[ Hon. V. A. Bruce. ] Typewritten volume: 'Visit to Colombia of Sir Alexander Gibb, 1929 [in connection with opening up of Boca de Ceniza on Magdalena River, and port at Barranquilla]. Record of the Tour with Return through the U.S.A. and Canada.'

[1] + 88pp., 4to. Professionally typed volume, in cloth wraps covered in grey paper, with black cloth strip over stapled spine. Title on front cover and first page. Red and gold label of the Hotel Inglaterra, Havana, Cuba, laid down on blank last leaf. Internally in fair condition, on aged and ruckled paper, in worn and damp-stained covers, with damage to the spine strip. With a handful of minor manuscript emendations. The tour was made in connection with Gibb's work on the sea walls at the Boca de Ceniza at the mouth of the Magdalena River, with a new port at Barranquilla. Initial section headings: 'London to Southampton', 'Description of M.S. Magdelena', 'The First Week at Sea', 'Second Atlantic Period', 'South American Coast Period'. Section titled 'Colombia' begins at p.19, with headings: 'Barranquilla (first visit)', 'Journey to Bogota', 'Return Journey from Bogota to Barranquilla', 'Barranquilla (second visit)'. Final section with headings: 'Puerto Colombia to Cristobal', 'Cristobal to Havana', 'Havana', 'Havana to Vancouver', 'Montreal' and 'Montreal to England'. Bruce would appear to have been acting as Gibb's personal assistant, and he gives a detailed description of the visit from a strongly business point of view, the party's various meetings providing valuable information regarding the economic factors involved in Gibb's proposed project. The party travel out on the German ship the MS Magdelana (Captain Gerdts). Among the passengers is 'Mr. Pickis, of Richter & Pickis (London, 6 Crescent Minories, and Hamburg), Agents for structural steel etc. He had had dealings with several of the South American countries. He thought Colombia a country of immense possibilities but the people, though pleasant, very difficult to deal with. They were too polite to say no and delays were often heartbreaking. Many jobs got left half-done.' Gibb has 'conversations with a Mr. Hume, an English geologist and Mr. Jan Noorduyn [Jan Noorduijn (1889-1957), footballer], a Dutchman and Chief Chemical Engineer of the Royal Dutch - Shell's subsidiary at Curacao, and on the following day we had a talk with a Dr. Rehbein, a medical man of Barranquilla, who emphasised the amount of politics and graft which goes on in Colombia and the difficulties of keeping them out of any technical problem.' Land is sighted on 26 August 1929, and a description of La Guaira harbour, on which Gibb worked, is given. 'The port is in a disgraceful state. As we draw into the wooden pier we had a good view of its one corrugated iron roof with several large unrepaired gaps in it. There was apparently some concrete pile work going on & divers were engaged upon this under the pier as we came in. We heard that this port is a British concession with a capital of £150,000 from which an annual net income of £75,000 is made, that the port charges are ridiculously high and that nothing is spent on keeping the place in order.' The drive to Caracas in a Packard ('none too new and not running perfectly but well enough to do its job') is described, and from there to Curacao, where they are entertained by the English mining engineer John Godden, owner of a number of phosphate mines in the neighbourhood. The Magdalena now takes them to the Magdalena River in Colombia. As they embark 'Colonel Warren and Bokenham' are among crowd waiting to meet them. There are encounters with individuals including 'Dr. Varello, Government Engineer in charge of the Canos', 'Mr. Higgins, Manager of the Barranquilla Railway' and 'the Mayor (alcalde) Snr. Arturo de Castro, a bluff hearty individual, proud of his English and especially the swear words which he knew, employing the latter freely in descriptions of some of our countrymen with whom he had had the misfortune to deal.' An interview with 'the Governor of the Department of Atlantico, Dr. Jose Ulises Osorio' is described. They travel by seaplane to Bogota, where they are joined by 'Dr. Alberto Dupuy, Secretary of the Consejo' and stay at the Ritz Hotel. Gibb confers over 'the legal aspect of our agreement' with his lawyer 'Dr. Urdeneta', and is then visited by the 'British Minister, Mr. Monson, and the British Vice-Consul, Mr. Lomax [...] Lomax had a very pessimistic opinion of the country's future. He did not think a Western Trunk Railway could be completed in our lifetime, conditions were all against development. If Vasces Cobo was elected and remained President for four years he would be prepared to revise his opinion.' There are encounters with 'Mr. Needham, in charge of the railway bridge works at Giradot' and 'Dr. Cabrera, Director of Navigation', whose office is run in a 'free and easy way': 'During our interview a boy entered the open door and without removing his cap poured Dr. Cabrera out a cup of coffee from a thermos flask. [...] His lady typist remained seated beside him during the interview until strolling out for a wash she returned drying her hands on one of the local paper towels leant against the window sill behind Sir Alexander's chair and finally three the paper towel in the wastepaper basket at his feet.' The party call on 'the Minister of Public Works, Dr. R. Escallon', and on 'Dr. Cordoba, Superintendent of Banks'. A description is given of 'the salt mining industry' at Zipiquirá. Back in Barraquilla, they discuss 'the Bocas position' with 'Dr. Carbonell' ('He said that, practically alone, he was fighting for Barranquilla being a Government constructed port [...]') and Rehbein (who 'gave what might be said to be the man-in-the-street view'). From Puerto Colombia they travel to Cristobal in the 'Mayari [...] a small boat of about 2,800 tons'. There is a three-page account of Havana, and the tour concludes in Vancouver, where Gibb gives 'a more or less impromptu speech' to the Board of Trade. Gibb having gone before, on 25 October Bruce leaves Montreal for London on the 'Duchess of York'.