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Show OLD SANTA FE TRAIL 133 the cost and at this rate, was, for a time, sufficiently low to control the market as against foreign goods imported by way of Vera Cruz and Chihuahua. A large portion of the merchandise brought from the Missouri river was sent south for the Chihuahua trade. Merchandise was paid for mainly in gold and silver, though furs, robes, and blankets were also taken in exchange, and on return trips the wagons were sometimes partly laden with wool as there was no duty on exported products. Dr. David Waldo, who was engaged in the Santa Fé trade for over thirty years, at MAGNITUDE OF THE TRADE that time, says of the magnitude of the trade for the year 1846, that the cost of the goods transported over the trail was $937,500; cost of outfits, insurance, wages, etc., $414,750; profit, $400,000. There were 375 wagons, 1,700 mules, 2,000 oxen, and 500 men employed during that year. Subsequent to 1825 the expeditions were of frequent occurrence. In an elaborate note, Chittenden has given us a résumé of the business of the trail, which is given below.” pounds, 1 quintal equals 1 pound, 1 arroba (25 libras) equals 25 arrobas) equals 100 pounds, 1 carga (3 quintals) equals 300 pounds, if(2 marcos) 1 almuer (almuerza) equals 1-12 f anega (140 pounds) about 2 bushels, 1 foot Mexican equals 0.920 1 frasco equals about 5 pints. Eee (26.63 equals 2.759 feet, 1 legua Mexican) feet varas vara (3 5,000 nglish, 209.01 equals 2.636 miles English; opt) 1 equals oo equals 137.95 mayor feet equals equals 2.09 a square chains, league 1 chain of 4,428 .478 equals acres, of a foot to 1 chains. cordel, 1 sitio equals de acres, 1 acre equals 5,762 square vara ‘464 acres, 1 caballeria equals 105.75 of corn equals 8.82 acres, 1 fanega of Y 1 meter equals 39.37 miles, 1 fanega eat equals 1.53 acres. iy Me Chittenden, H. M., History of American Fur Trade, p. 508, note 14: Dea. ganada 1.— Marmaduke left Santa Fé Becknell returned from Santa F6 June Another party left Santa Fé ra in y 31; date of arrival in Franklin not known. 500 mules and horses; pursued 1 with ta ne arriving in Franklin August down this stream 300 mi] Toute; went from San Miguel to the Canadian; of Little Arkansas; thence through large fel thence N. E. to Arkansas at mouth the Osages.— May 16, were roughly handled byhorses, Augustus Storrs, newly bark € country home; and _ mules 240 wagons, 34 men, 105 nf ap Santa Fé; party Ft. Osage for consul to Santa Fé, Captain, left the ea times and by different routes during May different at nts detachme by aa i ‘Another caravan left in i , further no ; with 8 f goods men, 200 horses and thirty thousan a Santa Fé in left Jackson, Tennessee, for ion ce party of Tennesseans river with some of the above parties and Arkansas as far as en ¢ returned that stream. (189 tinued down April from Santa Fé— About I a party arrived i n Franklin ey in the ee June 1, another left for Santa Fe— time a party eighty of and100 one hundred persons, Party of i between About ‘with wagons and ¢ar- |