1828.] "Mexico/' and " Mexican Illustrations " 597 



" The one would damp his salt, only half burn his pyrites, put bullets into 

 the quicksilver to increase the weight, and, by carelessly washing the mud, 



fain a handsome profit from the refuse carried off. The miner, on the other 

 and, would calculate to an incredible nicety what each quantity of the ore 

 sent ought to yield in silver." 



Mr. Ward examines the different processes at various mines at far 

 greater length ; and strongly recommends the relying always, in the first 

 instance, upon the system of the natives ; introducing improvement by 

 degrees, and only as we may be satisfied practically that it will be 

 advantageous. Many of Mr. W.'s notices upon this subject are curious 

 and entertaining ; but we can only afford one extract as a specimen of 

 their style : 



" I know few sights more interesting than the operation of blasting in the 

 shafts of Rayas. After each " barreto" has undermined the portion of rock 

 allotted to him, he is drawn up to the surface ; the ropes belonging to the 

 different malacates are coiled up, so as to leave every thing clear below, and 

 a man called the " Pegador" descends, whose business it is to fire the slow 

 matches communicating with the mines below. 



" As his chance of escaping the effects of the explosion consists in being 

 drawn up with such rapidity as to be placed beyond the reach of the fragments 

 of rock that are projected into the air, the lightest malacate is prepared for his 

 use, and two horses are attached to it, selected for their swiftness and courage, 

 and called Caballos del Pegador, from being reserved for this particular 

 purpose. The man is let down slowly, carrying with him a light, and a small 

 rope, one end of which is held by one of the overseers, who is stationed at the 

 mouth of the shaft. A breathless silence is observed until the signal is given 

 from below, by pulling the cord of communication ; when the two men, by 

 whom the horses are previously held, release their heads ; and they dash off 

 at full speed until they are stopped, either by the noise of the first explosion, 

 or by seeing, from the quantity of cord wound round the cylinder of the mala- 

 cate, that the Pegador is already raised to a height of sixty or seventy varas^ 

 and is consequently beyond the reach of danger. 



" It often happens that the matches do not ignite, in which case the Pegador 

 is lowered down again, and the whole operation repeated, until all the mines 

 have exploded. But, in spite of every precaution, accidents will frequently 

 occur ; and there are more Pegadors maimed, or destroyed, than any other 

 kind of mining servants. They acquire, however, great presence of mind in 

 the course of their arduous business : for the Marquis of Rayas told me, that, 

 a few weeks before my visit, the man whom I saw descend, after lighting all 

 the matches, found himself abandoned at the bottom of the mine, from the 

 over-anxiety of those above, who, mistaking a mere vibration of the cord for 

 the signal, ordered the horses to start, and drew up the malacate' rope far 

 beyond his reach, before either he or they became aware of the mistake. > In 

 stead of losing courage, or wasting time in fruitless efforts to make himself 

 heard above, the Pegador instantly tore out the matches, and was fortunate 

 enough to extinguish them all (seven in number) in time to prevent an explo- 

 sion." 



Much more remains, to which we could willingly, even by a few 

 words, direct attention ; but our article has already extended itself almost 

 beyond the limit we originally proposed. The whole examination (by 

 Mr. Ward) of the prospects and capacities of Mexico, apart from the 

 mere question of mining : his notices of the political state of the people, 

 both prior to and after the revolution; and especially the few pages 

 describing the system and policy of Spain with reference to her colonies, are 

 well worthy of steady attention. The account of the revolution, too, 



