Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.1): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

1829. MANUFACTURES EXPORTS — IMPORTS. 279 purpose. Of the latter indigo is much used, and it is the general colour for the ground-work of the ponchos. Frezadas, bordillas, sabanillas, mantillas de lana, blankets or rather counterpanes of diiFerent textui'es, are also among the manufactures : none of the above are exported, being made merely for their own use. Cables, hawsers, and rope, they make of a plant, called Quili- neja, which is supposed to be the root of a species of CallLvene. No wine or spirit is made in the province, but Chicha (a very good cyder) is manufactured from apples. The only other fruit produced is the ' Frutilla,"* a kind of strawberry. The exports must very nearly amount to the value of foreign imports, which consist principally of sugar, wine, brandy, salt, wearing apparel, and household furniture. The import duty on European and North American produce is twenty-seven per cent. ; from which, however, some articles, such as arms and munitions of war, instruments of music, and other things of less importance, are exempt. Spirits of all kinds, foreign wines, tobacco, tea, and cards, are monopolized by the government, and sold at an immense profit. The unauthorized sale of these goods is declared illegal, and is punishable by a heavy fine, and sequestration of goods. The exports, during the year 1828, consisted of wood in beams, planks, and boai-ds ; hams, wheat, a small quantity of dried fish, fire-wood, and brooms,* to the amount of 52,320 dollars, of which 35,683 dollars were for wood, and 10,887 for wheat. These articles were exported in sixteen vessels under national, and eight under foreign flags. The exports are said to be increasing veiy much. In the year 1791, Agiieros des- cribes the exports of alerse planks (tablones) to Lima, to be between fifty and sixty thousand in number ; and some years previous to have been in a much greater quantity. The number of alerse boards exported, during the last year, was 328,928, but of planks only 2,623. The island, and neighbouring part of the main land, produce * Potatoes are not mentioned in the report, yet they must have been exported iu considerable quantities.