As the political course o...
The Times, 1824-11-10T00:00:00

As the political course of the irew Republics in South America secems pretty much dletermined by a inass of cir- cumtistances whiclh are open to all the world, it appears to us that lhe curiosity of our countrymen mighit be more fitly directed to the details of their internal condition, than to calculations bearing merely upon the iiterests or temper of these Govern mnets with regard to foreign States. Let- ters which we have seen from residenlt merchlants throw light uipon v.arious matters of economy anil commerce, throughouit these infanit societies anal strike us to be wor- thy of some attention, at least from our commercial readers. A correspondent at Buenos Ayres laments the universal glut of that extensive market, in every article of commerce, so that " none btnt tlhe commissionr-merchanit can derive any profit." Rtasoning a little more accurately, the writer might see reason to witlhdraw the exception wbhicl lie has made in thle "cimmission mnrchartis" favotlr; for the effect of a glut is asuspensionor conitractioni of busi- ness, whiclh operates as much against the factor as any othet person in trade. h'l'e wiies imported are not the bighest priced French, Spanislh, and Sicilian, each comes in for share; but the consumption of port is, as usual, confined) to John Bull andl those who carouse witlh him. An ad va- leIrenr duty is levie(l on these articles of 25 per cent. All transactions conniecte(d with the lan(uing and stowage of goods are described to dlrawv after them enormotus chlarges, equalling in amount the whole expense of freiglht out- wardls from Londlo. The great importation from Europe, on the other hand, has createil a corresponding demand for country proluce, anid such an enhancement of its price on the spot, as:cannot be supported here: a loss botli ways is complained of as the result of this piosition. The im- ports of British goods into Buenos Ayres are estimated at no less tlan a miliion and a lalt' sterling: but it spems that n naatural etTect of the extreme cheapness of our manai- faciures is to raise a dlesire for goods of better quality in rlie Sotrrh Americans-a taste whichi must generate a new series of stages in this commerce. It is stated posi- tively that all sorts of coarse prints, ironitongery, hard- wvare, earthen-ware, china, tools, &c., are cheaper in La Plata thani in England. This evil, however, must work its own cure. Between North A:nerica andl Benos-Ayres the trade is in flour on one sile ; and Imides, &c., on the other. Wages of labour are too high at Buenos-Ayres, not merely for manufactures, but for tillage. A bree(ling farm, howevcr, 40 miles from town, re)ays the capitalist an in- terest of 30 per. cent. ; gar(lens are destroyed by the un- conquerable auts ; andl lpeach-trees reared for fire- zbood ! A few individuals treat that fine fruit-tree imore respectfully, and, leaving it to bear, distil goqd brandy from their peaches. The excessive lrouse-,rent fol- lows from the rapid influx of strangers, and from the high price of masons' and. laboirers' work. Any common artisan asks oni an average ]Os. wages per diem; and a common labourer a dollar 0ndI half, Ss. 6-d. This resem- bles the UTnite(d States at a period within our memory. House-servants fetch near sol. per annum. Goo(d encou- ra,ement this for thousands of our industrious cguntrymen, wvho might, in halt'a dozen years, realize a comfortabl* in- dependence. The most singular phbnomenon offerenl to us is tire highi price of lantl near Buenos Ayrc;, whicil is re- presented at one mile from the city, to be worth 2001. per acre. Before there existsany great facility of cirmmunication throug houtacountry,land wvill vary mtlch in value aecording to its local situation. Roadls and canals have ione wonders throughout England towards equalizing the pIi6e of laiud iHi all respects but that of its productive quality. If grand dinmers and crowded balls ean be admitted as measures of civilization any where, La Plata, according to the corres- pon:lenice we have secn, advances with laudable rapidity. Gentlemen give balls to 200 people, which cost them as many pounds: they could hardly do it better in London. The politics of our mercantile friends are too rcfined for us: they deprecate a speedy recognition of South American independence by Great Britain, because there is nothing but the fear of Spain to keep thenii from throttling each other ! We should like to see the experiment made, and have little apprehension of the consequence.