VALPARAISO. 



281 



1st. Coquimbo, embracing the provinces of Atacama, Coquimbo, and part of Aconcagua, 

 134,136, 



2d. Valparaiso, <-ml>i -acing part of Aconcagua, Valparaiso, Santiago, and Colchagua, 524,531. 



3d. Concepcion, embracing Chiloe, Valdivia, Concepcion, $uble, Maule, and Talca, 452,233. 



It is true that the most convenient roads for transportation from the ports to every part of the 

 districts thus laid off do not terminate at the proposed ports of entry, and reshipment would, of 

 necessity, be made from each to minor towns on the coast. But the necessity for this reship- 

 ment still exists, and the distances would !< <l, if the commerce were divided, as the 

 demand indicates. Now let us see what were the actual imports and exports coastwise from 

 these ports during the year 1850. 



Home Consumption. 



Thus Valparaiso, with less than half the population to supply through the most direct 

 channels, engrossed f of all the foreign importing trade, whilst the other ports have shipped 

 directly one half the means to pay the debt so incurred, besides sending to it native produce 

 equal in value to the remainder of the foreign obligation. 



This, then, being Chile, commercially speaking, no more proper occasion can occur in which 

 to exhibit its trade with other nations; and the following tables, compiled from the annual 

 statistics, published under the direction of the Minister of Finance, will show its progress 

 during the last eight years. Premising that the number of vessels of all descriptions which 

 bore its flag on the 1st of January, 1852, was 209, more than half of them naturalized pur- 

 chases and of these quite one half within two years the maritime movement is shown in the 

 following table : 



Number of Vessels arriving in all the ports of Chile, <tc. 



* The Increase is principally due to vessels en route Tor California, which touched for supplies. 



f The ports of Coquimbo and Talcaliuano (Concepcion) were closed to vessels during the civil war, from September to December ; which will explain 

 the falling off. 



