48 



FRUIT TRADE. 



bad ; many of the raisins appeared bruised and burst by 

 the rain. Ten rials the arroba amounts to two dollars 

 per quintal, of 100 pounds — one penny per pound. A 

 peasant, who had come with the fruit, said they would get 

 from ten to twelve quintals from a fanega. The persons 

 in the office seemed to think, that, either from ignorance 

 or intention, he understated the quantity. This would 

 only be twenty-two dollars for a fanega, 



Mr. Delius, the clerk of the fruit department, said he , 

 thought the estimate of 1,625 pounds of Muscatels from 

 a fanega, was likely to be correct. They usually, be 

 said, expected 60 arrobas — that is, 1,500 pounds, in a 

 good season ; from 50 to 60 arrobas was the average. 

 In the neighbourhood of Messrs. Rein's stores they were 

 packing lemons. The grower gets seven dollars for a 

 case containing 1 ,000 : — the largest are sent to England. 

 They are each put into a piece of paper by women, who 

 get through the work very rapidly ; they are employed 

 by the day, and get five rials, about one shilling, for their 

 work. The green grapes sent to England are packed 

 in oak saw-dust, which is imported from England for 

 that purpose ; no other kind will answer. It is a coarse 

 fleshy grape called Loja, from the place where it is culti- 

 vated ; it keeps till April and May. There is a large 

 black grape very abundant in the markets at present, and 

 also a large green grape, neither of which is distinguished 

 for flavour ; they are sold at four quartos, about one 

 penny, a pound. 



The house of Rein and Company have extensive sugar 

 plantations at Almunecar, about 30 or 40 miles east of 

 Malaga. I had determined to accompany Mr. Delius, a 

 member of the house, to visit these plantations, in which 

 I felt a great degree of interest, as I was confident, that 



