580 



CARTHAGENA. 



<;artha- Carthagena is larilla, or potash, the quality of which 

 j s excellent, and of which great quantities are annual- 

 ly exported. The plants which yield this substance 

 are all indigenous, and are particularly to be found in 

 a swamp called Almojar to the eastward of the city. 

 Government,, with its accustomed folly, has subject- 

 ed the barilla to an oppressive tax, which operates 

 very much against the manufacture and exportation 

 of it. Wool and silk also are articles of commerce. 

 The chief imports at Carthagena are bale goods 

 and merchandise of various kinds. Thereare some ex- 

 cellent schools at Carthagena, for teaching navigation, 

 mathematics, experimental philosophy, drawing, forti- 

 fication, hydrostatics, &c. but they are instituted for 

 the benefit of pupils for the royal navy, and the public 

 at large have no access to them. There is likewise a 

 botanic garden on a small scale, where lectures are 

 given on botany by a professor of that science. The 

 most prevalent diseases are intermittent and putrid 

 fevers, occasioned, it is believed, by the proximity 

 of the swamp of Almojar. In the year 1785 and 

 1786, the city lost by these diseases no fewer than 

 4800 of its inhabitants. Carthagena is under a mi- 

 litary governor, with his alcalde mayor, thirty regi- 

 dores, and two syndics. The governor is supreme 

 judge for the army, and for strangers settled in the 

 couutry. His alcalde presides in the tribunal for 

 the citizens. The office of the regidores goes by 

 inheritance, if not previously sold, and these, with 

 the Escrivanos del* numero, who likewise succeed by 

 inheritance, are constantly intent on plunder, and 

 extremely tyrannical in the exercise of their power. 

 The syndics are chosen by the people ; but the elec- 

 tion is under the influence of the regidores, and, as it 

 is annual, they dare not attempt any thing in the way 

 of redressing grievances. Murders and assassinations 

 are frequent in Carthagena, owing to the want of 

 energy in its municipal government. Seldom are the 

 perpetrators of these crimes punished, unless they be 

 miserably poor ; for the escrivanos are always ready 

 to protect those who will gratify their rapacity. 

 The marriage vow is here violated in the most shame- 

 less manner. A gentleman one morning said grave- 

 ly to his friend, " Before I go to rest this night, 

 the whole city will be thrown into confusion." This 

 confusion he actually produced, by going home an 

 hour before his usual time, and surprising his wife's 

 paramour, who in like manner returning suddenly, oc- 

 casioned the same bustle and retreat at his own house; 

 and this succession of retreats and surprises perva- 

 ding the whole town, he literally fulfilled his morn- 

 ing's prediction. Swinburne says, that though there 

 are several regiments here in garrison, besides en- 

 gineers and naval officers, we can scarcely imagine 

 any thing so dull as the town of Carthagena ; and 

 that, with the exception of the wretched comedy 

 and the coffee house, there is not the least life or 

 amusement going on. Laborde gives a very dif- 

 ferent account. He tells us that Carthagena is quite 

 unlike the rest of Murcia, as it is distinguished by 

 affability, society, amusements, and pleasures: stran- 

 gers are well received, and the inhabitants are very 

 hospitable. He adds, however, that there are few 

 Murcians among them, the greatest part of them be- 

 ing foreigners, English, French, and Italian, who 



are either merchants, sailors, or Soldiers. In this 

 town there are three tolerable inns, which are kept 

 in the French stile, and afford good entertainment. 

 The population is about 60,000, which is distributed 

 among 15,000 houses. East Long. 1" 6', North 

 Lat. 37 34'. See Polybius, lib. x. ; Swinburne's 

 Travels through Spain, vol. i. p. 188; Townsend's 

 Journey through Spain,, vol. iii. p. 121 ; and De 

 Laborde's View of Spain, vol. ii. art. Murcia. (r) 



CARTHAGENA, a province of South Ame- 

 rica, in the vice-royalty of New Granada. Its 

 boundaries are the Carribean sea on the north, the 

 river St Martha on the east, Terra Firma on the 

 south, and the sea and gulf of Darien on the west. 

 It is 100 leagues in length, from north-east to south- 

 west, and 80 in width, from east to west. It was 

 discovered in 1520, by Roderigo de Bastidas. The 

 people being of a warlike character, resisted various 

 attempts that were made to conquer them ; at length 

 they were subdued in 1533, by the governor, Pedro 

 de Heredia. A great part of this country is com- 

 posed of mountains and forests ; but there are also 

 some very fruitful vallies, which the natives call sa- 

 vannahs, and in these are many settlements of Euro- 

 peans, Indians, and Spanish Creoles. Towards the 

 north, a part of the territory is swampy, sandy, and 

 from the lowness of the ground full of sea-water 

 pools. The climate is remarkably hot and moist ; 

 and from May to December, the weather is almost 

 continually rainy or tempestuous. Accordingly the 

 earth is covered with perpetual verdure, and rice and 

 Indian corn are raised in sufficient quantities for the 

 consumption of the inhabitants. The same circum- 

 stances which render the production of these so easy 

 and certain, are unfavourable to the growth of wheat 

 and other grains that are cultivated in Europe. 

 There is a great variety of plants, trees, and fruits. 

 Of trees, the principal for size are, the eaobo or acajou, 

 the wood of which is beautiful, fragrant, and close 

 in the texture, and is employed in making canoes 

 and other small vessels ; the cedar, which is of two 

 kinds, white and red, the last being the most esteem- 

 ed ; the maria, from which the maria oil is obtained ; 

 and the balsam, which distils the balsam of Tolu, so 

 called from a village where it is found in the greatest 

 abundance, and of the best quality. The fruit trees 

 consist of the tamarind, the medlar, the sapote, the 

 papayo, the guayabo, &c. Of most of these, not 

 only is the fruit palatable and wholesome, but the 

 timber also is finely variegated, and very durable. 

 Pine-apples, limes, melons, grapes, oranges, medlars, 

 dates, papayas, cocos, plantanes, bananas, &c. are in 

 vast abundance. The mancanillo deserves particu- 

 lar notice. It grows to a large size ; near the top 

 its branches form a kind of crown ; its wood is very 

 hard, of a yellowish cast, and exquisitely veined like 

 marble. Its fruit resembles an apple exactly in shape, 

 flavour, and colour, but contains a very strong and 

 deadly poison. Its white juice has the same quality 

 in such a degree, as to render it unsafe to work the 

 wood until it be thoroughly dried. Even those who 

 happen to take shelter under it in a shower, feel the 

 same effect from the dropping of the leaves as if the 

 juice had fallen upon them. And the very beasts are 

 said to have such an instinctive aversion to it, that 



Cartha. 

 g ena . iu 



