mTEODUOTIOiN. 



SouTU Amekica is a part of the world about whicli little, 

 comparatively, is known. Owing to the disturbed politi- 

 cal state of the country, commerce has sought other chan- 

 nels, and enterprise has looked elsewhere for its reward. 

 A large capitalist said to the writer, many years ago, 

 " Convince me that money can be made, and I will put a 

 steamer upon the Magdalena at once." This was when 

 General Mosquera had lately been elected President of 

 Xew Granada, or, as it is now called, Colombia, and when 

 religious toleration had just been secured in that I'epublic. 

 At that time the prospects for Colombia, politically and 

 religiously, seemed to be brightening, and the students of 

 Williams, wakeful to " the signs of the times," pledged 

 five hundred dollars to one of the oificers of the College 

 to assist in the exploration of the country. The idea was, 

 that feasible points should be selected — points that could 

 be occupied as centres of a higher civilization and better 

 type of Christianity. Some years later, one of the stu- 

 dents, Frederick Hicks, j^roposed to realize this idea on 

 his own responsibility. After looking the ground over, 

 travelling somewhat extensively both in Colombia and 

 Ecuador, he returned to Panama and built a commodious 



