Personal Narrative Of Travels To The Equinoctial Regions Of America During The Years 1799-1804 - Volume 3 - By Alexander Von Humboldt And Aime Bonpland.
- Page 392 of 635 - First - Home
In No Part Of The Northern
Hemisphere Has The Vine Hitherto Been Cultivated With The View Of
Producing Wine South Of The 27 Degrees 48 Minutes, Or The Latitude Of
The Island Of Ferro, One Of The Canaries, And Of 29 Degrees 2 Minutes,
Or The Latitude Of Bushire In Persia.
WAX.
This is not the produce of native bees (the Melipones of Latreille),
but of bees brought from Europe by way of Florida.
The trade in wax
has only become important since 1772. The exportation of the whole
island, which from 1774 to 1779 was only 2700 arrobas (average year),
was estimated in 1803, including contraband, at 42,700 arrobas, of
which 25,000 were destined for Vera Cruz. In the churches of Mexico
there is a great consumption of Cuban wax. The price varies from
sixteen to twenty piastres the arroba.
Trinidad and the small port of Baracoa also carry on a considerable
trade in wax, furnished by the almost uncultivated regions on the east
of the island. In the proximity of the sugar-factories many bees
perish of inebriety from the molasses, of which they are extremely
fond. In general the production of wax diminishes in proportion as the
cultivation of the land augments. The exportation of wax, according to
the present price, amounts to about 500,000 of piastres.
COMMERCE.
It has already been observed that the importance of the commerce of
the island of Cuba depends not solely on the riches of its
productions, the wants of the population in the articles and
merchandize of Europe, but also in great part on the favourable
position of the port of the Havannah.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 392 of 635
Words from 107086 to 107361
of 174507
