ACCOUNT OF BOOKS. 



1009 



iir)d twenty one were in a neglected " gold, eighty of siher, two of quick 



state. There were, besides, two lead 

 mines, which yielded an abundant 

 supply of that metal. 



" In the intcndency of Truxillo, 

 with its dependency of Chota, of 

 three gold mines two were worked. 

 One hundred and thirty-lour silver 

 mines were also worked ; and no Icjs 

 than one hundred and sixty-one 

 abandoned. 



" In the intcndency of Iluamanga, 

 with its dependency of Lucanos, 

 sixty mines of gold, one hundred and 

 two of silver, and one of quicksilver, 

 were wrought. Of the first of these 

 metals, three mines had been aban- 

 doned ; and of the second, sixty- 

 three. 



" In the intcndency of Cuzco, with 

 its dependency of Curahuasi, the 

 only mii)..s which had been discover- 

 ed, at that time, were of silver. They 

 were nineteen in number, and were 

 all of them successfuilj wrought. 



" In the intendency of Arcquipa, 

 with its dependency of Caylloina, 

 one mine of gold and stTenty-one 

 of silver were wrought. Of tlie for- 

 mer metal four mines had been aban- 

 doned; and of the latter, twenty- 

 eight. 



''In the intcndency of Guantajaya, 

 with its dependency of Tacna, one 

 mine of gold and twenty of silver 

 were wrought ; at the same time, 

 that no less a number than nineteen 

 of the former metal had been aban- 

 doned. Thirty mines of silver were 

 in the latter state. 



"In the intcndency of Huancave- 

 lica, with its dependencies of Cas- 

 trovirreyna and Lircay, one mine of 



silver, and ten of lead, were worked. 

 Twoofgoldand two hundrei! and fif- 

 teen of silver, were in an abandoned 

 state. The multiplicity of unservice- 

 able silver mines may be accounied 

 for by the abundance of water, in the 

 districts in which they are situated, 

 having gained on them, from time to 

 time, so as at length to have choked 

 them completely. 



" From the above statement it re- 

 sults, that, in the eight intendencies 

 ihto which the viceroyalty of Peru 

 is divided, there M'ere, in the year 

 1791, sixty-nine serviceable mines of 

 gold, seven hundred and eighty-fr»i'.r 

 of silver, four of quicksilver, four of 

 copper, and twelve of lead ; at the 

 same time that twenty-n.ne gold, 

 and five hundred and cighfy-eight 

 silver mines had, by various accidents 

 and casualties, been render d unser- 

 viceable. In this state-Dfiit, the 

 mines contained in the kii^dom of 

 Quito, and in the viceroyalty of Bu- 

 enos Ayres, althongli these domains 

 may be considered as constituting a 

 part of the Peruvian territory, are 

 not comprehended. 



" During a space of ten years, from 

 the commencement of 1780 to the 

 end of 17SS. the above mines yielded 

 thirty. five thou and three hundred 

 and fifty nine maiks of gold, twpnty- 

 two carats line : and three mdlions 

 seven hundred and thirty-nine thou- 

 sand seven hundred and si\ty-three 

 marks of silver.* In the year 17*^0, 

 the silver mines yielded four htinUrcd 

 and twelve thousand one hundred 

 and seventeen marks of that metal ; 

 being an excess of thirty-eight thou- 

 sand 



* The mark of gold being estimated at a hundred and twenty-five piaiic>;, and 

 that of silver at eijjlit piastres, the total amount, in sterling money, of the produce of 

 the mines, duiiug the above ten years, will be found to iiave been of the value of 

 7,703,5).5l. 

 Vol. XLVir. 3T 



