Ch. VI. SOtJ^H AMERICA. 105 



the fair comes under deliberation. And for this pur- 

 pofe the deputies of the feveral parties repair on board 

 the commodore of the galleons, where, in prefence of 

 the commodore, and the prefident of Panama-, the for- 

 mer, as patron of the Europeans, and the latter, of 

 the Peruvians \ the prices of the feveral kinds of 

 merchandizes are fettled , and all preliminaries being 

 adjufted in three or four meetings, the contra.fls are 

 figned, and made public, that every one may conform 

 himfeif to them in the fale of his effeds. Thus all 

 fraud is precluded. The purchafes and fales, as likewife 

 the exchanges of money, are tranfa6led by brokers, 

 both from Spain and Peru. After this, every one 

 begins to difpofe of his goods the Spanifh brokers 

 embarking their chefts of money, and thofe of Peru 

 fending away the goods they have purchafed, in vef- 

 fels called chatas and bongos, up the river Chagre. 

 And thus the fair of Porto Bello ends. 



Formerly this fair was limited to no particular 

 time ; but as a long flay, in fuch a fickly place, ex- 

 tremely affeded the health of the traders, his catholic 

 majefty tranfmitted an order, that the fair fhould not 

 laft above forty days, reckoning from that in which 

 the fliips came to an anchor in the harbour ; and that, 

 if in this fpace of time the merchants could not agree 

 in their rates, thofe of Spain fhould be allowed to carry 

 their goods up the country to Peru ; and according- 

 ly the commodore of the galleons has orders to re- 

 imbark them, and return to Carthagena but other- 

 wife, by virtue of a compa6l between the merchants 

 of both kingdoms, and ratified by the king, no Spanifh 

 trader is to lend his goods, on his own account, be- 

 yond Porto Beilo : and, on the contrary, thofe of 

 Peru cannot fend remittances to Spain, for purchafing 

 goods there. 



Whilst the Englifli were permitted to fend an an- 

 nual fliip, called navio de permifTo, fhe ufed to bring 

 to the fair a large cargo on her own account, never 



failing 



