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COLOMBIA. 



ter in a Spanish colonial paper is a wonderful phe- 

 nomenon ; and though containing nothing but 

 common places, brings with it a long train of in- 

 teresting and useful reflections. 

 " Mr Editor, 

 " Nothing could distress me more than to hear 

 that my former observations have offended any 

 individual ; and I declare that my sole object has 

 been to explain my opinion on a subject, upon 

 which, according to my view of it, much of the 

 prosperity of this province depends. I allude to 

 the commercial regulations ; and all the world 

 knows that those existing before our political 

 transformation subjected the whole province to 

 the most insulting monopoly ; the right of sup- 

 plying it with goods, and of exporting its pro- 

 ductions, being reserved exclusively for the mer- 

 chants of Cadiz, so that the province could not 

 possibly prosper. After our conversion into a free 

 state, the public had a right to hope that the dis- 

 ease being discovered, the remedy would have 

 been instantly applied ; and I for one confess 

 that I really did hope it would be so. I believed 

 that we should immediately see liberal institu- 



