Cir. XL SOUTH AMERICA. 475 



of cutting and filing them for fire-arms, the peo- 

 ple make no use of them : and on some occasions, 

 ilints, eitlier for muskets or pistols, have been sold 

 at Cuenca, Quito, and all over the country, for two 

 rials each ; but one is tlie common price of them, 

 being brought from Europe. Consequently, as there 

 is here a whole quarry of them, their exorbitant 

 price is wholly owing to a want of industry, as this 

 would in a short time render them as expert at cutting 

 flints as the Europeans. 



After the mines of metals, and the quarries of 

 large stones, it would be improper to omit the gems 

 found in this province. 1 have already observed, 

 that the jurisdiction of Atacames and Mania for- 

 merly abounded in emeralds of a fineness surpassing 

 those of the mines of Santa Fc, Not a small num- 

 ber of them was destroyed by an error of the first 

 Spaniards, who came hither, iuiagining that, if they 

 were real gem.s, they Mould stand the stroke of a 

 hammer on an anvil. The loss of the mines of 

 Atacames, and the neglect of many others of gold 

 and silver, was in some measure compensated by the 

 discovery of several in*the jurisdiction of Cuenca; 

 but which have been but little improved, though 

 they exhibit the most inviting signs of their great 

 riches, namely, fragments of rubies; and which, in- 

 telligent persons say, arc very fine. These are usu- 

 ally found among the sands of a rapid river, not far 

 from the village of Azogues. The Indians, and 

 others, frequently make it their business to go and 

 ■wash those sands, where they find small sparks, about 

 the bigness of a lentil, and sometimes larger; and 

 it is not to be questioned but these are washed away 

 by the continual alusión of the water in its passage 

 along the mine. But the inhabitants, content with 

 this piddling work, do not trouble themselves to 

 trace the origin of the mine; though there is all 



tlie 



