The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1894-03-27


species of wildcat and panther inhabt
the forests and jungles of the Magdalena
and the Meta. The condor or AnQean eagle
is usually seen only at considerable att
tudes The pOlybOrus known in Venezuela
as the caracara) is often seen about Quad
uas Ubaque and FusugaSuGa. Parrots OF
all varieties abound everywhere below a!ti-
tudes of four and five thousand feet In
the valleys of nearly all the great rivers,
but more particularly in that OF the Meta,
there is a species OF boa constructor SINH
lar to the great boa of India, and IN all
the torrd districts IS every specie ana
variety of serpent life known IN tropical
Asia. But l do not now remember ever
to have seen Il common snake in localities
above 1900 feet altitude or black scor-
pion or a centipede at an altitude of more
than four or five thousand feet above the
sea level.
Such is the country IS nature has made
it-picturesque, beautiful and exceedingly
rich and varied in rcSources Eut as yet
man has done very little for 1t. Inc greater
part of it is still an unbroken wilderness.
Even in it's most populous and civilized dis
tricts as, for instance, on the great pidteauX
of Bogota and TUNA agriculture is stIl IN
a very primitive state, and the chIei rural
industry is cattle breeding The immense
coal and iron beds have hardly been DIS
turbed. With an abundance OF EXCEPTIONAL
IL fine water power. there are no manufac-
tories With gold and silver mines richer
and more numerous than those of California
or New Mexico, the average annual product
of gold has been little more than $23VO,W0
during the past twenty years, ana the
average annual product of silver less than
81 200 900 The richest mines are in the
remote interior difficult of access and with
out means Of transportation; and lew or
none of them have as yet been worked by
modern machinery And yet nearly hail
a century ago before the gold discoveries
on the Pacific slope, Colombia was the iIrsi,
bur one. of all tn. gold producing countries
on the continent. 1t has been said that
lin Colombia one walks on goi1 an" iiFe@
without effort ON the indigenous pFouucl9 Oh
the soil. There is only wanting laDOf ana
caDital scientific appliances and facilities
for rapid and cheap transportation to make
it the greatest gold producing country on
earth
THE commercial possibilities Of the coun-
trv are almost incalcuTabla and 1.-THE time
is not very remote when this fact will be
more fully realized by the great commercial
powers of the world. And yet COLOMBIA
highest aggregate of exports during any
one of the ten years from 1881 to lS9l never
exceeded $16,J00.000 in our currency, while
the highest aggregate of imports during
any one wear Of the same period. was not
more than $4,000 600. The reason of this
is obvious enough There are almost no
means of interior transportation. Indeed,
aside from what is afforded by the naNlGa-
ton of a few of the principal rivers, there
are absolutely none There are not exceed
ing 100 miles of operated railway IN the
whole republic, even including the forty"
seven miles across the isthmuS, and there
are as good as no dirt " macadam roads
f1i. carts o.? wagons The entire transpOrta-
ton in the interior is by pack mules and
pcones lust as il was a century ago. The
people have been too much absorbed in local
politics, and too generally occupied IN clFl
wars, to pay much attention to internal
improvements.