GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 487 



this is education. For those who may judge 

 their age as presenting insurmountable ob- 

 stacles to instruction and improvement, little 

 farther I believe can be done, than to afford 

 them the opportunities of mending their ac- 

 tual condition, by placing v^ithin their reach 

 some of the comforts of life, and by lighten- 

 ing the imposts on articles so denominated, 

 so as to secure them to the lower classes at 

 moderate prices. Money should be lent by 

 the government to industrious individuals; 

 and as such persons could never be at a loss 

 for respectable guarantees, the money ad- 

 vanced would be secure. 



Of the advantages to be derived from the 

 introduction of European colonists into the 

 country, the government seems to be suffici- 

 ently persuaded. The natural advantages of 

 Colombia are very great, and with cultivation 

 might be increased tenfold. The surface of 

 the soil is rich beyond imagination, only re- 

 quiring attention and agriculture to yield 

 every seed and grain in abundance. The 

 mines may be made valuable, when worked 

 by machinery, and placed under proper ma- 

 nagement. There is material for every handi- 



