educe their slaves to this necessity on account of their own
reputation, and because the slaves are generally so much attached to
their masters, that the greatest punishment which could be inflicted on
them were to sell them to others. It even frequently happens that those
who have received their freedom in reward of good conduct, do not avail
themselves of it, that they may not lose the protection of the family
they belong to, from which they are always sure of subsistence. Masters
however have the right to correct their slaves, and the kind and degree
of punishment is left with them, except in capital crimes.

The internal commerce of Chili has hitherto been of small importance,
notwithstanding the many advantages possessed by this fertile country.
Its principal source, industry, or necessity rather, is still wanting.
An extensive commerce requires a large population, and in proportion as
the one increases, the other will necessarily advance. A communication
by water, which greatly facilitates the progress of commerce, has
already been opened. In several of the Chilese ports, barks are now
employed in the transportation of merchandise, which had formerly to be
carried by land on the backs of mules, with great trouble and expence;
and this beneficial alteration will probably be followed with others of
greater importance. Several large ships have been already built in the
harbour of Conception, and at the mouth of the river Maule, in the port
of Huachapure; by which the external commerce of the kingdom is carried
on with Peru and Spain. In the trade with Peru, twenty-three or
twenty-four ships are employed, of five or six hundred tons each, part
of which belong to Chili and part to Peru. These usually make three
voyages yearly, and carry from Chili wheat, wine, pulse, almonds, nuts,
cocoa-nuts, conserves, dried meat, tallow, lard, cheese, bend-leather,
timber for building, copper, and a variety of other articles; and bring
back return cargoes of silver, sugar, rice, and cotton. The ships which
trade directly from Spain to Chili, receive gold, silver, copper,
Vicugna wool, and hides, in exchange for European commodities. A
permission to trade to the East Indies would be very profitable to the
Chilese, as their most valuable articles are either scarce or not
produced in these wealthy regions of Asia, and the passage across the
Pacific Ocean would be easy and expeditious, in consequence of the
prevalence of southerly winds.