ay-Herran
treaty, such a pecuniary recompense for the interest in the territory
through which the canal was to be constructed as would have gone far to
re-establish her ruined financial credit.

In 1904 the troubled term of President Marroquin came to an end, and by
the narrowest of majorities General Rafael Reyes was elected in his
place. He had been sent as a special envoy to Washington to protest
against the recognition of Panama, and to attempt to revive the
Hay-Herran treaty, and to secure favourable terms for Colombia in the
matter of the canal. He failed to do so, but it was recognized that he
had discharged his difficult task with great skill and ability. On his
accession to office as president he found the country exhausted and
disorganized, more especially in the department of finance, and the
congress was on the whole hostile to him. Finding himself hampered in
his efforts to reform abuses, the president dissolved the congress, and
summoned a national constituent and legislative assembly to meet on the
15th of March 1905, and with its aid proceeded to modify the
constitution.

Having personal acquaintance with the success of the rule of President
Porfirio Diaz in Mexico, General Reyes determined to set about the
regeneration of Colombia by similar methods. His tenure of the
presidency was extended to a term of ten years from the 1st of January
1905, and the restriction as to re-election at the end of that term was
withdrawn, other alterations being made in the constitution with the
effect of placing General Reyes really in the position of a dictator. He
soon proved that he had the ability and the integrity of purpose to use
his great opportunity for the benefit of his country. His firm and
masterful government and wise measures did much to allay the spirit of
unrest which had so long been the bane of Colombia, and though an
attempt at assassination was made in the spring of 1906, the era of
revolution appeared to be over.

The chief foreign treaties entered into by Colombia in the last quarter
of the 19th century were:--(1) A treaty with Great Britain, signed on
the 27th of October 1888, for the extradition of criminals; (2) a treaty
of friendship, commerce and navigation with Italy, signed on the 27th of
October 1892; (3) two protocols with Italy, signed respectively on the
24th of May and on the 25th of August 1886, in connexion with the affair
of the Italian subject Cerruti; (4) a consular convention wi