Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-09-03
FOREIGN.
REpunLlC OF COLOMBlA.

by our fellow citizen, w. ID. HoBINsoN to the
| government of Colombia, relative to It's unoc.
cupicd lands, has been placed in our hands hy
a friend. As every thing throwing lgh, on tie
resources and actual condition. of that count. y
is interesting at the present croch, it is proba-
bile we shall crafty the majority ,f orr readers
| III giving plo' 20 Il cntirc.-I .Ndt.fst.
COLOMBIAN LANDS.
! Among the various sources of national! wcaI,,,
| in embryo, belonging to tie Republic of Colon
| ba there are noae of equal magnitude aud OF
such vital Importance, to the future strength!
and prosperity of this nation, It's unoccupictl
! territory.
Agriculture is the only permanent aud solid
source of national greutrcss: all ancient and rsr,,-
dern states that have attained the BLESSINGS of
civilization, have rose to eniinence ant. grandeur
or have fallen into decay, in proportion as their
agriculture Gourished or was neglected.
| Commerce, arts, and sciences, haze had an
| epherneral existence among nations where ar-
riculture was little attended to-; and If we cast a
retrospect on the page Of history. we there see
il recorded as 4 ,ncioncholy and solemn fact,
that all those nations wiro depended n, s,ipypr.
ting their grandeur by auv other means than
from agriculture, have vanished from the worl.!.
or left scarce vestige of their former opileice
/ On no part of onr globe has agriculture dis
| played its advantages and blessings In so coz
| sficuous degree. as in the United States ol
North .4nerica. r, Tess tan aalfa century, they
have uufoldcd to the rest of the civilized world,
au important lesson, of what may DC effected BIZ
a free government, and an agricultural pcopIo.
| Immense forests have been peopled. n if by
magic, and the blessings OF social lie have been
d,'insed over "a large space ofterritorv. flat had
for ages, been the solitary abode OF beasts of
prey. or of human savages.
| In the year 1873, their struggle for national
Independence termn'atcI, and they were ac-
| tnowledged as i sovereign power by Great
Britain, and the rest of the civilized worl!
From that epoch, the United States directed a
prnnordial attention to enlarge the sphere of az
rlculture and to promote emigration from eve
ry part of the world.
The lands of the republic were placed under
the guardianship of special Commissioners
land Offices were established in different sec
tions of the country. Dohations of soil, and
other encourage:nents. were offered to indus
trIous emigranss--iarge tracts of public lands
were sold to foreign companies, and to wealthy
individuals, according 10 certain conditions pre-
scr'bed by the Congress. In little while the,
S'es OF these lands became an immense source
Of public rere,,ue, and were applied TO the ertia-
punishment Of lie .Notioani deJt.
The population of tn. country sweIfed will,
raPidity that has parallel in anc;en. or mo
dcrn history. From about three millions Of in
hahitants, which they possessed in 1893, they
have advanced 40 ~ the year 1921, to about
efoneii to ttocice millions say, in the short space
ot joFty-one years "a mere breath cf tiae) their
numbers have been q;s0dr.picd.
At which epoch this extraordinary increase
may become stationary or retrogade, cannot at
present, he calculated; but that it will continue
nearly in the same ratio until the stsrfaue of the
country becomes thiciklv settled as the do
mnons of the old world, or until society be-
comes crowded and pressed for uy,aus of sub
sistcncc, there can remain no doubt.
What All auspicious and interesting view of
society is here presented to the eye of the ph;Io-
, pttcr aud statesman. We nav without the
gift of prophecy, predct, that, at the close Of the
! present century, the United States of North A.
inerica will contain, at least, a population of
s'rty to serenity mift5ons, all speaking the same
language, enjoying the same HABITS, and bound
together by sclf-intcrcst, the most powerful of
| I'll human ties.
| With this splendid example of national pros
perlty on ore section of .1mcrica is it not natu.
raj and reasonable that all the Other, sections OF
tins vast continent. by adopting similar ins:itu-
| tons, and pursuing the same enlightened princi-
Piles, will experience the same beneficial results
The new Republics that have, within the last
fourteen years, sprung into national existence
on the american continent, enjoy infinitely
greater ptySical advantages than the United
States. As regards enfent ofteryito,y Esitilit.,
of SOIL benignity of ciin1nte and metallic rcsour-
ces. South America and Mexico far surpass not
only the Unitcd States, bnt IN no Part of Europe
Asa or africa, are such great physical blessings
to be found
II is literally great virgin country, whose
plains, mountains. and forests, are without pop
ulation. 1t IS yet to be moulded by the wisdom
of its future legislatures and trust, will become
the abode and sanctuary of many millions Of
iieemcp.
.fmong these infant Republics. Colombia,
fromits geographical position, occupies favor
ed region. rrore adapted for a propitous and
rapid settlement os industrious foreigners than
any other part of .4nerica.
lis contigIity to Europe, tie United States
and the West India Islands give it more i,rics-
date and decided advantages than any other
section of South america.
The hutanus If I'a,s0;5,a and The Proy;nce Of
Cboco. are the two places marisc.! hv nature for
= iaCle ARD impCrtaEt communication bet,assaa;
the t'yo great cc'an- OF the globe: all the pysi-
cal obstacles = cl hitherto have been srIpros-
cd Us insurmouatahie, viii speedily vauisl, he
fore the sririt ard crterpriae OF the are. This
has been practically eXCnph!iei b. the eycr-
tiOls Of the citizens az 1iev yo-is who within
| the last f;Dc YcOC'5, have executed one of the
most st". erdo;is "rrTumcuts of ak and indus.
t. l.io,' IN ;,e 81 :iized World tllev have OK
c@yatcd ABOVE Nreehouds'cd and ffiu miles Of
territory, and have CoripIslrd navirabic caf,;rIs
from the ocean to fiie great interior lakes of fhe
! American cOntIEcut--tlIcy have slrmonn:cd OBJ
Stac!ea such "a DO not cxis; ciihtf al the 18Th.
mus n i[dnIDt1, - in the FrJgjpcc of (Hoco.
| n navigibic communication between the At
! IantIc ard Pacific oceans, may bc made at c-