At the time of the harvests, the Indians kill the mother cochineals, which arc collected on a wooden plate called chilcalizetl, by throwing them into boiling water, or heap ing them up by beds in the sun, or placing them on mats in the same ovens of a circular form (temazcalli), which are used for vapour and hot air baths. The last of these methods, which is least in use, preserves the whitish powder on the body of the insect, which raises its price at Vera Cruz and Cadiz. Purchasers prefer the white cochineal, because it is less subject to be fraudulently mixed with parcels of gum, wood, maize, and red earth. There in Mexico very ancient laws (of the years 1592 and 1594) for the prevention of the falsification of cochineal. Since 1760, they have even been under the necessity of establishing in the town of Oaxaca, a jury of vcadores, Nv ho examine the bags (zurrones) previous to their being sent out of the province. They order the cochineal exposed to sale to have the grain separated, that the Indians may not introduce extraneous matter in those agglutinated masses called bodoques. But all these means are insufficient to prevent fraud. However, that
which is practised in Mexico by the tiangueros or ran ganos (falcificadores) is inconsidcrable in comparison of that which is practised on this commodity in the ports of the Peninsula, and in the rest of Europe.
The following is a statement of the quantity of cochi neal exported at different times.
Quantity of cochineal exported from New Spain by Vera Cruz in 1787, 1788, 1789, and 1790.
Arrobas. Value in Double Piastres.
First quality, . . . . 91,346 7,764,469 Second quality, . . . 7,973 159,470 Quantity of cochineal exported in the Fleet commanded by UIloa in 1778.
Arrobas. Value in Double Piastres. First quality, . . . . 26,400 2,243,203 Second quality, . . . 1,052 21,049 In dust, 14 pieces, . . 222 Cochineal exported from Vera Cruz annually, on an average of seven years of peace.
Grana, Granilla, and Polvos de Grana, 4000 zurrones. Valued at 504,0001. sterling, See I luinholdt's Political Essay on the Kingdom of Ne•a, Spain, vol. iii. and iv. Ulloa's Voyage to South America, vol. i. p. 325. Lond. 1807. See also DYEING and ENTOMOLOGY. (70