tion of Columbia. I dwell on the importance of 

 these considerations, to prove how much the 

 nations of the old world are interested in the 

 prosperity of the free states that are forming in 

 equinoctial America. If those states, whilst 

 harassed from without, continue to remain agi- 

 tated, a civilization which has not taken deep 

 root will be gradually dstroyed ; and the whole 

 of Europe, without advantage to the mother 

 country, which could neither tranquillize its 

 colonies, nor permanently re-possess them, will 

 be deprived, for a long period of time, of a 

 market fitted to give life to trade and manufac- 

 turing industry. 



I shall add to these considerations some sta- 

 tistical statements little known, taken from a 

 very recent memoir of the Consulado de la Vera 

 Cruz. This document shews that Venezuela 

 by its entire want of manufactures, and the 

 small number of its indian inhabitants, presents 

 in proportion to the respective population, a 

 greater consumption of foreign articles than 

 New Spain. In a period of twenty-five years, 

 from 1796 to 1820, the importation * fro n the 



* In the commercial register published at Vera-Cruz, the 

 imports and exports made on account of the government are 

 not included. For instance, in the year 1802, the extent of 

 trade (the same of the exports and imports), is indicated at 

 60,445,955 piastres. If to this had been added the amount 

 -of 19i millions of piastres embarked on the king's account, 



