C A R T H A G E N A. 



.081 



iia- they will neither rat of the fruit nor approach the 

 Palm-trees too, of different sorts, grow on the 

 ' inuinituins in great numbers, producing various kinds 

 uitb, and i \iiding a juice from whie-h, u lien fer- 

 mented, a SJK-I ics of wine is made, of a whitish co- 

 lour, a racy taste, and an intoxicating quality. The 

 gui.-tun.i ..id bony trees are also very common. 

 liardiuvs; of their wood is almost equal to that 

 ot" iron. There are numerous plantations of sugar- 

 canes ; a great many cotton trees, some of which 

 grow spontaneously, while others are planted and 

 cultivated; and cacoa-trees, which are chiefly found 

 on the river dc la Magdaleno, and the fruit of which, 

 both in si/i.- and goodness, excels the same kind of 

 fruit in all the other parts of the country, except So- 

 conusca and Caraccaa, whose cacoa sells highest at 

 Cadiz. Of the vegetables, which grow here in such 

 profusion and variety, the sensitive plant is one of 

 those most frequently met with. There is also a great 

 quantity of bejucos, one species of which is parti- 

 cularly known on account of its fruit, called the 

 bean of Carthagena. This bean is reckoned the most 

 effectual antidote against the bite of the venomous 

 animals, which are found here in great numbers. 

 The cow and the hog are the only tame eatable qua- 

 drupeds to be seen in this district ; but these are in 

 great plenty. The flesh of the former is not re- 

 markably good ; that of the latter is extremely deli- 

 cate, and the ordinary food of the inhabitants. The 

 hides and tallow furnished by the cattle, form a con- 

 siderable article of commerce. Poultry, pigeons, par- 

 tridges, and geese, are both good and plentiful. 

 Nothing can surpass the variety and beautiful plu- 

 mage of the birds. Bats appear in great multitudes; 

 and are said to be the most dextrous bleeders both 

 of men and cattle. Deer, wild boars, foxes, arma- 

 dillos, squirrels, rabbits, and monkies, are extremely 

 numerous. There are also leopards and tigers, which 

 make grei-.t havoc among the cattle, and sometimes 

 prove destructive to the inhabitants. Poisonous rep- 

 tiles abound. The principal ones are snakes, coral- 

 snakes, rattle-snakes, and the culibras de bejuco; 

 the centipedes, which swarm here, and are mon- 

 strously large ; and scorpions, which are equally 

 numerous, and of various kinds. The principal rivers 

 are the de la Magdalena already mentioned, and the 

 San Juan, or Atracto, both of which are navigable, and 

 contain alligators, tortoises, and a multitude of fishes. 

 This province contains two cities, seven towns, and 

 ninety-six settlements or villages. When first disco- 

 vered, it was well peopled, but since that time, the 

 population is considerably diminished. According 

 to the numeration of thejiscal of the royal audience 

 of Santa Fe, Don Francisco Moreno y Escandon, 

 there were in the year 1770, of whites, 59,233; of 

 Indians, 13,993 ; and of negro and mulatto slaves, 

 7770. See Juan and Ulloa's Voyage to South Ame- 

 rica, vol. i. ; Alcedo's GfOgMpkuxU Dictionary of 

 America and the West Indies, nitk T >.>.r pson's Addi- 

 tions, vol. i. ; and Peuchet'a Diction. Untvcrs. de la 

 Geof>nif)/t. Coaitnirf. torn. iii. (T) 



CAR TH AljENA, the capital of the province 

 just now described, is situated in a large and conve- 

 nient bay of the same name. It stands upon a sandy 

 peninsula, and communicates with the continent by 



3 



narrow necks of land and wooden budges. The 

 city and the suburbs are well laid out. 1 he streets 

 run in straight lines ; arc wide, uniform, and tolerably 

 well paved. The houses, which are mostly built of 

 stone, have only one storey above the ground floor: 

 their apartments are well contrived, and their bal- 

 conies and lattices are of wood, which, from the na- 

 ture of the climate, are there preferable to iron for 

 such purposes. The outside of the buildings, on ac- 

 count of the smoky colour of the walls, has a dirty 

 and disagreeable aspect. The fortifications are con- 

 structed after the modern manner, lined with free- 

 stone, and of considerable strength. Besides a pre- 

 cinct and bastions, there is a half moon, which de- 

 fends the entrance, or gate ; and several castles situa- 

 ted on small eminence!), and on the side of the bay. 

 In this place there is a great number of religious 

 communities, who have churches and convents for 

 their accommodation. These are characterised by 

 poverty iu their oinaments, though their architecture 

 is appropriate, and their capacity sufficient. The 

 cathedral church is magnificent. There is a college 

 of Jesuits. A tribunal of the Inquisition is also 

 established here, in which respect Carthagena is on a 

 footing with the metropolitan cities of Lima and 

 Mexico. The power of this tribunal reaches to Isla 

 Espanolo where it xvas first settled, Terra Firma, 

 and Santa Fc. Carthagena is the head of a bishop- 

 ric erected in 1534- by Pope Clement VII. The 

 jurisdiction of the bishop extends as far as that of 

 the civil and military government. The government 

 of the city is managed by a person who resides in it 

 with the title of governor, having under him a requi- 

 site number of civil and military officers. In civil 

 matters, an appeal lies to the audience of Santa Fe, 

 and in military affairs to the viceroy of New Gre- 

 nada. The police of the city is conducted by a se- 

 cular magistracy, consisting of regidores, from whom 

 are annually chosen two alcaldes. There is also a 

 revenue office, where all taxes are received, and the 

 necessary payments issued. Processes are determined 

 by a man of the law, with the title of auditor de la 

 gente de guera. Carlhagena, on account of its ad- 

 vantageous situation, and the excellence and safety of 

 its harbour, very soon became the most important 

 settlement and emporium of the Spaniards in South 

 America. So early as the year J 544, it was a town 

 of some commercial celebrity. Being selected as the 

 port in which the galleons should first trade on their 

 arrival from Europe, and to which they were ordered 

 to repair previous to their voyage homeward, the 

 resort to it was so great, and the means of prosperi- 

 ty so copious, that in a short time it rose to be one 

 of the must populous and most opulent cities in 

 America. And though, from the arrangements which 

 have since taken place respecting the galleons, and 

 the general circumstances of the commercial world, 

 it has declined very much, it still carries on a con- 

 siderable inland and foreign trade, and preserves no 

 small portion of its comparative importance. It is 

 reckoned by Humboldt to stand before all the other 

 ports, with the exception of Vera Cruz, the Ha- 

 vannah, and Lima. Including the small adjoining 

 ports of Rio Hacha, Santa Maria, and Portobello, 

 with which it is connected by the most intimate com- 



