Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, SEPT. 24, 1898. The Republic of Colombia.

Manawatu Herald, 24 September 1898, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, SEPT. 24, 1898. The Republic of Colombia.

/ News by the cable announces that' the Republic of Colombia has severed diplomatic relations with Italy and abrogated all treaties between the two countries. Such a proceeding with any real power would be of much moment, bat Italy if it was deemed necessary could make short work of this Repulio, though beyond bringing pressure to obtain justice for one subject Italy is unlikely to trouble muoh further. An exchange says " The dispute between the Colombia Republic and Italy aroße out of the seizure by the Republican Government of the assets in Colombia of an Italian subject named Gerruti, whose creditors they refused to pay oat of the property confiscated. The creditors obtained judgement against Gerruti, and a claim was make upon the Colombian Government. The affair was referred to arbitration of the President of the United States, who awarded a lump sum of several thousand to Gerruti, and charged the Republic to liquidate his debts. The money awarded was paid over, but the debts were not met and to enforce this part of the aWard the Italians had recourse to the drastic measures have led to the present complication." Colombia is a republic occupying the northwest coruer of the South American continent, and the population is mainly descended from the numerous Indian tribes partly Hispanicised in language and habits, The chief aborigines of the country, the Ckibohat inhabiting the plateau of Bogota, were a comparatively civilised race at the discovery of the New World ; the uncivilised Indians are now mostly confined in the eastern plains, the northern portion of Magdalena, and the district of Darien and the Atrato. The pure whites form about a fifth of the entire population, and the Indian halfbreds more than half; Mula> ttoes and Ztmbos, resulting respectively from the union of negroes and whites and Indians, exceed a sixth of the whole. The oapital of the country is Bogota is situated on a tableland 400 square miles in area and is a temperate zone on the verge of the equator, with a salubrious climate and a mean temperature of sixty degrees. The population is 100,000 for the town and about five millions for the republic. The standing consists of 10,000 men, and the navy of three small gunboats and one cruiser. The republic appears to have a knack of getting into hot water, as a boundary dispute between it and Costa Rica has been referred to the arbitration of France, Mexico, or Switzerland ; and the dispute with Great Britain with regard to the construction of a railway between the river Magdalena and the town of Medellin will be settled by a Court of Arbitration, appointed by the President of the Swiss Republic