While in the Seringaes, trade is conducted mostly through the Baracâos, there are in some places, notably in Cobija, Hapury and Empreza, various business houses, through which the owners of seringaes, captains of ships and other persons, can supply their wants, for before the steamer returns, there is often a scarcity in some products. [Illustration: THE ACRE SEEN FROM COBIJA ON THE BOLIVIAN FRONTIER.] The retail trade is mainly in the hands of so-called Turks, various Orientals, from Syria, Arabia, Tunis and Morocco. They have large boats, propelled by poles and oars and which contain the goods in a covered space. These Turks travel as pedlars for years about on the rivers, selling their goods for money or rubber. This commerce is designated =Regatao= and is not favored by proprietors, who sometimes forbid stopping in their territory. The seringueiro can not only buy cheaper of them, but can dispose of caoutchouc surreptitiously. Those who encounter favorable conditions on the Acre, who are diligent and economical, can, by working in the rubber industry, or in any other field of activity, soon acquire a property. The majority, however, squander their earnings on trips to Manáos, Pará or Ceará, or suffer from sickness. Although hygienic conditions on the Acre have improved with the times and there are numerous healthy localities, malaria still prevails there a great deal, and other diseases, notably beriberi, are often fatally prevalent. Many privations, caused by the difficulties of travel, and a certain amount of luxury, made possible by the large earnings, often contrast with one another. From Acre, during the year, about 5,000 tons of fine rubber, inclusive of other rubber products, are exported, of which certainly a portion comes from the adjacent territory. This quantity, according to the price of rubber, will represent a value of 20,000 to 75,000 contos of réis, about $5,000,000 to $15,000,000. These are figures that play a part in the total output of rubber, the importance of which is increased by its quality. THE ACRE TERRITORY. Previous to the Treaty of Petropolis, in 1903, between Brazil and Bolivia, the Acre Territory formed part of the State of Amazonas, one portion being, in fact, still in dispute. By virtue of this treaty the Acre Territory became Brazilian, Brazil in exchange paying £2,000,000 to Bolivia, an indemnity to an American syndicate, and undertaking to construct the Madeira Mamoré Railway. The Congress then empowered the Federal authorities to administer the Territory until the question should be finally settled. The administration is much the same as that of the other States. Recent laws have tended to decentralize the administration, the latest being one giving municipal independence. The three provinces of the Territory are: Upper Purús (capital Senna Madureira), Upper Juruá (capital Cruzeiro do Sul), and Upper Acre (capital Empreza). [Illustration: TRANSPORT OF RUBBER BISCUITS.]