346 NORTHERN CHILE. [chap. xvi. 



appreciated in England, namely, the absence of fleas ! The rooms 

 in Coquimbo swarm with them ; but they will not live here at the 

 height of only three or four thousand feet : it can scarcely be the 

 trifling diminution of temperature, but some other cause which 

 destroys these troublesome insects at this place. The mines are 

 now in a bad state, though they formerly yielded about 2000 

 pounds in weight of silver a year. It has been said that " a per- 

 son with a copper-mine will gain ; with silver, he may gain ; but 

 with gold, he is sure to lose." This is not true : all the large 

 Chilian fortunes have been made by mines of the more precious 

 metals. A short time since an English physician returned to 

 England from Copiapo, taking with him the profits of one share 

 in a silver-mine, which amounted to about 24,000 pounds ster- 

 ling. No doubt a copper-mine with care is a sure game, whereas 

 the other is gambling, or rather taking a ticket in a lottery. The 

 owners lose great quantities of rich ores ; for no precautions can 

 prevent robberies. I heard of a gentleman laying a bet with 

 another, that one of his men should rob him before his face. 

 The ore when brought out of the mine is broken into pieces, and 

 the useless stone thrown on one side. A couple of the miners 

 who were thus employed, pitched, as if by accident, two frag- 

 ments away at the same moment, and then cried out for a joke, 

 " Let us see which rolls furthest." The owner, who was stand- 

 ing by, bet a cigar with his friend on the race. The miner by 

 this means watched the very point amongst the rubbish where 

 the stone lay. In the evening he picked it up and carried it to 

 his master, showing him a rich mass of silver-ore, and saying, 

 " This was the stone on which you won a cigar by its rolling so 

 far." 



May 23rd. We descended into the fertile valley of Coquimbo, 

 and followed it till we reached an Hacienda belonging to a rela- 

 tion of Don Jose, where we stayed the next day. I then rode 

 one day's journey further, to see what were declared to be some 

 petrified shells and beans, which latter turned out to be small 

 quartz pebbles. We passed through several small villages ; and 

 the valley was beautifully cultivated, and the whole scenery very 

 grand. We were here near the main Cordillera, and the sur- 

 rounding hills were lofty. In all parts of northern Chile, fruit- 

 trees produce much more abundantly at a considerable height 



