The Republican journal., 1902-12-18

and below. The women wear low
| necked sleeveless chemises and single
short and scanty skirt of purple calico.
However attractive the riverside ham,
lets may appear from afar-their bam-
boo walls and matched roofs shaded by
cocoa-palms-a nearer approach dis
closes filth and sQualor,s in the midst of
which black pigs and variously colored
babies roll around together. The mon
grel negroes of this section are mixed
with Indian, Latin and Anglo-Saxon
blood, so that blue eyes, freckled skins
and even red wool are not uncommon
among them. They lead most happy
go-lucky existence, subsisting upon the
fruits that grow wild in wonderful pro-
fusion and such accommodating fish as
will nibble at bit of bacon on hook
suspended from the branch of tree, at
whose other end lies a sleepy darkey,
fiat on his face in the sun.
The city of Honda, nearly eight hun
bred miles above the mouth of the Mag
dalena and the present terminus of the
steamboat routes, is by no means the
head" of that rivers navigable waters.
The growing town which has acquired
consequence only on account of the
river trade is beautifully situated at
the junction of two great streams, for
here the Gaule comes rushing down to
join the Magdalena, and on every side
rise rugged mountains. Otherwise there
is nothing about Honda to distinguish
it from thousand other towns of
Spanish America. 1t has the usual
plaza and tall-towered church, and rows
of white-washed houses rooted with
red tiles and suburban cottages thatch-
ed with straw, all shaded by cocoa trees
and groups of graceful palms. There
are few very old buildings of Spanish
origin, whose enormously thick walls
were built with special view to with
standing the earthquakes that are fire.
quent in this locality; but in spite of
their solidity, most of the old houses
were long ago shaken into ruins. To
my mind the most interesting thing
about the place is the remains of an
antique bridge, which the conquerors
built in the year 1901. Its quaint
arches.are yet entire, and the high stone
walls on either side show inches, now
dismantled, where saints and cruciixes
used to stand, commanding the worship
of all wayfarers. Those stern crusa-
ders built for all time; and in the
midst of their cruelty and greed for
gold, they never forgot the outward tok-
ems of religion.
The Magdalena river, which is to Co.
lombia what the Nile is to Egypt, is
navigable for small vessels many miles
above Honda 1t runs through nearly
all the rich State of Tolima, which, be-
ing level with the stream. and regular
ly overfowed with it's rising tide after
the rainy season, is the best agricultu-
raj portion of the Republic. Until
within the last few years, Tolima sup
piled the greater portion of Colombia S
SAPOlu uS IIuOC. lIdUCly llON :
ever the two eastern states have been
more extensively cultivated: and these,
being so conveniently situated for for
eign trade, possess remarkable fertility
of soil and the added advantage of be-
ing intersected by several considerabl
streams. So for the last decade they
have been yielding at least two-thirds
of Colombia's entire export produce.
The Cauca river, which runs through
this region, is itself navigable for light
draught steamers to Cali, place about
IS miles from the Pacific seaport,
Buenventura. In our favored land one
can hardly realize what an inestimable
boon navigable river is in roadless
country. The Cauca valley is best de-
scribed as level upland Sc
ries of uncultivated meadows, lying
nearly six thousand feet above the sea,
overgrown with tall rank grasses. 1t
is the ideal grazing land of the world,
and besides might easily be made to
produce cotton, coffee, sugar-cane, to-
bacco, as we'll as corn, potatoes and
other products of the temperate zone.
Its average temperature is only II de-
grees Fair. and its present population
is below 100000. Another magnificent
river is the Atrato, whose valley is
much like that of the upper Magdalena.
Bogata de Santa Fe, the Capital of
Colombia, is only seventy miles from
Honda; but the journey thereto leading
over the main cordillera of the Andes
is extremely tedious and can only be
made on mule-back. From time to
time during the last quarter century
, various North American companies
, have attempted the construction of a
railroad between these two points.
Some forty-fve miles of track have
actually been laid; but those in charge
of the work have been compelled, again
and again, to abandon it, on account of
revolutions and the impossibility of Sc
curing laborers. The natives will not
| work, and SO far no amount of pay
, ! offered has hean able tn Sacura immj