Republic of New Granada

The first actor in the drama was Bolivar, who, born in 1783, took an oath in 1805 to deliver his country from the tyranny of the Spaniards.

In 1810, he returned to Venezuela, proclaimed the independence of the people, and formed a republic composed of the three states of Venezuela, New Granada, and Ecuador under the name of Colombia.

Defeated by the Spanish forces for a time, he returned in 1817, and at the end of a few years had driven the Spaniards from the country and was hailed as the liberator of his people.

But though he had freed this part of South America from the tyranny of Spain, a worse tyranny had replaced it, that of the revolution, which he was unable to stem and which finally destroyed him.

They were nothing but bands of brigands ravaging the whole country, which speedily became bankrupt.

Agriculture and commerce were ruined, and famine stared everyone in the face.

A war which broke out in New Granada, in which Flores was defeated, turned the whole population against him.

A leader of the disaffected was found in a political adventurer named Roquefort.

The first actor in the drama was Bolivar, who, born in seventeen eighty-three, took an oath in eighteen oh five to deliver his country from the tyranny of the Spaniards.

In eighteen ten he returned to Venezuela, proclaimed the independence of the people, and formed a republic composed of the three states of Venezuela, New Granada, and Ecuador under the name of Colombia.

Defeated by the Spanish forces for a time, he returned in eighteen seventeen, and at the end of a few years had driven the Spaniards from the country and was hailed as the liberator of his people.

But though he had freed this part of South America from the tyranny of Spain, a worse tyranny had replaced it, that of the Revolution, which he was unable to stem and which finally destroyed him.

They were nothing but bands of brigands ravaging the whole country, which speedily became bankrupt.

Agriculture and commerce were ruined, and famine stared everyone in the face.

A war which broke out in New Granada, in which Flores was defeated, turned the whole population against him.

A leader of the disaffected was found in a political adventurer named Roquefort.

The Isthmus On the ninth day we reach Aspinwall in the Republic of Grenada.

The President of New Grenada is a Central American named Mosquero.

I was told that he derived quite a portion of his income by carrying passengers' valises and things from the steamer to the hotels in Aspinwall.

It was an infamous falsehood.

The ball stops suddenly.

Great excitement.

One of our passengers intoxicated and riotous in the street openly and avowedly desires the entire Republic of New Grenada to come on.

In case they do come on, agrees to make it lively for them.

Not yet, however, does civilization rule at Panama.

The weak sway of the New Granada Republic, despised by lawless men and respected by none, is powerless to control the refuse of every nation which meet together upon its soil.

Whenever they feel inclined now, they overpower the law easily.

But seven years ago, when I visited the Isthmus of Panama, things were much worse, and a license existed compared to which the present lawless state of affairs is enviable.

Not unfrequently, at some fancied alarm, they would fling down their burden until at last it became necessary to employ the soldiers to see that they discharged the task allotted to them.

Ordinarily, the victims were buried immediately after death with such imperfect rites of sepulture as the harassed, frightened priests would pay them, and very seldom was time afforded by the authorities to the survivors to pay those last offices to the departed, which a Spaniard and a Catholic considers so important.

Once I was present at a terrible scene in the house of a New Granada grandee, whose pride and poverty justified many of the old Spanish proverbs leveled at his caste.

It was when the cholera was at its height, and yet he had left, perhaps on important business, his wife and family and gone to Panama for three days.

This is but the beginning.

Soon it will be found that it is cheaper for Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and New Granada, east of the Andes, to receive their goods from and to export their India rubber to Chona, etc., to the United States and Europe via the great water highway which discharges into the Atlantic than by the long, circuitous route of Cape Horn or the trans-Isthmian route of Panama.

End of introduction.

Recording by Michael Packard.

Eight rails make a softer dollar, ten rails a hard dollar.

There is no copper coin.

Oranges and loaves of bread are sometimes used to make change, and nearly all the gold in circulation are New Granada condors and Peruvian onzas.

Many of the silver pieces have large holes cut in the center so that they resemble rings.

Another notable event in orchid culture during the period mentioned was the commencement of the cool house or odontoglossum section of orchid culture.

In 1863, Weir, Blunt, and Schlim went to New Grenada in search of odontoglossums, and they were successful in introducing plants of odontoglossum crispum, Alexandri, collected above Bogota.

These collectors also contributed to our knowledge of the proper methods of cultivating cool orchids.

So things have gone on until our own days.

i have read and heard many accounts of old endeavours to effect this important and gigantic work and how miserably they failed it was reserved for the men of our age to accomplish what so many had died in attempting and iron and steam twin giants subdued to man's will have put a girdle over rocks and rivers so that travellers can glide as smoothly if not as inexpensively over the once terrible isthmus of darien as they can from london to brighton Not yet, however, does civilization rule at Panama.

The weak sway of the new Granada Republic, despised by lawless men and respected by none, is powerless to control the refuse of every nation which meet together upon its soil.

Whenever they feel inclined now, they overpower the law easily.

But seven years ago, when I visited the Isthmus of Panama, things were much worse, and a licence existed, compared to which the present lawless state of affairs is enviable.

Not unfrequently, at some fancied alarm, they would fling down their burden, until at last it became necessary to employ the soldiers to see that they discharged the task allotted to them.

Ordinarily the victims were buried immediately after death, with such imperfect rites of sepulture as the harassed, frightened priests would pay them, and very seldom was time afforded by the authorities to the survivors to pay those last offices to the departed, which a Spaniard and a Catholic considers so important.

Once I was present at a terrible scene in the house of a new Granada grandee, whose pride and poverty justified many of the old Spanish proverbs levelled at his It was when the cholera was at its height, and yet he had left his wife and family, and gone to Panama for three days.

On the day after his departure the plague