- 
 fended by the Spanish general, Rodil, has since sur- 
 rendered, Peru must be considered as lost for ever 
 to the Spaniards. 
 
 On the 12th we had a grand military procession 
 to celebrate the victory of Ayacucho. A handsome 
 temple,- on which was a figure of Fame blowing a 
 trumpet, was erected in the centre of the Grand 
 Square, in front of my house. All the troops of the 
 garrison were assembled, and fired a feu de joie, and 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 239 
 
 received extra rations and aquadiente. I admired 
 exceedingly one of the military movements on this 
 occasion. The different companies were formed in 
 letters spelling Ayacucho, and each soldier had a 
 cap filled with rose leaves ; at a signal given every 
 man assisted in forming the letters with the rose 
 leaves, which were very legible, and had a pleasing 
 effect ; after which the soldiers hurrahed lustily. 
 
 Called one morning in February on Senor Riviero 
 at the museum, who showed me a thick ring of 
 platina, made use of by the Indians as an ornament, 
 before the arrival of the Spaniards in America. 
 This is the only ornament of this hard metal that 
 has ever been found in Columbia, and proves that 
 the opinion generally entertained that the Indians 
 had never discovered this metal, is erroneous. Mr. 
 Riviero was of opinion that it had been originally a 
 lump of platina, which had been hammered into the 
 shape of a ring, as the Indians were ignorant of the 
 process necessary to smelt this hard metal. This 
 ring had been found in the bed of a small river. I 
 believe that platina has never been obtained in any 
 
240 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 part of the world but the province of Choco in 
 Columbia. 
 
 ' We had just returned to Bogota at the time the 
 national feasts had finished. During this festival 
 all classes gamble at the public booths, which are 
 erected in the Great Square. Ladies of high rank 
 are seen by the side of their servants and slaves at 
 the gaming table, the minds of all parties being 
 equally absorbed in the selfish desire to win and fill 
 their pockets ! The congress and executive govern- 
 ment might, I conceive, put a stop gradually to 
 these scenes of seductive vice, which promote the 
 ruin of many excellent men and virtuous women. 
 There are a variety of innocent ways of amusing 
 the lower classes, and I must do them the justice to 
 say, that they are generally of a mild and tractable 
 disposition, easily governed and easily led astray. 
 On the occasion of the annual feast the great 
 square is let by the foot for the erection of gam- 
 bling booths, and the money raised in this abo- 
 minable way is pocketed by the municipality of 
 the town. 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 241 
 
 On the 3d of March the pleasing intelligence ar- 
 rived at Bogota that the British government had 
 acknowledged the independence of Columbia, which 
 made every heart in Bogota vibrate with joy ; and 
 the Columbian government were doubly gratified at 
 the acknowledgement of their independence arriving 
 before the great victory of Ayacucho could have 
 been known in England. The people were to be 
 seen riding and running about the streets as if they 
 had been half mad, and I heard several exclaim, 
 " now we are an independent nation ; viva el rey de 
 Inglaterra, viva el Senor Canning" (long life to the 
 King of England and Mr. Canning) ; fire works 
 were let off in all the streets, and bands of music, 
 one of them headed by the Vice-President accom- 
 panied by all his staff and many civilians, paraded 
 and played about the town. One band came to my 
 house, accompanied by a large crowd of people, and 
 played for a considerable time. I happened to be 
 dining that day with the Consul-General, Mr. Hen- 
 derson. 
 
 17th of March, St. Patrick's day, all the lower 
 
 VOL. II. R 
 
242 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 orders of Europeans voted themselves Irishmen on 
 this day, and did great honour to the patron saint 
 by getting very drunk early in the day ; indeed I 
 saw two Irishmen standing at my gate drunk at six 
 in the morning. They begged of his honour to ac- 
 cept of some shamrock to wear in his hat. Mr. Hen- 
 derson gave a very handsome ball and supper in con- 
 sequence of the independence of the country being 
 acknowledged by England. The V r ice-President and 
 every person of consequence were invited to this 
 ball, which was decidedly the gayest I had ever seen 
 in Bogota. The garden was tastefully illuminated 
 with variegated lamps, and in the drawing-room 
 were large transparent likenesses of Mr. Canning 
 and Bolivar. Dancing was kept up nearly the whole 
 night. 
 
 Soon after this the public attention at Bogota was 
 almost wholly engrossed by the trial of the black 
 colonel, Infante, for the murder of Captain Perdone, 
 who had hitherto escaped the punishment he de- 
 served for committing this crime, by the obstinacy 
 of Dr. Miguel Pefia, the president of the high court 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 243 
 
 of justice, who refused to sign his sentence of death, 
 although the majority of the members forming this 
 court of appeal from the military tribunal had de- 
 clared Colonel Infante guilty. This important af- 
 fair was referred to the congress, who decided that 
 the sentence against the colonel, viz. to be shot, 
 should be carried into execution by the executive 
 government without the signature of Dr. Pena. 
 This decision gave universal satisfaction, as from 
 the evidence brought forward on the trial, there 
 could not be the slightest doubt as to the colonel's 
 guilt ; although, from some caprice, or to shew his 
 ingenuity in defending a bad cause, Dr. Pena, who 
 was a man of considerable talents, was obstinately 
 determined to differ in opinion from his colleagues. 
 The character of Colonel Infante, as I before 
 stated, was so ferocious that he was dreaded by 
 all the inhabitants. 
 
 On Saturday morning, the 26th of March, in 
 the Great Square in front of the palace, the troops 
 of the garrison, amounting to 2000 men, were 
 formed in open square, and about eleven o'clock In- 
 
 ii 2 
 
244 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 fante walked into the square in his colonel's uniform, 
 carrying a crucifix before him, and having a priest 
 on each side, who were praying with him. On the 
 flanks and rear marched a considerable military 
 guard. As the colonel passed by my house, I ob- 
 served him to look about with rather a wild, disor- 
 dered stare, and he limped a great deal from a 
 wound he had received in his right leg from a mus- 
 ket ball in an action with the Pastucians in the pro- 
 vince of Pasto. On arriving at the south side of 
 the square, he remained a short time in prayer 
 with the priests, who then retired, and the colonel 
 addressed a few words to the troops, which I could 
 not hear. An officer then stepped forward to put 
 a bandage over the colonel's eyes, which he would 
 , not allow, calling out aloud to the troops, that he 
 had often faced death in the field of battle, and 
 that his courage did not fail him to do the same on 
 this occasion. The colonel then seated himself on 
 a small table and gave the signal for the soldiers to 
 fire, by dropping a handkerchief from his right 
 hand. He did not immediately fall, but continued 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 245 
 
 a few seconds sitting on the table, although more 
 than one ball had perforated his body. The re- 
 serve, on observing this, advanced nearer, and shot 
 him dead. 
 
 His Excellency the Vice-President now rode out 
 from the palace in uniform, accompanied by his 
 staff, and made an excellent speech to the troops ; 
 telling them that they had just witnessed an awful 
 example of justice to the offended laws of the 
 country, in the death of Colonel Infante, which 
 must have convinced them that the laws of the re- 
 public were enforced with strict impartiality ; for 
 on this instance, he observed, the culprit held the 
 rank of colonel in the army, and was an officer who 
 on many occasions had highly distinguished him- 
 self by his brilliant courage before the enemies of 
 his country ; and General Santander concluded 
 by saying, " and if I had been guilty of the same 
 crime as Colonel Infante's, my body, I am con- 
 vinced, would be lying where Colonel Infante's 
 now lies." This address was well received by the 
 troops, who all shouted " viva la republica de Co- 
 lumbia, viva el Vice-Presidente.' 1 
 
246 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 Colonel Infante, previously to the breaking out 
 of the civil war, had been a slave in the province 
 of Venezuela ; he was considered an excellent parti- 
 zan, but a sad sanguinary unprincipled fellow, who, 
 if half of what I heard was true, ought to have 
 been shot long before. 
 
 Charges were afterwards brought before the con- 
 gress against Dr. Pena, for having refused to sign 
 the sentence against Infante. The doctor made an 
 ingenious and able defence in justification of his 
 conduct, which lasted two or three days. I heard 
 part of it. The doctor was found guilty of having 
 refused to perform the duties of his public situation, 
 and he was suspended from the office of Judge of 
 the Supreme Court for a twelvemonth, but allowed 
 to receive two thirds of his salary. Soon after 
 this, Dr. Pena left Bogota, and returned to his na- 
 tive province of Venezuela. The doctor was con- 
 sidered a man of loose morals, but a sound, good 
 lawyer. 
 
 The drought still continuing, a great number of 
 cattle and sheep were dying from the want of food 
 and water, and a proportion of the inhabitants of 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 247 
 
 the villages in the plain of Bogota were obliged to 
 leave them, and conduct their cattle into the sa- 
 vannahs and low countries, and near the large 
 rivers. A farmer's saint, which is kept in a chapel 
 on the top of the Mount Sierrat, was brought down 
 to the town, and paraded through the streets se- 
 veral times, accompanied by an assemblage of friars, 
 priests, and a large mob ; but all would not do, and 
 we had a broiling sun, without rain, excepting one 
 slight shower. Mount Sierrat is 2420 feet above 
 the town of Bogota. 
 
 At this time Colonel Campbell, the second com- 
 missioner, arrived at Bogota with the appointment 
 from his Majesty of Ministers Plenipotentiary to 
 the first and second commissioners, for the purpose 
 of negotiating a treaty of amity and commerce be- 
 tween Great Britain and the state of Columbia. 
 The ministers appointed to meet us for this nego- 
 ciation, were, my worthy and good friend the Ho- 
 nourable Pedro Gual, Minister for Foreign Affairs, 
 and General Bricino Mendez, late Minister-at- 
 War, also a most gentlemanly man. This treaty 
 
248 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 was ratified by the Columbian Congress on the 
 27th of April, and on the 28th I left Bogota, ac- 
 companied by a great many of my friends, who 
 were so kind as to give me a dinner at a house on 
 the road, about three leagues from Bogota. I ex- 
 perienced this day much pleasure and much pain ; 
 the former derived from the kindness shewn me by 
 all those friends who accompanied me, the latter 
 at parting from them. 
 
 About four o'clock we proceeded on our journey 
 to Fucutativa. My friend, Colonel Wilthew, at the 
 desire of His Excellency the Vice-President, was 
 to accompany me as far as the river Magdalena, to 
 see that a champan was in readiness for me to em- 
 bark immediately, as I was most anxious to arrive 
 in England with the treaty of commerce before 
 the prorogation of parliament. I had also with 
 me Mr. C. Krause, king's messenger, and three 
 servants. 
 
 Slept the evening of the 28th at Fucutativa, 
 and proceeded early to Villena, and on Sunday the 
 30th, arrived at our friend's, Colonel Acosta, who 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 249 
 
 appeared heartily glad to see me once more. My 
 ride to Guardias was not very agreeable, for the 
 crupper of my saddle broke, and I was obliged to 
 ride on a pack-saddle, which I found very uncom- 
 fortable, and in descending the steep mountains I 
 had difficulty in keeping my seat. 
 
 Colonel Acosta had the kindness to give me a 
 black parrot ; and I fortunately succeeded in 
 bringing the one I had purchased at Popayan 
 safely over the Quindio mountains. These were 
 the birds whose fate I have already lamented. 
 It is a most difficult undertaking to get animals 
 safely home, where you have to traverse in such a 
 variety of climate, and to travel over such dread- 
 ful roads. 
 
 I bade farewell to Colonel Acosta early on the 1st 
 of May, and got to the bodega (or custom-house) on 
 the afternoon of that day. In all my travels in 
 South America I never felt more exhausted from 
 heat than on this day; the sun was excessively 
 fierce, without the slightest breeze to refresh the 
 traveller. The master of the custom-house told 
 
250 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 me a large champan had been in readiness for me 
 at Honda for some days ; and as I was aware of the 
 delays and difficulties in travelling in this country, 
 I had adopted the precaution of sending a servant 
 a few days before me to Honda, who spoke Spanish 
 well, to have the champan and every thing in rea- 
 diness. On the 2d of May, at nine o^lock a.m. 
 I embarked, having previously thanked my good 
 friend Colonel Wilthew for all his kindness and 
 attentions towards me, and given him a hearty shake 
 by the hand. 
 
 It was my determination to go down the river 
 Magdalena night and day ; but the patron of 
 the champan having represented to me that there 
 would be great risk in doing so for the first three 
 or four nights, on account of the rocks and strong- 
 currents, I was obliged to sleep on shore the three 
 first nights; after that, we went down the Magdalena 
 merrily, passing in the centre of the stream, by 
 which means the mosquitoes could not annoy us. It 
 is mere pastime to the bongas going down the river ; 
 they have now only to paddle down, assisted by a 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 251 
 
 steady current, singing merry tunes, and keeping 
 time with the stroke of their paddles to the tune, 
 which is sometimes quick, at others slow. 
 
 At one village where we stopped to get provisions 
 for the champan-men, I saw a large fat pig which was 
 drinking at the river knocked on his side by the 
 tail of an alligator, who seized him instantly by the 
 fore-leg, and both disappeared under the water. 
 At another place I observed the manner the na- 
 tives kill fish with a small harpoon ; one man pad- 
 dles the canoe about, whilst the other looks out for 
 the fish, having his harpoon in a position ready 
 to strike. A large salmonetta passed the canoe 
 whilst we were looking on, and the man very dex- 
 trously struck the fish with the harpoon, which in- 
 stantly darted off down the stream, followed by the 
 canoe, at the same time allowing the fish plenty of 
 line. The canoe was absent about half an hour, when 
 the men brought to us the salmonetta, weighing 
 about sixty pounds, for which I gave him a dollar, 
 the price he asked. Our crew feasted on this fish 
 for a couple of days ; but I thought it much 
 
252 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 inferior, as food, to the bogie and several other 
 fish which are caught in the Magdalena. The 
 salmonetta is the shape of a salmon, with large 
 bright silver scales. 
 
 In passing the town of Mompox we gave them 
 a feu de joie, and hoisted Columbian colours, to let 
 the inhabitants know that we were bearers of good 
 news. Some of the champan-men wanted much to 
 land and see their families ; but I absolutely refused 
 them, as I knew well that if once these gentlemen 
 got on shore, I might probably wait a week before 
 they made their appearance. I was much pleased 
 when I found we had passed Mompox, and I pro- 
 mised to reward the men for complying with my 
 wishes. 
 
 In twelve days we arrived at Barranca Nueva, 
 from the custom-house near Honda. In ascending 
 the river, we had been six weeks going the same 
 distance. As soon as we landed at Barranca Nueva, 
 Mr. Krause and the servants hired mules, and went 
 on immediately with the baggage. I started with 
 a Columbian officer, to whom I had given a passage 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 253 
 
 down the river, and whose regiment was in garrison 
 at Carthagena, and we went that day eleven Spa- 
 nish leagues without overtaking our baggage. 
 
 We slept at a small village, and the next day at 
 two o'clock I arrived at the house of Mr. Watts 
 (British Consul), at Carthagena. Here I found 
 the brig of war commanded by Captain Furber 
 waiting for me ; but as I had rather taken them by 
 surprise, Captain Furber requested I would give 
 him one day to lay in an additional stock of water 
 and more fresh provisions, which I was not sorry 
 to comply with, as I wanted a little rest after my 
 expeditious travelling down the river Magdalena. 
 
 I have little to say of Carthagena, as it is a place 
 which has been frequently described by travellers. I 
 found the heat here intolerable, hotter, if possible, 
 than at Kingston. The place appeared to me to be 
 strongly fortified on the land side, and the Colum- 
 bians should fortify a height called La Popa, which 
 commands the town and fortifications completely. 
 At present there is only an old convent on the hill. 
 I called on General Montillo the governor of the 
 
254 TRAVELS IN THE 
 
 province, who received me with great politeness, 
 and requested me to dine with him the next day, 
 which I declined doing, wishing to be quiet for one 
 day. During my stay here, I was most hospitably 
 treated by Mr. Watts, and received every attention 
 from his lady and amiable family ; his house is 
 always open to every Englishman and foreigner 
 of respectability. 
 
 On Sunday the 22d of May, considered by 
 
 sailors a lucky day, I embarked on board the 
 
 brig of war, and after a good passage landed at 
 Portsmouth on the night of the 27th of June, and 
 arrived on the 28th at Downing Street, having been 
 exactly two months performing the journey from Bo- 
 gota to London. I believe this distance was never 
 travelled in so short a time before. 
 
 It may at this period be interesting to know that 
 a short time before I left Bogota, a Bible Society 
 was established, which, I believe, is the first that has 
 been formed in South America. There were se- 
 veral meetings numerously attended. Among 
 the persons of high rank who were strenuous ad- 
 
PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA. 255 
 
 vocates for it, were Pedro Gual, the Minister 
 for Foreign Affairs, and Dr. Castillo, the Minister 
 of Finance ; their opponents were two bigoted 
 priests, who at first opposed having the Bible 
 printed in Spanish, and when they were beaten off 
 this ground, then argued that the Bible might 
 be printed in Spanish, but with notes, agreeably 
 to the decision of the Council of Trent. Gual 
 and Castillo refuted all the arguments of the 
 priests in a very masterly manner, and displayed 
 on these occasions much deep reading in theology. 
 We were all exceedingly pleased to see a ve- 
 nerable priest stand up (who was an advocate for 
 the Bible Society) and to hear him give a sharp 
 lecture to one of the priests for having made use of 
 disrespectful language before the meeting. The old 
 man spoke with much good sense, with force and 
 with dignity ; he was the senior canon of the cathe- 
 dral. It is rather singular that our meetings were 
 held in the convent of Santo Domingo, where the 
 Inquisition formerly reigned despotic, and the Se- 
 cretary of the Society was a friar of this convent, a 
 
256 TRAVELS IN THE PROVINCES OF COLUMBIA* 
 
 very intelligent young man. The donations and 
 annual subscriptions were very liberal : and I am 
 sure the morals of the people in Columbia will 
 greatly improve when they are enabled to read the 
 Bible, of which, hitherto, they have unfortunately 
 been totally ignorant. 
 
 THE END, 
 
 G. Woodf all, Printer, Angel Court, Skinner Street, London.