54 



MEXICAN RESOURCES. 



contain. As much as two per cent of the ore richness is generally gotten out of the 

 folvillos, although said rate may vary according to the kind of ore. 



Jit'siilts obtained from the Rediictioit. — The amount of silver extracted from the 

 cake, added to the one settled on the arrastres bottom, is never equivalent to the 

 amount indicated by the assays of the ground ore. There is always a loss, amount- 

 ing in normal circumstances to five or eight per cent ; it being also noticed, that, for 

 each silver mark obtained, ten or twelve pounds of quicksilver are wasted. 



Of the amount of gold indicated by the assay of the ground ore, seventy-five jier 

 cent is gotten when gold is pure, and no more than forty per cent, even less, when \\\ 

 pyrites. 



Afproxitiiate cost of reduciu^^ thirty-t-d)o hundred zvei^hf of ore {o7ie montoti), the price 

 of Indian corn beiiis^ $i.yj a fane^a, and 15^ cents the price of twenty-five pounds of 

 straw . — 



Crushing: 



Food for S mules, per week . . $10 00 



4 laborers '3 5° 



1 driver 5 00 



Wear and lear 4 00 



Wages on 6 nights' work ... 19 00 



$51 50 

 which, divided by 56.25 mpniones gener- 

 ally crushed in one week, with 24 hours 

 as daily work, gives, as cost per one 

 vwiitoti $0 92 



Grinding, 



Food for T30 mules, at iS% cents 



per day, 7 days $17° 62^ 



I foreman 13 00 



1 second foreman 7 00 



3 men for the hopper, at ^•S-oo • 9 °o 

 5 men for the arrastres, at 



$4.00 20 00 



3 watchmen, at $4.00 .... 12 00 



2 yard-keepers, at $3.00 ... 6 00 



I man at the well 3 00 



170 bottom flags 10 625^ 



13 runner stones, at $2.50 . . 32 50 



$283 75 



which, divided by 56.25 viontoties, gives 



per each one of them 



Yard. 

 25 mules to stir 100 itiontones : 



Mules $4 68K 



7 laborers 3 5° 



Per 7itputon, 8 cents, stirring 14 



times . . . $112 



125 @ salt 2 50 



13 lbs. sulphate, at $12 per hun- 

 dred weight I 56 



1 foreman $5 00 



2 watchmen .... 10 00 



Say to 1 ntonton , 



o 2S $5 46 



Washing, Pnrifying, and Roasting. 



TO mules, 4 days *7 5° 



Simdry expenses 38 00 



8 hundred weight coal, at 75 cents, 6 00 



$5' 



Say to a moiiton , 



General Expenses. 



Wages $65 00 



Rent 25 00 



Wear and tear and sundries . . 25 00 



()ii5 00 



To I monion 



Cost of reducing i jnonton $24 15 



REDUCTION OF ORES. 



The fafio process, invented by the miner of Pachuca, says Humboldt, "is one of 

 those chemical operations which for centuries have been practised with a certain 

 degree of success, notwithstanding the persons who extract silver from ores by 

 means of mercury have not the smallest acquaintance either with the nature of the 

 substances employed, or the particular mode of their action. The azogneros speak 



