136 A VOYAGE TO Book VII. 



The greatest part of it is cold ; but the valleys so warm 

 as to produce coca, and abounds in all kinds of fruits, 

 grain, and pulse, together wiih sufficient pastures for 

 cattle of ail kinds. Here are several gold mines, and 

 the two famous lavatories, called Lavaderos de San 

 Juan del Oro, and Fablo Cova ; also that of Monte 

 de Acanea, two lca<iues fiiuii the town of Poto, 

 where there is an o tike for coilccting the qXiintos or 

 fif(h, belonging to the king, in this province also 

 is a river, which separates it from the mountains of 

 the wild Indi-ins, and is knov>u to abound so greatly 

 in gold, that at tertain times the caziques send oui a 

 certain number of Indians in companies from the 

 towns in their respective disUicts to tie banks of this 

 river, wheieby washing the bands in small wells they 

 dig for thai purpose, fhe;y soon find a sufiicient quan- 

 tity of gold to pay the royal tribute. This kind of 

 Service they ^all chichina. This provinee has also 

 mines of silver, which produce vast quantities of that 

 metal. In 1713 w as-discovered in the mountain of 

 Ucuntaya a vein or stratum nearly of solid silver, 

 which though soon exhausted, yielded some milhons, 

 and hopes have been conceived from it ol nieeluig 

 •with others, whoie riches will be of longer continu- 

 ance. This jurisdiction is also famous for the gold 

 mine called Aporama, wiiich is very-rich, and the 

 metal twenty-three carats fine. 



Xiü. The jurisdiction of Asangaro and Asilo, 

 which lies about fifiy leagues S. of Cusco, is every 

 where cold, and consequently proper only for breeding 

 cattle, in which, ho\^evcr, it carries on a xery pro- 

 fitable trade. In the N. E. parts which border oil 

 those ol Caravaya, aie some sdver mines, but a few 

 of them only are worked. Some of its lands produce 

 plenty of those roots and grains v\hieh nuturally 

 flour K-h in a cold an-, as papas, quinoas, and ca- 

 paguas ; of the two last the natives make chica in 



the 



