312 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 102 



it would be more accessible from all sides, and many evils would 

 be obviated which now are suffered by poor people who cannot afford 

 such a long journey for their relief. Or one could take one Justice 

 from each Circuit Court to take up residence in this city. Santa 

 Marta is only 30 leagues away, to the E. ; part of its administrative 

 district comes under Bogota, which is 200 leagues off; but part of 

 this district of Santa Marta, viz, the Rio de la Hacha, which is 35 

 leagues distant from this city, comes under the Circuit Court of Santo 

 Domingo. This would all be remedied if one of these Circuit Courts 

 mentioned should be transferred to Cartagena, or if one Justice should 

 be taken from each of them, and thus a new Circuit Court formed. 

 That would put an end to great inconveniences and everything would 

 be settled reasonably. 



924. The Diocese of Cartagena has for its district, running E. and 

 W., from the great Rio de La Magdalena, which is its boundary with 

 that of Santa Marta, up to the Rio Darien on the W., a distance of 

 80 leagues ; it is another 80 leagues from N. to S., up to the town 

 of Mompos, a settlement of the Commander Don Pedro de Heredia, 

 as is likewise the town of Tolii, where they gather very fragrant 

 balsam, dragon's blood, and other medicinal resins and extracts. The 

 whole country is heavily wooded ; there are many valuable trees and 

 timbers ; bees make quantities of wild honey there ; there are many 

 different kinds of animals and birds, impossible to enumerate. 



925. Communication is had by the great Rio de La Magdalena, 

 which is inland from the city, with the port of La Barranca at 18 

 leagues distance ; there they disembark what is transported from 

 Tenerife, Mompos, Ocaiia, Zaragoza, Guamaco, Bogota, and all the 

 New Kingdom of Granada ; and by the same great river and port 

 they embark on boats the passengers, merchandise, etc. ; so that this 

 city is rich and well supplied and keeps growing in population and 

 fine buildings. The harbor of Santa Marta lies 30 leagues to its E., 

 and that of Puerto Bello 80 leagues W. 



926. It contains in its district a great many farms where they plant 

 and harvest quantities of corn and of yucca for cassava ; there are 

 large cattle ranches, and many varieties of fruit : of Spanish sorts, 

 grapes, pomegranates, and. figs ; of native kinds, bananas, pineapples, 

 mammees, guavas, custard-apples, sweet and sour oranges, very large 

 and good, limes, and lemons. There are excellent truck gardens where 

 they raise all sorts of Spanish and native vegetables. 



927. On the farms they raise much poultry, but since it does not 

 suffice for the needs of the city's large population, trading boats go 

 to the Province of Uraba, which belongs to hostile Indians, to get 



