8o AVOYAGETO Book L 



by the public fales made there. Thefe fales, though 

 not accompanied with the formalities obfcrved at Porto 

 Bello fair, are very confiderable. The traders of the 

 inland provinces of Santa Fe, Popayan, and Quito, 

 lay out not only their own ftocks, but alfo the monies 

 intruded to them by commifTions, for feveral forts of 

 goods, and thofe fpecies of provifions which are moft 

 wanted in their refped:ive countries. The two pro- 

 vinces of Santa Fe and Popayan have no other way 

 of fupplying themfelves with the latter, than from 

 Carthagena. Their traders bring gold and filver in 

 fpecie, ingots, and dufV, and alfo emeralds ; as, befides 

 the filver mines worked at Santa Fe, and which daily 

 increafe by frefh difcoveries, there are others which 

 yield the finell emeralds. But the value of thefe gems 

 being now fallen in Europe, and particularly in Spain, 

 the trade of them, formerly fo confiderable, is now 

 greatly lefTened, and confequently the reward for find- 

 ing them. All thefe mines produce great quantities 

 of gold, which is carried to Choco, and there pays 

 one fifth to the king, at an office erecSted for that pur- 

 pofe. 



This commerce was for fome years prohibited, at 

 the follicitation of the merchants of Lima, who com- 

 plained of the great damages they fuflained by the 

 tranfportation of European merchandizes from Quito 

 to Peru-, which being thus fumifhed, while the traders 

 of Lima were employed at the fairs of Panama and 

 Porto Bello, at their return, they found, to their great 

 lofs, the price of goods very much lowered. But it 

 being afterwards confidered, that reftraining the mer-^ 

 chants of Qiiito and other places from purchafing 

 goods at Carthagena, on the arrival of the galleons, was 

 of great detriment to thofe provinces ; it was ordered, 

 in regard to both parties, that, on notice being given in 

 thofe provinces, of the arrival of the galleons at Cartha- 

 gena, all commerce, with regard to European com- 

 modities, H'^ould ceafe between Quito and Lima, and 



that 



