176 Copper Mines of Chilt. (April, 
derable quantities of metal are smelted at Taltal or sent 
south to Lota. 
The barilla of Bolivia is native copper, which occurs 
disseminated in fine grains through a bed of sandstone, 
which extends probably from Corocoro, in Bolivia, to San 
Bartolo, in the northern part of the Desert of Atacama, 
in Chili, through an extension of 53° of longitude. It was 
worked at San Bartolo by the Indians before the Spanish 
conquest; and since then one or two unsuccessful attempts 
have been made to re-open the mines, but the difficulty of 
transport through the desert has effectually frustrated 
them. From Corocoro, however, though the metal has to 
be brought on mule-back for 70 leagues to Tagna, and 
thence by rail to Arica, the port of shipment, some 2000 tons 
(fine) are annually exported, which is yet only half of what 
was formerly produced. 
The foregoing are the main sources of supply of the 
copper, the news of whose fortnightly shipments are 
looked forward to by all copper miners and speculators so 
anxiously, as affecting so sensitively the price of the metal. 
In round figures, the several mineral distri¢ts above 
enumerated may be said to yield as follows :— 
Tons. 
Southern Chili, south of the Maipocho and 
Maipu rivers . fs, ge eS ye coe OT 
Catemo, and fe districts of Petorea, 
tiapel and Combarbola. ~ .”.-...9.. 4 =30eq 
Tomaya . gooo 
Panulcillo, Cooniles Tambillos! sl aes 
COMOm. da ee 3000 
Brillador Mine, Higuera, al eaale mines in 
the northern part of the Province of 
Coquimbo. .-. 3000, 
Pena Blanca, including San Juan ail Pee sqeyeye) 
Carga os ete Ole TR ee eee 
CermorBlanco-... <<. 2“ eae wae Seo 
Copraper on 3 tN ae ee eGR 
Chanaral, and mines of Mr. Watters and 
Mr. Sievert. 2 a OE 
Coast mines of Bolivia and Barilla ee ee OCU 
48,000 
Are these several distri¢ts going to maintain their yield ? 
Wherever any quantity of copper is produced by poor 
miners, working on their own small mines, there will 
