The public revenue of this viceroyalty is derived from various sources, of which the following statement is liven by NI:. Wilcockc in his History of Buenos Ayres. He divides it into four capital branches : 1st, What is paid to the king, as superior lord : 2d, The duties on commerce : 3d, What the king receives as head of the church : And, 4th, Profits arising from the monopoly of various branches of trade.
First Branch. Duties on the gold and silver coined at Potosi, 650,000 Profit on the coinage, 120,000 Tribute of the Indians, 550,000 Second Branch.
41cavala, or excise on the sale of goods, which is 4 per cent. 385,000 Minor duties of excise, 200,000 Stamp-duty, 32,000 .1duana, or customs on imports and exports, including the almajorfa:go, or custom-duty, the averia, or convoy.duty, and the consu lado, or town's dues; and amounting to 341 per cent. 750,000 Third Branch.
Produce of the bulls of Cruzado,* - - - - 160,000 First fruits and ecclesiastical annates, - - 30,000 Royal ninths of the tithes, 72,000 Fourth Branch.
Profits on the trade in quicksilver, tobacco, gunpowder, and paper, 350,000 on the assiento of negroes, - - - 200,000 -- on the trade in the herb of Paraguay, formerly monopolized by the Jesuits, - - 500,000 Other revenues formerly belonging to that order, 400,000 Total amount in piastres, 4,399,000 Or, in sterling money, 989,7751. : 0 : O.
Of this revenue, however, no part goes to the parent state, the whole being absorbed by the expenses of the interior administration of the viceroyalty ; and such are the sums necessary for supporting this splendid esta blishment, that very little is spared for the purposes of amelioration or of defence. " En effet," says M. Azara,
"il est impossible, et au ministre, ct a qui que cc soil, do savoir, si cette vicc-royaute produit on non qucique chose au tresor public, parceque, dans toute son etcn due, a pcine y une caisse ou une administration que n' ait fait banqueroute. Un tres grand nombre n' a pas encore rendu scs comptes, et on n'a pas verifie ceux de plusieurs qui les avaient prescntes." According to Estalla, the population of this vast royalty may be computed at 1,000,000 Spaniards and Creoles, besides Indians : and Mr Humboldt estimates the whole at 1,100,000, but at the same time informs us, that this estimation is not altogether accurate, as he has not been able to procure any satisfactory information on the subject. According to Azara, the province of raguay contains 97,500 souls, and the province of nos Ayres 170,900. See Azara Voyages dans,l'Amerique depuis 1781, jusqu'en 1801. Wilcocke's History of the Viceroyalty of Buenos Ayres. Humboldt's Political Essay on the Kingdom of New Spain. Coleti Di-ionario Storico Geografico dell' America Mericlionale llelm's Travelsfrom Buenos Ayres by Potosi to Lima. (In)