ABSTRACT
In Chile, as in other countries, the handicraft production by the individual, or by the individual family, of kitchen utensils, pottery, footwear, simple tools, or woven goods was the forerunner of manufacturing industry. Lady Callcott was a shrewd observer, who seems to have possessed a true woman's curiosity about the ways of others, a curiosity which gives one an insight into the whole of the Chilean manufacturing system. The major part of Miers's troubles were encountered in trying to get legal possession of a site for his copper factory; but even if he had succeeded in this, his hopes regarding the success of the plant were not very bright. The most outstanding, or at least the most frequently mentioned, of the Chilean enterprises at the time of the lieutenant's visit were the flour mills. According to Gilliss, the second most important group of enterprises were those connected with the copper industry.
