Chap. II. IN BOLIVIA. 37 



against it, and the President, General Belzu, put an end to 

 its existence in March 1849. 



Free trade, with a duty of twenty dollars the quintal, was 

 then established during one year ; but in 1850 exclusive 

 })rivileges were again granted to Messrs. Aramayo Brothers 

 and Co., who were to pay the Government 142,000 dollars a 

 year for the right of exporting 7000 quintals of bark 

 annually, to be pui'chased of the eascarilleros, the tabla or 

 trunk bark at sixty dollars the quintal, and the canuto or 

 quill bark at thirty to thirty-six dollars the quintal. The 

 Pinto company had only paid eighteen to twenty-tAvo dollars 

 the quintal for tahla, and eight to ten dollars for canuto bark. 

 The favourable conditions thus offered to eascarilleros in- 

 duced so great a number of persons to undertake the business, 

 that at the end of the first year more than 20,000 quintals of 

 bark arrived at La Paz — that is to say, more than twice as 

 much as the company had agreed for, and more than the 

 Pinto company had exported in five years. The Govern- 

 ment then issued a decree to prevent the smuggling of bark, 

 and another that no bark should be cut except for the com- 

 pany : but these measures caused much discontent, and in 1851 

 the Congress voted that the Executive had exceeded its powers 

 in making these aiTangements with the Aramayo company, 

 and declared them to be null and void. The Ai-amayo com- 

 pany purchased 14,000 quintals of the bark, and agreed to 

 take the same quantity diu-ing the two following years, 

 paying only a third of the price in ready money ; but a new 

 company, formed under the name of Pedro Blaye and Co., 

 engaged to purchase all the bark that was for sale, both at 

 La Paz and Cochabamba, for ready money. It was evident 

 that one or the other of these companies must break, and 

 finally that of Blaye fell. The Government then determined to 

 export the bark which remained in store on its own account, 

 paying tlie same price as had been agreed on by the company. 



