The most extraordinary production in the vicinity of the cocoa district is a species of grass called Gama lote ; its blade resembles barley, but is longer, broad. er, thicker, and rougher. It grows in many places, and attains the prodigious height of eight or nine feet. In the time of the inundations it is beaten down, and becomes rotten, but as soon as the water has subsided and it begin to get dry, the heat of the sun produces a quickness of vegetation unknown to any other tribe of vegetables. In a few days it shoots up to its natural growth, and then furnishes to the proprietors of cattle the most nutritious means for fattening them that is known in any part of the world. Among the curious productions of this favoured climate, one deserves notice on account of its singularity and utility. On a shrub called Ubillo, similar to the Uva-espina, small berries are produced of a blackish colour, and very abundant. From the juice of this berry, without any other ope ration than merely expressing it, an excellent ink is procured. On its first application to paper, it assumes a scarlet colour, but by a short exposure to the air it becomes a beautiful black. Its colour is so du rable, that when the hands are stained with it, great pains and much time is required to remove the stain. The berry is sometimes dried and reduced to pow der, which is converted into a very useful portable ink, by the addition of water alone. The govern ment is so satisfied with the durable colour of this ink, that the Viceroy of Santa Fe has issued a de cree, which is still in force, forbidding any other ink to be used in the public records but that which is prepared from this berry. A tree called Tibar has its wood of a deep mulberry colour ; it is beautifully veined and almost incorruptible ; it is used fer furni ture to some small extent, but if introduced in more polished countries, would probably become an ar ticle of active commerce. A most valuable produc tion is the plant called Trezlejon. It is about six feet in height, has no leaves except at the top, where they grow in a bunch, each leaf a foot and half broad, covered with white and soft cotton like down. It is a resinous plant, and a gum of delicate white ness and great purity exudes from it. Those who travel in the mountainous countries use the down on the leaves to make beds ; the leaves form coverings for their huts ; the wood supplies them with fuel, and the gum is used for illumination in the churches, and on occasions of public festivals in the streets. The most important vegetable pro duction of New Granada is the Cinchona, or Jesuits' bark, a production which has conferred most exten sive benefits on the whole human race. The tree from which the bark is produced is called, in Santa Fe, Palo de Calenturas by the Spaniards, and Cas cara de Loxa by the Indians. It grows principally on the mountains which surround the city of Loxa, in the southernmost part of the viceroyalty; but be came known in Europe by the name of Peruvian bark, from that province having, at the period of Pi zarro's conquest, formed a recent addition to the em pire of the Incas. The tree is of a moderate height; its trunk is short, and produces several branches ; the leaves are sm6oth, entire, and thick, and in shape resemble the head of a lance ; they are about two inches broad, and three long. The top of each branch of the tree bears flowers resembling those of the lavender plant. These flowers turn red, and are succeeded by russet grains, flat, and resembling small leaves. It is difficult to procure these seeds from the tree in a perfect state, because, as they ripen, they immediately fall, and leave the pods dry and empty. The Indians, who knew its virtues, kept this tree long secret from the Spaniards, who only introduced bark into Europe in 1640. The lady of the viceroy having been attacked by a violent fever, the corregidor of Loxa administered the powder, and performed a cure. As she first distributed it, it ob tained thereby the name of the countess's powder. In 1649, the procurer-general of the Jesuits of Ame rica returned to Rome with a considerable quantity of the powder, which the members of the society dis pensed, and cured fevers, as if by magic. Hence, in France it acquired the name of Poudre des peres, and in England of Jesuits' bark. It has been found in other mountains in the equinoctial regions ; and the examinations of that able botanist, Dr Mutis of Santa Fe, have been directed with great ability and effect, to discriminate the various species, and to as certain the efficient value of them.
The plains in the elevated parts of the viceroyalty are admirably calculated for the breeding and fatten ing of cattle, and the number of sheep and cows is very great. Many individual cultivators have flocks of twenty-five thousand sheep, others more, and even the poorest Indians have large flocks. The flesh is excellent, and the wool furnishes the inhabitants with warm clothing ; but by the impolitic laws of Spain, which discourage manufactures in her colonies, no cloth is made ; and therefore the domestic manufac.
tures produce only blankets and coverlids„which are afterwards appropriated to clothe the poorer classes. The ewes produce lambs twice in the year, at Christ mas and at St John's tide, or the European mid summer.
The black cattle are fattened on the elevated pas tures in a very short period ; they are brought from the extensive plains in the lower regions for that purpose, and improve rapidly by the change of cli mate ; but whenever the contrary plan is adopted, and the cattle from the hills are sent to the low country, they become lean, sicken, and soon die, from the profuse perspiration which the change creates.
In the best inhabited parts of the viceroyalty, they are neither troubled with muskitos, jegos, or any venomous snakes. Hurricanes, tempests, and earth quakes are unknown near the capital; but the south ern part of the country seems to be the theatre on which the latter exhibit their greatest force.
The temperate elevations are peculiarly healthy ; the length of human life, and the increase of popula. tion consequent upon it, exceeds that in any other part of the Spanish dominions, and perhaps any other countryin the globe. The most common disease is the dropsy, which afflicts all ages, but more especially ad vanced life. It is supposed to arise from that want of due perspiration, which is experienced in a climate of moderate temperature, and of unvaried uniformity. The common cure for this disease is a journey to the warm regions below them ; if the removal is made by gradual descents from one warm situation to an other, the patient does not suffer, but receives bene fit, when thus removed even from extreme cold to extreme heat. Those who are most anxious to pre serve their health change their residence from one climate to another annually.
What we have hitherto said relates to the most po pulous portions of the country, which are situated at the elevation of from 5000 to 9000 feet above the le vel of the sea. The country on the lower levels, such as Carthagena, Santa Marta, Rio de la Hacha, Maracaybo, Panama, and Choco, differ but little in soil, climate, and productions, from the islands in the West Indies, or from the Dutch, French, and Eng lish settlements in Guyana.
Those immense plains at the foot of the Cordilleras, which are crossed by the Meta, the Orinoco, and the numerous tributary streams which supply their wa ters, merit some notice. The whole country is a continued plain, covered with grasses, which grow to such a height and thickness as to be impassable, except on horseback. Travellers who cross them follow each other in single files, each keeping the same track ; if they should deviate from it, they are exposed to the danger of losing themselves. These plains are stocked with unreclaimed sheep, horses, and cows in prodigious numbers, luxu riating on the spontaneous productions of the un cultivated and unexhausted soil. On these ex tensive districts, rich as they are in animal life, and in vegetative power, there are scarcely any owners of land; each takes what extent be plea ses, and occupies it without interruption, and with out any other measurement, than that of walking round a portion for eight, ten, or twelve days, ac cording to his desire, for more or less extensive tracts. Those who wish to establish a cattle farm, hacienda de ganado, begin by constructing, on the spot they select, a house, the materials for which the palm trees supply them with. A few friends are joined with them, well mounted, and a provision of dried meat is furnished, when they proceed in quest of the cattle to stock the farm. They are easily found, by beat ing about in the high grass which conceals them ; they are driven to the new habitation, are there branded on the horn with a hot iron, or their ears slit in some peculiar manner, so as to be recognised as cattle that have an owner. If they find any pre viously marked, they are dismissed from the selec tion, but all the others are considered, when marked, as belonging to the new farm. They frequently se lect, when driven into a large count or enclosure, such of the cows as are with calf, and are the best, which serve as a breeding stock, and, slaughtering the others, either dry them for distant consumption, or for their own food. Many of these haciendas have belonging to them from 60,000 to 100,000 head of black cattle, all branded or ear-marked. It is found less difficult than would be previously supposed to collect these extensive herds. In the unreclaimed state they are not vicious, and, being very well fed, they are not disposed to roam far. They are more ea sily conducted when in herds than when solitary, and the natives have acquired wonderful dexterity in catching them. The stocking a new hacienda is a kind of' holiday, which collects to the spot all the most robust and agile inhabitants of considerable dis tricts; abundance of meat is to be obtained for kill ing it ; the sport is to them highly exhilarating, and the feast is prolonged through many days, accompa nied with all the demonstrations of rustic hilarity.