Mexican Mines. 233 



is 7715 feet in length from its mouth to the point where it 

 crosses the vein de la Biscaina. The direction of this vein is 

 hor. 6 ; and its incHnation is 85° to the south : its extent is 

 from 13 to 19 feet. The direction of the porphyry of this 

 district is generally hor. 7-8, with an inclination of 60° to the 

 north-east, particularly in the road from Pachuca to Real del 

 Monte. The level is at first cut through the solid rock 

 {querschlags'isoeise) in a direction of hor. 7, towards the west; 

 but further on it takes its way over three different veins, hor. 

 11-12, of which one alone, the ■i:eta de le Soledad*, has fur- 

 nished a sufficiency of silver ores to pay all the expenses of the 

 undertaking. The level was only finished in 1762, by Don 

 Pedro Tereros, the partner of Bustamente. The former, 

 known by the title of Count de Regia as one of the richest 

 men of his age, had already drawn, in 1774, a net profit of 

 more than 1,041,750/. from the mine of Biscaina. Besides 

 the two ships of war which he presented to King Charles the 

 Third, one of them of 120 guns, he lent 208,350/. sterling to 

 the Court of Madrid, which have never yet been repaid him. 

 He erected the great works of Regla at an expense of 416,700/. 

 sterling ; and he purchased estates of an immense extent, and 

 left a fortune to his children, which has only been equalled in 

 Mexico by that of the Count de la Valenciana. 



" The level of Moran traverses the vein of Z^a Biscaina, in 

 the San Ramon shaft, at a depth of 115 fathoms below the 

 level of the surface on which the whims are placed. The 

 profit of the proprietor has been annually diminishing since 

 1774. In place of driving levels for trial, to discover the vein 

 on a great extent, they continued their sinking to a depth of 

 nearly 53 fathoms below the level. At that depth the vein 

 preserved its great wealth in sulphuret of silver mixed with 

 native silver ; but the abundance of water increased to such a 

 degree that 28 whims, each of which required moi-e than 40 

 horses, were not sufficient to draw it off. In 1783, the weekly 

 expense amounted to 1875/. After the death of the old Count 

 de Regla, the works were suspended tjU 1791, when they ven- 

 tured to re-establish all the whims. The expense of these 

 machines, which drew up the water, not by means of pumps, 

 but by bags suspended by ropes, then amounted to more than 

 31,252/. per annum. At length they reached die deepest 

 point of the mine, which according to my measurements is 



* " It is believed that tliis vein is the same with that which M. l)'Eliiyh;ir 

 began to work in the pit of Cambrera, at Moran. It appeared to me, how- 

 ever, that the vela dc Cambrem is rather the same with that of Saiitri Bri- 

 gida, and that its principal wealth is to be found in following it towards the 

 mine of Jesus." 



Vol. 66. No. 329. Sepl. 1825. G g only 



