44
ovalle’s historical relation of chile.
profit, fo as to be able to fet up a young beginner. When I came to Lima, I obfervedthat the annifeed, which had been bought at Chile for two pieces of eight, was foldthere for twenty ; and the cummin feed, bought at twenty, was fold for fourfcore ;which makes merchants very willing to trade to thofe parts, as hoping to grow rich ina fmall time ; and this increafes the riches of Chile , by drawing every day thither menwith good flocks. The gains made this way are fo confiderable, that a man who hasabout forty thoufand crowns to employ in land, flocks, and Haves, to take care ofthem, may every year have a revenue of ten or twelve thoufand crowns, which is again of twenty-five per cent, very lawful, and without any trouble to one’s confcience,or fubje&ion to the dangers of the feas ; for thofe who will run the hazards of thatelement gain much more; for the merchants, by many commodities, get a hundred,and two hundred, nay, three hundred per cent, in a navigation of about three weeks,which is the time ufually employed from Chile to Lima, without any fear of pirates,all thofe feas being entirely the king of Spain ’s, and fo free from thofe robbers. Be-fides, it is very feldom that any florms are felt in that voyage, or, at leafl, not any thatendanger the lofs of the fhips. The greateft danger proceeds from the covetoufnefs ofthe owners and merchants, who trufting to the peaceablenefs of thofe feas, and thatthey fail all the way from Chile to Lima before the wind, they load up to the mid-maft. It is no exaggeration; becaufe I have feen them go out of the port with provi-fions for the voyage, and other neceffaries, as high as the ropes that hold the marts ;and though the king’s officers are prefent to hinder the fhips from being overloaded,yet generally they are fo deep in the water, that they are but juft above it; and withall thefe, there are many goods left behind in the magazines of the port; for the landis fo productive of every thing, that the only misfortune of it, is to want a vent for itsprodud, which is enough to fupply another Lima, or another Potofi, if there wereone.
It is upon this foundation that it is affirmed generally, that no country in all America has a more folid eftablilhment than Chile ; for, in proportion to the increafe of inha-bitants in Peru, Chile mull increafe too in riches, fince it is able to fupply any greatconfumption, and yet have enough of its own in all the kinds of corn, wine, flefh, oil,fait, fruits, pulfe, wool, flax, hides, tallow, chamois, leather, ropes, wood, and tim-ber, medicinal remedies, pitch, fifh of all kinds, metals of all forts, and amber. Therewants filk ; and it is to be wifhed that it may never get thither, but for ornament tothe altars ; for it is already the beggaring of the country, by reafon of the great ex-pence in rich clothes ; particularly by the women, who are not outdone in this, evenby the braveft ladies of Madrid , or other parts ; but yet the land is fo proper for filk-worms, that if any one carries the feed of them there, I am perfuaded it will take withgreat abundance, the mulberry-trees being there already as full grown, and in as greatbeauty as in Spain .
The wax likewife comes from Europe , though there are bees which make bothhoney and wax. Pepper, and other Eaft India fpices, come from abroad, thoughthere is a kind of fpice which fupplies the want of them very well; and the authorsabove cited fay, that in the ftraights of Magellan, there is good cinnamon ; and thaton thofe coafts there grow trees of a moft fragrant fmell in their bark, and which havea tafte like pepper, but of a more quick favour, as it fhall be made out when we treatof that ftraight.
In the whole kingdom, the herbage and the fifhing are in common ; as alfo the hunt-ing ; and the woods for fuel and timber ; and the fame is pra&ifed as to the fait mines.
9 There