:)90 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1816. 



in rotation ; and ten centinels are 

 continually stationed around the 

 mine to defend it from the de- 

 predations of the pea«a itry. Se- 

 veral clerks are enijdoyed in an 

 ollice built at the entrance to the 

 mine, and the whole is imder the 

 direction of an Intcndente or In- 

 spector, who wears the uniform 

 of an officer in the Spanish army ; 

 for the mine is the property of 

 the crown, and is most rigidly 

 guarded. Notwithstanding the 

 rigour w4ih which depredators are 

 punished, the peasantry fi'equently 

 attempt to deceive the \ igilance of 

 tlie guardians of the mine. When 

 detected, the usual punishment 

 for a peasant is, even on the first 

 offence, two or three years labour 

 among malefactors in some of the 

 pidilic works in the province. A 

 soldier is however less severely 

 punished when he commits a si- 

 milaj- transgression ; he is gene- 

 rally sentenced to a few days soli- 

 tary confinement in a dungeon of 

 tiie castle. On asking an over- 

 seer the reason of this dispropor- 

 tion in the punishment of dif- 

 ferent offenilers, he replied, that 

 the soldier's j)overty was supposed 

 to extenuate liis crime, while the 

 pe;usant of C;at;donia enjoyed com- 

 ])ar;Uive wealth, and could afford 

 to purchase salt for the consumj)- 

 tion of his family. 



S\ich is ti'.e boldness of the 

 smugglers and the jealousy of the 

 government, that it is dangerous 

 to \ isit the mines without formal 

 leave from the Intendente ; as 

 the centinels have orders to fire 

 on any one seen loitering about 

 them. 



The workmen here receive con- 

 siderable wiiges, and are all free 

 labourers} each man receives 



daily twelve reals vellon, which 

 at the rate of exchange last year 

 equals three shillings sterling : 

 lads are paid at the rate of eight 

 reals,, or two shillings ; and boys 

 receive six reals, or one shilling 

 and sixpence.* The hoius for 

 work are from six in the morning 

 to seven in the evening, (in sum- 

 mer) ; with the intervals of lialf 

 an hour, between eight and nine 

 o'clock, A. M. for breakfast, and 

 two hoius, from twelve to two, 

 for dinner, and its usual sequel 

 in Spain, the siester. 



The produce of the mines is 

 j)ulverized by grinding it in mills, 

 on the exact construction of our 

 common water mills. This ope- 

 ration reduces it into an excellent 

 culinary .salt of a snowy white- 

 ness. In this state it is sold to 

 the peasantry of the surrounding 

 districts, at the rate of thirty 

 reals vellon, or seven sh. six d. 

 sterl. per fanega of five arrobas 

 of Catalonia, wliich equal llfi 

 ])Ounds avoirdupois. 



As there are no roads practi- 

 calile for wheel carriages in this 

 part of Catalonia, the salt is car- 

 ried from Cardona on nndes or 

 asses ; the only beasts of burden 

 that could travel in safety the 

 rugged defiles in which this dis- 

 trict abound"". It seems a part 

 of the per\erse policy of the 

 Spanish government to discourage 

 the formation of ])roper roads, 



• This may be considered as liberal 

 wages where the necessaries of life, with 

 the exception of bread, are cheap ; at 

 Cardona, mutton and beef costs 1 real veil, 

 per 12 or. Bread of the best quality 

 costs 1 real veil, per fi oz. Wine of the 

 country (a very good red sort) is retailed 

 at 6 quartos per bottle, or about two pence 

 sterling. 



lest 



