Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1848-09-07

YANKEE PRINTERS IN BoGoTA-In the
month of January lash bevy of compost
tors, pressmen and book binders, left New
York for Bogo,a, capital of New Grenada.
having been engaged on behalf of the gov
eminent of .hat Republic to establish print
ing office and book-bindery there. They
arrived at Bogota on the 18th of March,
having stopped ten days at Santa Martha
A letter from one of them, dated April 18th,
gives an amusing account of their journey
from Santa Martha to the capital. We sub
Join a few extracts -
sour frst stage was to The city of Nom
pos 300 miles, which we accomplished in
len days. The mode of travelling here is
no. quite so luxurious as have known !;
The only conveyance being boat of rude
construction, called bungo, with a thatch-
ed cover over part of it, for the. cabin pas
sengers. We flour of us) got a servant a.
Santa Martha, whose business it was to cook
for US and interpret The old rascal stole
our liquor, provisions, and sold our other
supplies, and we were obliged TO buy on
shore. We had high time in the bungo
While you in New York were freezing, we
on the Magdalena were roasting the mel-
curry standing at between 80 and 100; the
mosquitoes thick that they might have
carried Us off bodily, had there been the
least unanimi,y of feeling among them
The boat is propelled by (naked) Indians,
who run fore and aft with long poles, which
they stick in the bottom of the river. Each
step is accompanied by a yell and an oath
of the most horrid desert plion. The boat
stopped at shutdown every night, and we
picked out soft places for a bed on the shore,
among the snakes, alliga.ors, Sc, which
are very plentiful in these parts.
"When we reached Mompos, We found a
steamboat (The Nueva Granada bound up.
This was very fortunate for it shortened our
travel at least one month. We took pas
sage for Honda, the head of navigation, $50
miles further up, and got there in fifteen
days, though we came near going to Davy
Jones' in the attempt. The navigation is
mos, rsscslly. From Honda, we proceeded
on mules over the mountains. This is the
mos. interesting portion of the route
Some tall travelling here. This mus, be
the wors. road in the world. We were six
days in crossing to Bogola, so miles, some
times up in the clouds freezing, and some
times in the valleys, and roasting.
"Bogota is finely situated at the bases
oftwo high mountains called Montserrat and
Guadalupe the former of which is crown
ed by large convent and church. The
city is built in the old Spanish style, with
open SQUARES in the centre of the houses
There are many fine churches, an immense
cathedral, converts, nunneries, &c. Thi.
is Holy Week, and the streets are full O
religious professions, bearing about images
crosses, tableaux representing the scourgine
of Christ, his trial, crucifxion between two
thieves, SC, in figures the size of life
'Our printing materials have not arrived
here yet, and we have nothing to do but Il
walk about. We had great difficulty il
finding habitation OFT our first arrival here
for there are no hotels. was obliged /.
quarter myself on the Americans established
here"