2 Recent Journey in Columbia, 
derable progress, and were able to spell 
and write, with accuracy, almost aay 
word proposed to them. Padre Mora 
had learnt the Lancasterian system 
while a prisoner in Spain, and has 
rendered a most important service to 
his country by having set the first ex- 
ample of reducing to practice in Colum- 
bia this admirable method of diffusing 
instruction, and has proved the facility 
with which such establishments may 
be founded and regulated, by the suc- 
cess which has attended his institution 
in the small village of Capacho. 
We left Capacho about eleven o’clock, 
and arrived at San Cristobal at five in 
the evening, where we were detained 
three days, from the difficulty of pro- 
curing mules for the continuation of 
our journey. San Cristobal has pro- 
bably a population of about 3000 per- 
sons, and contains nothing particularly 
worthy of remark, unless it be the 
church, which is handsomely orna- 
mented. Theatmosphere is temperate. 
There is a market on Sundays, where 
such provisions, as are exposed for 
sale, are disposed of at moderate 
prices. 
From San Cristobal to Tariba, was 
but an hour and a half’s ride, but the 
heat of the sun compelled us to take 
shelter for a few hours, as we arrived 
at mid-day. We then proceeded to- 
wards the Caneyes, where we found 
the miserable remains of a house in 
which we judged it expedient to pass 
the night, in order to be in readiness 
at avery early hour to cross the Pa- 
ramo on the following morning. The 
house had originally been constructed 
for the accommodation of the Spanish 
troops, and has, I believe, subsequent 
to our leaving it, been repaired for the 
convenience of persons charged with 
the conveyance of letters. 
We mounted the following morning 
at the earliest practicable hour, and 
commenced the ascent of the Paramo, 
most justly termed the ‘ Zumbador,’ 
from the incessant violence of the wind 
upon ifs summit. The ascent occupied 
us several hours, and is in some places 
rendered extremely dangerous by the 
narrowness of the road and strength of 
the wind, which frequently threatens 
to hurl both mule and rider into the 
abyss below. We were armed with 
much extra clothing, but notwithstand- 
ing we suffered most sensibly from the 
cold, and more from the wind, which 
was almost irresistiblejand would often 
[Feb. I, 
drive the mules sideways several paces. 
Fortunately, the space across the sum- 
mit is short, and the descent, although 
very tedious, soon puts an end to dan- 
ger, as the road, with the exception of 
being extremely stony, is not much to. 
be complained of in other respects. I 
reached ’El Cobre about twelve o’clock, 
where, having rested ourselves and our 
animals for an hour or two, we conti- 
nued our route to La Grita, which we 
reached about six in the evening. As 
the temperatures of ’El Cobre and La 
Grita are both cool, we found several 
wheat fields and tobacco plautations in 
the neighbourhood of each. At ’El 
Cobre we obtained also a few peaches, | 
but they were small and of an inferior 
quality. This place took its name from 
the belief of copper mines existing in 
the neighbouring mountains; it is 
merely a station for the men charged 
with the conveyance of letters, all of 
whom treated us with great civility, 
and one of them, with infinite difficulty, 
succeeded in procuring us a fowl. 
La Grita is a moderate sized town, 
but comparatively abandoned ; as such 
of its former inhabitants as have es- 
eaped the effects of the revolution, have 
withdrawn themselves to the surround- 
ing country for the greater convenience 
of superintending their plantations of 
tobacco and wheat; visiting the town 
only on Sundays to hear mass. The 
population of the town alone, in conse- 
quence, does not probably exceed 500 
persons, but that of the vicinity is 
more considerable. The grass was 
growing most abundantly in the square 
and streets. The houses haye gene- 
rally a most neglected appearance, and 
the greater part of them are uninha- 
hited. Potatoes aud apples thrive ex- 
tremely wellin La Grita, and it might, 
I dare say, be made to produce most of 
the fruits of Europe. Provisions are 
now extremely scarce, and dear in pro- 
ortion. 
The following morning about eleven 
o’clock we left La Grita for Bayladores, 
which we reached at dusk in the even- 
ing, by making the best of our way, 
and leaving the cargoes to follow as 
quickly as they could. We again 
passed an immensely high mountain, 
the ascent and descent of which occu- 
pied very nearly the whole day. The 
weather, on the mountain, was cloudy 
and disagreeable; the ascent in many 
meer very painful, and the road 
ifiicult to find. ‘The animal on which 
I was 
