360 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VOL. IV. 



found on the investiture of Mexico and Peru by the Spaniards, is a thing 

 that is universally known and believed. Now as the Aztecs, or rather the 

 Toltecs, whom the Aztecs subjected, were well advanced in the fine arts, 

 is it too much to imagine that they were considerably advanced in 

 metallurgical science, so far advanced as to enable them to have such a 

 process ? or how account for the enormous amount of metal that was in 

 the country, as the present appearance and present existence of free 

 metal in Mexico are not favorable to the theory that these metals were 

 extracted by the Toltecs, and after them the Aztecs, from ore containing 

 the metals in the free state ? The objection may be made that for these 

 ancient peoples to have had this process they must have mercury ; to 

 this the answer may be made that there are more deposits of mercurial 

 ore in that country than is supposed, and these people would undoubtedly 

 know how to reduce it, as at some of the localities it is found in the 

 native or metallic state reduced by internal heat ; but at the best this is 

 merely a suggestion, and the existence of Vannocio Biringuccio's treatise 

 which is identical in its principles with the Patio and published 26 years 

 before the said introduction into America of the process is rather against 

 it, and rather leads to the conclusion that it was long before known in 

 Europe. It is unnecessary for me to describe in extenso the Patio pro- 

 cess or Gallero process, as it is called in some parts of Mexico, as it has 

 been exhaustively treated of by many metallurgists, among others 

 Alonzo Barba, in his work published in 1639, and during this century 

 by such as Philips and Dr. Percy ; indeed, the section of Dr. Percy's 

 work devoted to this process is the most complete extant. I might be 

 allowed to add that there is an indiscriminate use made of the words 

 Anastra and Tahona by most authors in describing this process ; arrastra 

 is the name used when the motive power is given by mules harnessed to 

 the arm, and lahona is used when the motive power is water — although 

 when in Mexico three years ago I asked the name that was given to 

 the arrastra which was in the Government mint at Guadalajara, and which 

 was driven by steam, and was answered that it was an arrastra. 



I might also say I noticed while in Mexico a thing which is not 

 mentioned, at least I have failed to find it in any of the works at my 

 command, and that was the use of men instead of horses in the Patio 

 process. These men that tread the ore are called " Repasedors," 

 and received four reales (4), about fifty cents Canadian or two 

 shillings one penny (2s id) British, for every six (6) cargas (equal to 

 (1800) eighteen hundred pounds avoirdupois) of ore which they amalga- 

 mated. Their motions are peculiar and indescribable, and require to be 

 seen to be understood ; the bod}' is held erect, the right hand grasping a 

 staff, or if a staff is not used to steady^ the arms are swung in unison 



