From 1821 to 1825 the Republic was in a state of comparative tranquillity, and the government of Buenos Ayres in the hands of a provincial administration, wise enough to see how mainly the prosperity and importance of their country depended upon the fostering of its trade, and the establishment of a commercial intercourse with the rest of the world upon the most liberal principles. It was during that interval of repose and prosperity that I first landed in Buenos Ayres, and found all classes of the people rejoicing in the blessings of peace. All the information which it was my duty to collect tended to show the great commercial capabilities of the country, and the facilities afforded by Buenos Ayres as an emporium for the trade with a very great part of the population of the interior of South America. From a variety of documentary evidence in confirmation of this, which was furnished to me at the time, both by the British merchants and by the local authorities, I shall in the first instance quote the returns for the year 1822, as exhibiting the nature and amount of the trade of Buenos Ayres under the circumstances of undisturbed peace to which I have referred--that is, the trade of Buenos Ayres independently of the supply of any part of Peru, Bolivia, or Paraguay. And first, with regard to the import trade:-- From a return furnished by the custom-house at Buenos Ayres of all their imports from foreign countries in the year 1822, it appears that they amounted to 11,287,622 Spanish dollars, according to their official valuation, which, generally speaking, may be considered to be about twenty per cent. below the wholesale prices in the market. This amount was computed to be made up from the several foreign countries as under, viz:-- 1st. From Great Britain to. the value of 5,730,952 2nd. " France 820,109 3rd. " the North of Europe--Holland, Germany, Sweden, and Denmark 552,187 4th. " Gibraltar, Spain, and Sicily 848,363 5th. " the United States 1,368,277 6th. " Brazil 1,418,768 7th. " China 165,267 8th. " the Havana 248,025 9th. " Chile and Peru 115,674 ---------- Spanish Dollars 11,267,622 of which about 1,323,565 dollars were afterwards reshipped for ports on the neighbouring coast of Brazil, Monte Video, Chile, and Peru.