with stony heights and swampy meadows. Our Traveller was much disappointed on a nearer examination of the town. There is little worthy of notice except the churches and convents. The architecture of these edifices is of the simplest, frequently the rudest kind. The portal to the parish church of Santiago is, however, an exception; it is carved in stone, and is of tolerable execution. In the interior are several very old pictures of some merit, apparently by Spanish masters. Alcedo mentions two other churches, Santa Barbara and Las Nieves, and three hermitages, dedicated to San Lorenzo, Santa Lucia, and Nuestra Senhora de Chiquinquira. The lofty plain on which the last of these is built, is called Los Ahorcados (the gallows), on account of its being, in the times of paganism, ornamented with the bones and skulls of persons offered in sacrifice." There are two monasteries, Franciscan and Dominican; and two nunneries, one of Santa Clara (a rich order), and one of La Concepcion. A third monastery, of the order of San Juan de Dios, has been converted into a military hospital, under the inspection of the order, who profess medicine, and give advice and medicine gratis. None of the religious orders appear to have been suppressed at Tunja. The monks, our Traveller says, shewed with alacrity all that was to be seen in their respective monasteries, the ornaments of which consist chiefly in a profusion of images and gilt work, very rich and gaudy, and a great number of pictures, the larger part mere trash, but some few of merit. Besides these institutions, there have lately been established here, a public college called the Colegio de Boyaca, in which the higher classes are taught philosophy, mathematics, and divinity, and, for the poor of the town, a school on the Lancasterian plan. The latter was visited by our Traveller, who was struck with the regularity with which it is conducted, and the fine appearance of the youths, sixty in number, several of whom had made considerable progress. There is a salt-petre manufactory here, which formerly employed more than 200 persons. The earth from which the salt is extracted, is found in abundance in the vicinity, but the proportion of the mineral is only one per cent. The temperature of the air at Tunja was found very pleasant, varying from 58° to 70°; but, in taking exercise, the whole party experienced an oppressive sensation at the chest from the rarity of the atmosphere. Alcedo says, the climate is dry and cold, being continually refreshed with winds, but healthy. There is a deficiency of fuel and water: the only supply of the latter is conveyed by an aqueduct from the height commanding the city. It is reckoned 54 miles N.N.E. of Bogota. At two leagues from Tunja, on the road to the capital of New Granada, is the memorable field of Boyaca. The whole of this tract of country is bare and open. "The Spaniards had their centre in the plain, protected in front by a small river and ravine, their right occupying a rising ground, beyond which was the bridge of Boyaca, defended by the artillery. Here it was that their position was first forced by the English troops, who gained the bridge, and charged up to the mouths of the guns, all of which were taken, together with the Spanish general Barreira, his staff, and a great number of prisoners."* Beyond Boyaca, the country improves, spontaneous vegetation re-appears, the roads are good and free from stones, and the soil is cultivated and tolerably peopled. Beyond the village of Alto Viego, the country widens into a rich plain, well cultivated with wheat and other grain, in the middle of which is the * This battle was fought on the 8th of August, 1819. The royalists are said to have lost 2,000 men in killed, wounded, and prisoners. On the 10th, Bolivar entered Bogota in triumph. village of Choconta. The road then descends to the rich pasture-lands of San Vicente, watered by the River Bogota: these in some parts are very marshy, and abound with herons of beautiful plumage. After passing through several villages called the pueblos, the road at length turns the foot of a range of hills running N. and S., and enters the line of plain that conducts to the capital. It is of considerable width, and presents the appearance of high cultivation. In the midst runs the Bogota, while the horizon is bounded by distant mountains. The first glimpse of the capital is caught from an eminence four leagues distant from it. From the village of Susaquia, distant only four miles, is obtained a splendid view of the city and the plain which extends in front of it; but, as the traveller draws nearer, he is astonished at the neglected state of the valuable land in its immediate vicinity, and the bad state of the roads. At length, on the 23d of April, our Traveller had the satisfaction of finding himself in the capital of the Republic, after a journey of two months, forty-six days of which were spent on the road,* having completed a journey of above 300 leagues from Caracas.† Before, however, we *The public despatches are generally forwarded from Caracas to Bogota in forty days. They are conveyed by men who travel on foot day and night, but are relieved at every village. We have given at pp. 209 and 234, the itinerary from Valencia to San Carlos, and from San Carlos to Barquesimeto. Thus far the distances seem pretty well ascertained, viz. From Caracas to Valencia From Valencia to San Carlos From San Carlos to Barquesimeto From Barquesimeto to Merida, the distances may be reckoned as follow: From Barquesimeto Leagues. 30 1-2 23 1-2 23 To Tocuyo Olmucaro 15 leagues. 9 hours. proceed to give a description of the city itself, we shall trace the route of two other Travellers who reached Bogota, by way of Monpox, from Santa Marta and Cartagena. From Cucuta to Bogota, according to Col Hall 103 311 This ill coincides with the general computation of the country (p. 245) of 1,200 miles. The discrepancy arises, probably, from the equivocal meaning of the league. In Alcedo's Dictionary, the distance between Merida and Pamplona is stated to be only 112 miles. This is, perhaps, an error for 212, which is nearer the truth. Pamplona appears to be in fact about 12 leagues from Cucuta, and consequently 60 from Merida. We flatter ourselves that the above itinerary will be found sufficiently correct to serve the purpose of travellers. CARTAGENA. In Nov 1822, M. G. Mollien, a French Traveller already known to the public by his travels in the interior of Africa, landed at Cartagena. The port is a magnificent one. The bay is one of the largest and best on the whole coast, extending two leagues and a half from N. to S.; it has capital anchorage, though the many shallows at the entrance require a careful steerage; and, being completely land-locked, is so smooth, that vessels ride here as on a river. The better to defend the approach, the Spaniards have blocked up the Boca Grande, by sinking old vessels in it. Boca Chica is a great distance from the anchorage. "Men-of-war," Capt Cochrane says, "sometimes anchor off the north side of the city, and send their boats in through Boca Grande, having previously obtained permission of the governor. So great was the fear of the Spaniards, lest they should be surprised by a foreign enemy, that they would rarely allow the boats to use this passage, wishing to keep all foreigners in ignorance of such an entrance; and, as an additional means of preventing vessels from passing in by this mouth, they sunk several ships, which blocked it up, only allowing depth sufficient for row boats. There is no doubt that the Colombians will now remove these impediments to the entrance, by the use of proper machinery to raise the stones, and weigh the vessels which contain them; which being done, the current will soon carry off the accumulation of sand, and afford easy access to the city, by the Boca Grande, to vessels bound to the port. In consequence of the blocking up of this entrance, ships are compelled to go round by Boca Chica, a circuit of thirty miles, to gain the usual road-stead for frigates, and which is three or four miles from the town. If a jetty were thrown out, or a chain-pier erected on |