538 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818. 



coaches and carriages of all 

 sorts, codfish, mackarel, shad, 

 and herring, leather, boots, and 

 shoes, powder, and munitions 

 of war, and naval stores, ships 

 and vessels, particularly those 

 calculated for their navy, or for 

 privateers. 



From Brazils, they receive 

 sugar, coffee, cotton, and rum. 



From the north of Europe, 

 they receive steel and iron ; and 

 from France, a number of articles 

 of its manufacture. 



Their foreign commerce is 

 principally carried on by British 

 capitalists, though there are some 

 Americans, a ftiw French and 

 other foreign merchants, also 

 settled at Buenos Ayres ; they 

 are all placed, I believe, on the 

 same footing of equality. 



The revenue of the state may 

 be estimated at about three mil- 

 lions of dollars annually ; but 

 their system of finance is very 

 imperfect; and, although their 

 debt is small, their credit is low. 

 They have hitherto avoided the 

 issuing of paper money, and they 

 have no established bank ; but 

 they have sometimes anticipated 

 their revenue, by giving due bills 

 receivable in payment for duties 

 or goods imported, or articles 

 exported; the impost furnishes 

 the principal part of the revenue. 

 A copy of their tariff, as at first 

 established, was some time since 

 transmitted, I believe, to the 

 department of state ; in this, the 

 duties were generally specific and 

 high. I understand they have 

 been lately reduced, as their 

 exorbitancy had occasioned much 

 smuggling. 



Voluntary contributions from 

 those friendly to the revolution, 



and forced loans from the Old 

 Spaniards, have constituted ano- 

 ther portion of their funds. To 

 show the public capital adequate 

 to all exigencies, their different 

 civil, militar)-, and naval establish- 

 ments have been taken into view, 

 and are comprised in the estimate 

 furnished — a thing unusual with 

 us ; but they have omitted their 

 public lands, which, if a prudent 

 use be made of them, must, at no 

 distant day, become a very pro- 

 ductive source of revenue to the 

 state. 



The mines of Potosi, which, in 

 all probability, will very soon fall 

 into their hands again, may fur- 

 nish them with a considerable 

 supply of the precious metals. 

 It is stated, on respectable autho- 

 rity, that so late as the year 1790, 

 the amount of gold and silver 

 coined at Potosi in that year was 

 calculated to have been 299,846 

 dollars in gold, and 2,983,176 

 dollars in silver. 



Tlieir army is composed of re- 

 gular troops, civicos, and militia. 

 In one or other of these classes, 

 they are educated to the military 

 art ; and, as far as I had an op- 

 portunity, and was capable of 

 judging, they appeared to be well 

 acquainted with the elements of 

 their profession. Their forces, 

 according to the paper furnished, 

 are estimated at nearly 30,000 

 men. They are composed of 

 1,296 artillery, 13,693 infantry, 

 and 14,718, cavalry; of which 

 12,143 are troops of the line, 

 7,041 are civicos, and 10,573 

 militia. These form the different 

 armies of the centre of Peru, of 

 the Andes, of Cordova, and the 

 auxiliary forces in the Entre Rios. 

 This statement, however, only 

 § includeis 



