HE coast along the old Chimbo is more than a hundred miles Spanish Main, from from the shore, while the Nevada of Trinidad to Aspin- Saint Martha is less than fifty miles. The wall, is a mixture of tourist is always incredulous when the Florida and Switzer- peak is pointed out to him, for its shape land, where one can is much like a blanket of clouds, resting find, within a few upon the surrounding mountains; but a days' journey, any glass brings it nearer, the captain's chart climate or scenery shows its location, and he is finally comto suit his taste, from tropical jungles, pelled to accept the truth of geography. swarming with 'gators and tiger cats, to mountain crests crowned with eternal snow. As they reach the northern coast of the continent, the Cordilleras, the twin ranges of the Andes, split and scatter, and finally jump into the sea. Within view of passing ships along this historic shore, is some of the sublimest scenery on earth. Above the clouds rise peaks whose snow-capped summits seem to hang in the indolent air. One of them, the Nevada de la Santa Marta, is over seventeen thousand feet high, appearing abruptly from the group of foot-hills that bathe their toes in the surf, and sitting like a Monarch of Mountains hoary and impressive, where it can overlook the ocean as well as the land. There is no grander spectacle to be witnessed from the deck of a vessel, if we except the peaks of Teneriffe and the titanic cone of old Chimborazo, which may be seen on very clear days off the coast of Ecuador. But Between these mountains, along the coast, are narrow valleys of the most luxurious foliage, and the richest soils, which yield two and sometimes three harvests annually, and are densely populated. Coffee, sugar, chocolate, and tropical fruits are the products of the lower levels, called tierra caliente, by the Spaniards; corn, beans, wheat, and other staples of the temperate zones, grow in the next belt, called the tierra templada, while higher toward the tropic sun, at an altitude of ten or twelve thousand feet, is the tierra fria, or cold zone, in which herds of cattle and sheep find pasturage. It was in 1533 that the first city was founded on the continent. Columbus had established several colonies upon the islands, and there was a fortress built at Panama in 1518. Cortez had conquered Mexico, and Pizarro had invaded and destroyed the homes of the peaceful Incas. Most of the coast had been explored, and the King of Spain decided to found a Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1888, by The American Magazine Co., in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. All rights reserved. capital for his new empire at some convenient place, where a Viceroy might live and vessels of the fleet find shelter from the privateers that England was sending out to rob and destroy them. The location was decided upon, and the new town called Carthagena, in honor of the old city in Spain. Lima, the seat of the Viceroy of the West Coast, was founded two years after, in 1535; and these two cities were the capitals of the continent. In the time of Philip, Carthagena was Carthagena was the seat of the Inquisition in South America, and Charles Kingsley's charming novel, "Westward Ho," contains a graphic description of the place. It was here that Frank and the "Rose of Devon" were imprisoned by the priests, and the old Inquisition building in which they were tortured and burned is still standing. But it is no longer used for the confinement and crucifixion of heretics. For nearly sixty years after the overthrow of the Catholic power it stood empty, but one of the most strongly fortified places in the world, and the headquarters of commercial as well as military and naval operations. It was the rendezvous of the Spanish galleons that came to South America for treasure, and consequently the most tempting field for pirates. There are many rich mines in the mountains back of the city, which have produced millions of gold and silver, and the King of Spain thought it worth his while to build a wall around the entire city, which is said to have cost ninety millions of dollars, and upon which forty horses can still walk abreast. When the report of the Viceroy concerning the cost of this wall was made to King Philip, he is said to have taken his spyglass to the window of the palace at Madrid, and pointed it toward the west. "What is your Majesty pleased to look for?" asked the Viceroy. "I am looking for the wall around Carthagena," answered the King. "If it is as large and high as you describe, I ought to be able to see it at this distance." now it is occupied as a tobacco factory. There is an underground passage between this noted old building and an ancient fortress upon a hill overlooking Carthagena, through which prisoners used to be conducted, and communication maintained in time of siege; but like everything else about the place, it has long been in a state of decay. Some years ago a party of American naval officers attempted to explore the passage, but found it filled with obstructions, and they were compelled to abandon the enterprise. The castle is obsolete and in a state of ruin, and is used only as a signal station. When a vessel enters the harbor a flag is run up by a man on guard, to notify the Captain of the Port and the merchants of its arrival. There are some fine old churches and palaces in Carthagena, constructed of stone, which show the magnificence in which the grandees lived when the city was a commercial metropolis. Many of them are empty now, and others are used as tenement-houses. In the cathe dral, which is one of the largest and most ornate to be found in this hemisphere, is an object of much interest; a magnificent marble pulpit enriched with exquisite carvings. It ranks among the most beautiful specimens of the sculptor's art in the world. The people of Carthagena think there is nothing under the sun to equal it, and the story of its origin adds greatly to its value and attractiveness. Two or three hundred years ago the Pope, wishing to show a mark of favor to the devout people of Colombia, ordered the construction of a marble pulpit for the decoration of this cathedral in Carthagena. It was designed and carved by the foremost artists of the day at Rome, and when completed was, with great ceremony, placed on board a Spanish galley bound for the New World. While en route the vessel was captured by pirates, and when the boxes containing the pulpit were broken open and their contents found to be of no value as plunder, they were tipped overboard. But by the interposition of the Virgin, none of the pieces sank; and the English pirates, becoming alarmed at the miracle of the heavy marble floating on the water, fled from the ship, leaving their booty. The Spanish sailors got the precious cargo aboard their vessel again with great difficulty, and resumed their voyage; but before they reached Carthagena they encountered a second lot of pirates, who plundered them of all the valuables they had aboard, and burned their ship. But the saints still preserved the pulpit; for, as the vessel and the remainder of the cargo were destroyed, the marble floated away upon the waters, and, being guided by an invisible hand, went ashore on the beach outside the city for which it was destined. There it lay for many years, unknown and unnoticed. Finally, however, it was discovered by a party of explorers, who recognized the value of the carvings and took it aboard their ship en route for Spain, intending to sell it when they reached home. But the saints still kept their eyes on the Pope's gift, and sent the vessel such bad weather that the captain was compelled to put in to the port of Carthagena for repairs. There he told the story of the marble pulpit found upon the beach, and it reached the ears of the Archbishop. His Grace sent for the captain, informed him that the pulpit was intended for the decoration of the cathedral, and related the story of its construction and disappearance. The captain was an ungodly man, and intimated that the Archbishop was attempting to humbug him. He offered to sell the marble, and would not leave it otherwise. Having repaired the damage of the storm, the captain started for Europe, but he was scarcely out of the port when a most frightful gale struck him and wrecked his vessel, which went to the bottom with all on board; but the pulpit, the subject of so many divine interpositions, rose from the wreck, and one morning came floating into the harbor of Carthagena, where it was taken in charge by the Archbishop, and placed in the cathedral for which it was intended, where it now stands. Near the miraculous pulpit, in the same church, is the preserved body of a famous saint. I forget what his name was, but his remains are in an excellent state of preservation—a skeleton with dried flesh and skin hanging to the bones. He did something hundreds of years ago which made him very sacred to the people of Carthagena, and by the special permission of the Pope his body was disinterred, placed in a glass case, and sent from Rome to be kept in their cathedral, along with the miraculous pulpit. The body is usually covered with a black pall, and is exposed only on occasions of great ceremony, but any one can see the preserved saint by paying a fee to the priests. I purchased that privilege, and was shown the glass coffin standing upon a marble pedestal. The bones are large and ghastly, except where the brown skin, looking like jerked beef, covers them. During a revolution at Carthagena some impious soldiers upset the coffin and destroyed it. In the melée one of the saint's legs was lost, or at least the half of it from the knee down; but the priests replaced it with a wax substitute, plump and pink, which, lying beside the original, has a very comical effect. There is much of interest to see at Carthagena, and the place has had a most romantic and exciting history, of which there is a poetic version in Thomson's |