Mexican Mines. 229 



affairs, a man of great value to this country—able, unnVht 

 scientific, and with a great turn for mining. He is assi?fed 

 by one or two London merchants, who, with him, form' a 

 Board of Management here. The Angfo-Mexican is under 

 the direction ot Mr. WilHamson, who resides at Guanaxuato 

 a gentleman who, some time since, undertook the workino- of 

 the King of Persia's mines, but was obliged to leave That 

 country in consequence of the treatment he received there 

 He IS a man of great talent, judgement, and exertion. The 

 Keal del Monte is under the direction of Captain Veitch, an 

 officer of engineers, and son [brother] of a physician in 

 London of that name. He appears to be a very able man 

 equal to the trust reposed in him, and is very much esteemed' 

 Besides these there are three or four other smaller Companies! 

 Ihe effect of their several labours must be soon felt in this 

 coiintry, and I guess it will not be many years before it is felt 

 in Europe.— Coz/nVr, Sept. 26. 



Note. —The information contained in the above letter ao-rees 

 m the maui, we understand, with other accounts of these im 

 portant undertakings which have from time to time been re' 

 ceived. It may, however, be calculated to convey an erro 

 neous impression in regard to a circumstance which forms one 

 of Its principal features, viz. « the different courses of proceed 

 mg taken by the three principal Companies, and which are 

 described as being « the subject of conversation and criticism " 

 We believe that these different courses have been adopted not 

 on account of any difference of opinion respecting the ireat 

 advantages to be derived from the use of steam-engines, with 

 wfiich all Cornish miners must be well acquainted,— but the real 

 state of the case is, that these mines, which it is said " to be the 

 policy to work entirely with the means of the country » are 

 destitute of fuel, whereas the Real del Monte has now a forty 

 years' supply of wood, with a territory and climate where it is 

 rapidly reproduced. On this account the engines which had 

 been ordered for other Companies, whose agents found they 

 could not make use of them, have been bought by the Real 

 del Monte Company. 



With regard to « obtaining the same result by the means 

 of the country, we believe many of the great mines in Mexico 

 are in the same case as those of Cornwall were some time 

 back, where they had nearly come to a stand upon the old 

 means. « A failure in produce, similar to that experienced in 

 the mines of Cornwall 60 or 80 years ago, befbre the appli- 

 cation of the steam-engine, had alreaily [before the Revolu- 

 tionj given a considerable check to the prosperity of the mines • 

 and m the year 1810, al the commcnccnienl of the civil com- 

 motions 



