Francisco de Paula SANTANDER (1792-1840) Colombian general and statesman, hero of Independence, he was the first president of the Republic of New Granada (Colombia and Panama, 1832-1837). L.A.S., Bogota November 2, 1821, to General Mariano Montilla; 1page in-4; in Spanish. Rare letter during his fight for independence alongside Bolivar. It will be brief, as he does not want to waste his friend the general's time, which must be devoted to the expedition. Here too, they are all crazy about the Quito expedition, because Don Simon [Bolivar] wants to assemble a formidable army and a treasure trove of money: "Por aqui tambien estamos locos con la Expedicion a Quito, pues D. Simon quiere llevar un Ejercito terrible, y una caxa llena de plata"...