Cíi. X. SOUTH AMERICA. 2S5 



carried on both by land and Cei. The mailers ofihips, 

 who generally refidc at LiiTja br Callao, enter into 

 partnerfhip with the landed gentlemen of Chili, that 

 the cargo of every (hip generally belongs in part to 

 the mailer •, though fome (hips are freighted, and if 

 the loading be wheat, greatly aug'r.ents its value; for 

 the fanega coils here only ten or twelve rials, or tWo 

 dollars, and the freight is from twelve rirls to tv/o pi- 

 afters. Another circumftance which raifes the price 

 of wheat at CalUo, where it is fold for twenty-four or 

 thirty rials is, that the fanega is there only fiv^e arobas 

 and ñve pounds, whereas at Chili the fanega is fix aro- 

 bas and fix pounds. 



This commerce being carried on only in fummer, 

 that feafon may be termed the fair of Valparaifo; but 

 on the approach of winter the place becomes as re- 

 markably defolate, the crowd of traders repairing to 

 Santiago, thofe only continuing at Valparaifo, who 

 cannot afford to remove. 



Valparaiso is abundantly fuppHed with provifions 

 from Santiago, and otlser places in its neighbouihood j 

 but Hiips do not victual here fo cheap as at Conception. 

 The fruits cannot be viewed without admiration, both 

 with regard to their beauty and fize, particularly a fore 

 of apples called Quiilota, being brought from that 

 place ; they prüdigiouíly exceed the largeit in Spain, 

 and bendcs their exquifue flavour, are fo lufcious that 

 they melt in the mouth. 



Among the feveral kinds of game, there is here fuch 

 a plenty of partridges in their leafon, which begins ac 

 March and la/Is fevcial fucceeding months, that the 

 Santiago mulitcers knock them down with flicks with- 

 out going out of the road, and bring great numbers of 

 them to Valparaifo. But few of thcie or any other 

 birds are fecn near the town. It is the fame with re- 

 gard to fifh*, very little being to be caught either in 



* Thiiy take their fifii by ihooting a barbed arrow i no the;Ti, 

 which has a lung hglit Lair, that iuiftrs the hih not to lirik af.cr 

 it is «raundcd. A. 



7 . the 



