Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-02-15
A wonderruI natural Pharmacy.

People addicted to the luxury Of fever
and ague, and Western districts devoted
to 'measle matinees" or "chills soirees,
will be pleased to hear that according
to an article from the Bien Publico, of
Bogota, translated for the Panama Star
and Herald), there isin the United States
of Colombia region little known. called
San Martin. Among its vegetable pro-
ductions are to be found the Peruvian
bark trees, the essential salt of which,
known as quinine, Has become even more
indispensable to the old world than the
new.
b The limits of this territory are on the
east of that part of the Orinoco compre-
hended between the mouth of the Meta
to the north and that Of Guariari to the
south; on the north by the Meta, from its
entrance into the Orinoco to the mouth
of the river Upla, and thence up stream
as far as the limits of the district of
Gachala; on the west by the ridge of the
Eastern Cordilleras to the headwaters
of the Rio Blanco, then down current to
the mouth of the Quebrado of Susumaco
then up toward the headwaters in the
Paramo of Chingazo. This territory has
then on its east side Venezuela on the
north the territory of Casanare; on the
south the immense plain of Caqueta, and
on the west the State of Cundinamarca.
The waters of the Orinoco bathe its east
ern limits for about fifty leagues. The
Meta runs through this territory for the
space of $50 leagues. u.l
The wooded highlands of the territory
are situated in the rich zone of the
DUMAS. The trees which produce this
valuable bark abound on all the eastern
declivities of the Cordilleras, from the
headwaters of the Guariari to those of
the Upla. This zone has in the terri
tory an extension of forty leagues long
by five or six wide. At its southern and
northern extremities collections of Quina
bark are made in large quantities. To-
ward the south a company called the
Columbian Bark Company and several
individuals have been extracting and
Exporting the bark for some years past.
The high prices it brings in the markets
of the United States and Europe are
proofs sufficient of its good quality.
The part of the Cordilleras compre-
hended between the Ariare and Rio Ne
gro has not yet been touched, although
in San Martin and Villavicencio it has
the name Of being richerin DUMAS than
otherpa besides consisting entirely OF
unclaimed lands On the banks of the
Ariari the trees yielding caucho abound,
as we'll as sarsaparailla and ipecacuanha
on the Vichada. The balsam of copaiba
is collected by the Indians Of
Vichada in large quantities, and EN-
barked on the Meta for Cindad Bolivar.
A great many balsams and resins arc
mentioned, with the innumerable variety
of woods, palms and textile plants. This
is easily conceivable. In fact, the ORR
noco has attracted much less attention.
than the Amazon. Since the voyage oi
| Humboldt, when he visited the cave OF
Ataruipe, which is the sepulcher Of an
lextinct nation, our knowledge of the
natural products of this region has not
been much extended. The demand for
quinine seems to increase in the direct
ratio Of the population of civilized coun-
tries. Malaria and malarious. fevers OF
more or less intensity we find as well out
| of the tropics as in them; but the same
cannot be said of the only known sub
stance which can be depended upon to
neutralze its mysterious effects on the
human SYSTEM Such an extent of Quina
forests as the territory of San Martin is
said to possess is worth many gold mines,
and the country that owns them may well
be considered as privileged by ProN-
dence. Y