The Sun.
London, England, 1824-12-10 00:00:00

COLOMBIA.

TRAVELS in the REPUBLIC of COLOMBIA in the
Year; 1822 and 1823. By G. Mouazw. Translated front
the French. Bvo.
We have here before us an intelligent travel-
ler, an accurate observer, and one unbiassed by
the spirit of party. He explores the most popu-
lous and productive provinces of this new Repub-
lic; and communicates to us the interesting re-
marks he has made upon the physical aspect and
appearance of its different, regions ; upon the po-
pulation, the manners, and the genius of the in-
habitants ; upon its agriculture and universal
wealth ; upon the history of that revolution which
has rescued these vast dominions from the grasp
of Spain ; upon the character, the resources, and
the supposed designs of the leaders most renowned
in this struggle,—Santander, Sucre, Urdaneta,
Bermudes, Paez, Montilla, and Padilla, amongst
whom Bolivar will one day be considered as Primus
inter Pares, or rather perhaps Primus sine
Paribus, according to the caprice of fortune.
If we wish to read this interesting work with
advantage, we must lay aside eviory European
prejudice ; we must particularly avoid comparing
the cities of this Republic with our own, and
comparing their plains with our fields. Bogota,
the capital of Colombia, differs more from Cumana
and Carthagena, than Lon;lon and Paris from
Moscow. There, a scorching atmosphere, a river
spacious as the Senegal, uncultivated plainsoilence
unbroken, save by the force of the torrent, or the
howlings of wild beasts ; a few black inhabitants
that may be seen wandering separated from each
other, huts composed of rushes and leaves of
trees, made M. Mollien imagine he had returned
to Africa *; while in the same regions, our au-
tumnal temperature, fields of corn and beans,
orchards well stocked with apple trees, and the
appearance of civilization, made him forget he
had quitted Europe. In the low vallies in
the Illanois, whether level or hilly, the heat
rises to thirty-six or forty degrees of Reau-
mur. As Humboldt has shewn, in New An-
dulusia the vast summit of the Cordilleras is
constantly subject to a temperature which rises
rarely to twelve degrees, and often sinks to six;
so that at the Equator itself, the constant heat of
the atmosphere is not beyond that which we en-
joy in the fine days of February. If we ascend
the summits of the Paramos, we have the climate
of Siberia in all its severity ; and if we descend
to the valley to seek the plain, we have Saliara
and its scorching heat : thus a single day is ca-
pable of carrying us from one extreme to an-
other, and it is justly supposed that the charac-
ter, physical and moral, of the inha hitant9,lheir
ideas and opinions, must vary according to the
climate and productions of the earth; a conjec-
ture which has been verified by our author, as
regards the inhabitants of the different Provinces
of Colombia.
The observations of M. Mollien embrace too
many subjects for us to analyze in our limited
space, and though he explored only the Western
Provinces of Colombia, his journey comprehends
so extensive It space that we cannot notice it at
present; we confuse ourselves to the enumeration
of the remarkable places he has seen. From
Carthagena he ascended the valley.otoe,,,V4o"
dulena ; he sojourned at Santa E 6 de Bogota,
the capital of the Republic, after gazing with as-
tonishment upon the Falls of Toquendama, one
of the most astonishing cataracts in the world.
He made an excursion to the Socorro, and to the
ancient kingdoms of Cundinamarca, so celebrated
in the'history of the Incas, and that of the con-
quest. He revisited Bogota; explored the Po-
payan ; climbed to the summit of the volcano of
Purace; navigated the waters of the rapid Cauca,
and those of the Dagua, still more dangerous,to ma-
riners; reached Sun Buenaventura, a port in the
Pacific, asneglected as it may be rendered useful to
commerce ; iuspected the province of Choco, so
wealthy in mines of gold, and whose inhabitants
are sunk in wretchedness ; arrived at Panama,
the name of which alone awakens curiosity ; tra-
versed the Isthmus ; embarked at Chagres for
Jamaica; and returned to France, after having
touched at Falmouth.
Great as must be the interest excited by these
travels; so recent that they ended only in the
year 1824, this interest is of minor importance to
the moral and political considerations they present
to us. M. Mollien has seen in the fervor of re.
publicanism those people whom Humboldt ob-
served in the tranquillity of passive obedience.
We particularly recommend to the reader the
chapters in which lie describes the war of the
revolution, and the struggle in which Fortune,
after sporting alternately with Bolivar and Mo-
rillo, finished her game by sacrificing the cause
of legitimacy, and giving triumph to that of re.
publicanism, at the very moment when it seemed
reduced to despair.
The details given by M. Mollien of the leaders
of the Revolution furnish a vast scope to conjec-
ture. It appears that all submit to Bolivar; but
without his presiding influence, the various par-
ties, among whom is to be found that of, the
Mulattoes, would be soon in a state of conflict,
and the Republic composed of such heteroge-
neous parts, would be the prey of violent dissen-
sions, or be partitioned out among his Lieute-
nants. Paez, with his negroes, will occupy the
plains ; Montilla, Caraccas ; Padilla, the coasts ;
and Sucre, Quito. Thus all depends upon the
existence of Bolivar.
We now take leave of the Author, thanking
him for the gratification we have received from
the perusal of his historical and geographical
sketch of this infant yet important State.

• In the year 1810, N. Alollien travelled through Africa.
His sesearchea there have obtained for him a well founded
reputation.

, ----..
In Augustus-street, Regency . Park, some la-
bourers have been siuking a drain; one descended
with a light the depth of 12 feet,, when an ex-
plosion immediately took place. The man for-
tunately was not uturlt.injured„ The shock hurt
his arm and side .a little,
and. the sleeve of
. jacket was burnt., The spot
.where .this took
place was full 60 yards from any gas rpipe, so that
gas must have escaped from somewhere, and 'pe.
netrated to it through the pores of earth.—
Water seeksois own level, but gas,
it will be seen,
descends and ascends to find a vent.