Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-12-29

The principal articles Gfexpor. are The me
talsalready mentioned together with whest,
-four, hemp, cordage, hides, tal'ow, JeH ed
beef, y-cunis, guanaca, chinchil.a skins,
figs, raisins, DC. OF 4OO, 900 Of dollars
worth Of imports in the course Of the LOST
year, two millions in value were from Eng,
land, one from the United States. and one
from Buenos Ayres. The articles furnished
from the United States are chiefly tobacco,
windsor chairs, saddlcry, and furnitre.-
OfEuropean commodities, Mr.. Bland thinks
the manufactures OF France and Germany
are preferred. The stocks OF cattle are nu.
merous and fine the horses are active, spi-
rited, serviceable and cheap; bu, tic mules
are the common beasts OF burden. The
soil and climate Of Chile are different in dit
ferent places from the straits Of Chacao to
the river Biodio, il Is woody, fertile, and
salubrious, and is inhabited by the Arauca-
mans or natives from the Biobo TO the RI:
yer Mau!e, the country is the same, but The
population is Spanish; from the Maule TO
the Aconcagua, still fertile but no forests
from The valley of Aconcagaa THE mine
country presents itself, which is less fruit
full on the surface: after the mine country,
the dreary dcsart Of Ataeama, upwards of
300 miles in extent, affords protection t6
the Chileans from any invasion by land tfbin
Peru. From the straits Of Chacao TO the ri
yer Maule Il rains at any season al San'ia-
90 de Chile there is no rain for seven
months in The year; and beyond Capiapo
rains are hardly known. Mr.. Bland d.
vides the country into two regions-the one
variable and humid, and the other invaria.
bic and dry. Fuel, in some pats, is Scarce;
but it is said there is plenty Of pit coal on
the banks Of the Biobio, near Coheep-
lion. The Archipelago Of Ancud, or Chi.
loe, contains forty.seven islands: it is con-
siderable fishery, and will be nursery for
seamen. There are only three carriage
roads in all Chile. The fertile part Of the
soil is situated in valleys. surrounded, for
the most part, ny bills and mountains and
the inhabitants of these valleys communi-
cate with each other principally by mule
paths. Mr.. Bland describes the people &c!
Morally as being " mild, amiable, brave and
uniformed" Santiago is the capital, and
contains about 10000 souls. The royals
lists have possession Of Pence, and consi-
derable district around Conception, which
is their stronghold; they retain, also, VAL
DIVA and Chloe. The Patriot army, at a
medium, (ior Mr.. Irrisarri and Mr. Bland
differ on this point, is about 5000 strong;
5000 Of which are negroes from Buenos
Ayres; there are no Chilean officers in it,
however, above the rank Of captain, With
the exception OF O'Higgins, who is brisa.
der under San Martin, and colonel Ray
mon Fryere. The navy consists Of but
turee or tour indifferent vessels but would
be increased by the addition Of two new
ships OF war, to be called San Martin and
Chacabtco, built at New York, and for
which. purpose Messrs. Aguirre and Gomez
were, considerable time since, sent to the
United States from Bueuos Ayres with mo-
ney. A superior naval force is indispensa-
Bile to enable the ChiIeans ~ invade Peru,
! for the desart Of Alacama prevents them
from marching thither by land. The Chi
leans have no seamen of their own.
The revenue Of the government in Chile
is derived from duties on imports and ex-
ports; from an excise which is laid upon
almost every thing that is sold (; from d.
rect tax, the mines, papal bulls, printed in
dulgencies for. the living and the dead, a
crusade tax, tythes. forfeited estates OF the
Jesuits, voluntary contributions, and from
confscated estates Of the enc mics of the
Patriot cause. The officers of the customs
and the judges of the commercial courts re.
ceive no regular salaries, and duty is inn
posed on merchandise to compensate them
in addition, traders quicken their exertions
by presents or bribes. There are 10000
monks and nuns in the country. The church
holds one third of the landed property OF
the state. The church lands are farmed out
10 tenants, who let them again to under.te-
nants, and these last work them with slaves:
thus three sets of idlers are supported upon
the product OF the laboring class. In
addition to their landed estates, The reli-
gious institutions have what are called their
ccnsos, or money let out at an interest pf