FRUIT TRADE. 47 



The boxes are partly Bloom or Sun raisins^ but prin- 

 cipally Muscatel. The barrels and frails are chiefly 

 Leccias. 



In the spring, shipments are made for the Baltic, and 

 small parcels are sent, at all times, in assorted cargoes. 

 On the whole, INIr. Kirkpatrick is of opinion, that from 

 20 to 25 per cent, may be added to the shipments of the 

 fruit season, to make up the whole export from Malaga. 

 This would make the whole weight of raisins annually 

 exported from Malaga from 4,000 to 4,500 tons. The 

 almonds shipped from Malaga are of the kind called Jor- 

 dan ; and these, as well as the Muscatel raisin, will only 

 grow in a very limited disti-ict. Mr. Kirkpatrick has this 

 day about 100 women shelling almonds in his yard. This 

 costs three rials a fanega, which yields from 20 to 22 lbs. 

 of shelled almonds. A fanega is the produce of about 

 four trees. The grower gets from three to four dollars 

 for a fanega. The women break each almond separately, 

 laying it on a small anvil, and striking it with a small 

 iron rod ; others pick them out from the shells on a table. 

 The confectioners purchase the shells for their fires, and 

 .they almost pay the expense of shelling. Such is the su- 

 perior value of the Jordan almond, that the duty upon 

 them in England is £4. 15s. per cwt., which is double 

 that upon the common sorts. The Jordan almond is dis- 

 tinguished in appearance from the common, or Valencia 

 almond, by its greater length. 



Monday^ 24th October. — I this day visited the stores 

 of Messrs. Rein and Company, the first mercantile house 

 in Malaga. They were receiving, in one store, Lexia 

 raisins from the country. The grower, in the beginning 

 of the season, got ten rials the arroba, of 25 lbs. ; the 

 price is now only seven. The quality this season is very 



