Page:The Present State of Peru.djvu/127

Rh

To this sum is to be added the produce of the maritime freights, which are deducted, in the first instance, from the amount of the sales, and which belong exclusively to individuals residing within the jurisdiction of Lima, the sole proprietors of the trading vessels, as well as of the mules for inland conveyance. The commission of sale and delivery, on the productions of the country, is regulated at four per cent.; but on the purchases and recoveries for the towns situated in the interior, as well as on the remittances made by them, the commission is not charged, it being the general custom to perform gratuitously these offices of trust and friendship. The beneficial practice of insurances, by which the merchant is exempted from the risks of the ocean, and is not exposed to the contingencies of an entire loss of his capital and fortune, is not known. Indeed, the very inconsiderable number of vessels trading in the South Sea, could not support this combination of industry, established with a view to the gains arising out of the repetition of the risks, and the diversity of the destinations. The