ISO 



COLOMBIA. 



tion journals of the capital became clamorous 

 against tbe policy of interference. " Colombia 

 is likely," says tbe Tradieionuto, " to have be- 

 fore long three serious affairs on hand: the 

 foreign debt; intervention in Cuban matters; 

 and the question of limit- itli Venezuela." 

 On the Uth of March, a bill was laid before 

 tlie House of Representative*, containing a sin- 

 gje artiele. to the follow-in- effect : " It', during 

 the war for Cuban independence, the families 

 of Carlo* Manuel Cespedes and Manuel Quesa- 

 da will come and reside in Colombia, a pension 

 of $200 per month will be assigned to each of 

 them by the public Treasury." A bill propos- 

 ing to aid the cause of Cuba by advancing 

 $500,000 to General Qoesada was disapproved 

 in the House of Representatives, which ap- 

 proved, however, at the same time, another 

 bill for the appropriation of $126,000 to pur- 

 chase the steamer Virginias. General Quesada 

 afterward received a grant of $25,000. 



The Secretary of Foreign Affairs, in bis re- 

 port to Congress concerning the affairs of tbe 

 republic, stated that, during the present Liber- 

 al Executive Administration, the country had 

 enjoyed uninterrupted peace, with the excep- 

 tion of two brief local perturbations in the State 

 of Cauca. Panama, in April, furnished, how- 

 ever, another instance of such political move- 

 ments, in the case of the overthrow of Presi- 

 dent N'eira, and the placing of Damaso Oer- 

 vera in his stead. Such sadden and capricious 

 changes of government are considerably facili- 

 tated in the State just alluded to, the inhabit- 

 ants of which, according to the Panama Star 

 and Herald, are disposed to abuse the license 

 extended to them by the law of April 16, 1867, 

 by the terms of iiieh, when, in any State, 

 part of the citizens combine for the purpose 

 of patting down the existing government and 

 organizing a new one, tbe Government of the 

 Union shall observe the strictest neutrality 

 toward the belligerents." Some Federal troops, 

 stationed at the time in Panama, interfered, in 

 the present instance, taking sides with one of 

 the parties. Here follows the proobnutioa is- 

 sued on the 5th of April, by Rafael Ai/puru : 

 / tin M*M of llu Capital iff tlu govern?* StaU of* 



fli*am* : To the f'olomVian nation, and more 



specially to the inhabitant* of the Uthinui. 



Tbe liberal portion of the people of the State elected 

 tn the tint mai.!r.rT Citixcn-Gencnl Gabriel Nein, 

 who** Mrrior* In the oanse of the people made him 

 at the Urn. worthy of It. 



Thla MUM people, in the Heroine of their Hover- 

 elrntv and abeolnto right*, hare to-day resolved to 

 withdraw their confidence from him a* thrir 

 Governor, but retaining for him all respect for hia 

 , -, 



A bloodleai revolution hia been necessary to carry 



thUoMMaraioto effect. This Is what patriotism calfa 



id makea us worthy of the name of republican*. 



I nrithvr pit". nl to. nor will I aowpt anything 



n :-- nj . aal -n '" "i ! as, 

 "terdajr I reatfned my appointment a* oommsnder- 

 in-chWf of tbe lute troops, and to-day that of the 

 poet of fourth substitute, to excreta the executive 

 power, la order not to give pUec to the belief thnl 

 M bomodcnta atntiitlon WM my motive, at a lacri- 

 flee of somewhat of the interests of the people. 



This political revolution can in no way affect ei- 

 ther constitutional order or any social or commer- 

 cial interest* whatever. Every thing will go on as 

 u*ual, because the people, always desirous of pcaoe, 

 cannot sacrifice it on any account. 



Aa true republicans, we have followed the path 

 pointed out by our reason ; as soldier*, in defense of 

 our cause, we will hold responsible for the events 

 arising out of this revolution all those who forget 

 the fulfillment of their duty. 



Let us salute together, then, fellow-citizens, the 



u in charge of the executive pu.r. fi 

 Damaso Cervera, with the cry of " Hurrah lor the 

 Liberal party!" 



(Signed) RAFAEL AIZPURU. 



A committee of the Senate of Bogota, in the 

 session of March 12th, reported favorably on 

 the project of authorizing the Executive to 

 promote the convocation of an international 

 congress, composed of representatives from nil 

 the American republics. One of the principal 

 is of the congress would be the deter- 

 mination of all questions of limits between the 

 Spanish-American republics, based on a 

 tern of just compensations and reciprocal con- 

 venience. 



About the. beginning of April, the United 

 States Exploring Kxpedition had finished their 

 labors of survey of the regions of I>arien and 

 Cauca, for the purpose of discovering, if ]><>^. 

 sible, a convenient route for a ship-canal from 

 the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. A Peruvian 

 corps of engineers arrived about the same time 

 at Panama, with orders from their Government 

 to take part in the same exploration. It will 

 be remembered that, as early as 1865, the - 

 regions were explored by a M, de Puydt, for 

 account of the French international Colom- 

 bian Company; and that that engineer de- 

 clared the problem of the union of the two 

 oceans by a eannl without tunnels or lock* to 

 be solved. The canal would open to the east- 

 ward in Port Escondido, follow the valley of 

 the Turgandi, Tantiela, and Tanela Paya, pass 

 thence into the npper waters of the Puero, 

 and then by the immense flood of the Tuyra 

 into the Pacific by the Gulf of San Miguel. 



The Cauca Valley Mining and Construct- 

 ing Company, who have undertaken to build 

 the Cauca railway, issued a public invita- 

 tion to the ceremonies of turning the first sod 

 in the building of the railroad, on the 18th of 

 May. There was a numerous assemblage of 

 people, with firing of cannon, hands of music, 

 and the Colombian and American flags carried 

 in procession. The ceremony of turning the 

 first sod was performed by Colonel Croz, a 

 veteran of the war of independence. The 

 first portion of this line will ultimately con- 

 nect the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, tia the 

 Cauca and Magdalena Rivers. The contrac- 

 tors have to spend $7.000,000, build . mole at 

 Hueimventura, and have the road finished in 

 four years. Among the largo number of speak- 

 ers on the occasion was Mr. R. Smith, vice- 

 jiresi.Ient, who delivered an eloquent and 

 lengthy discourse. 



The year 1873 was a stormy one in political 



