46 CENTRAL AMERICA. 



of the mountains, excej)t the crests and ridges 

 where the veins do make their appearance, 

 prevents any accurate observation being made 

 of their directions until further researches 

 give more certainty. The order of nature 

 seems to be perfectly in versed with regard 

 to the directions of metallic veins in Central 

 America and in Chili respectively. In Chili 

 every great copper vein (veta real) takes its 

 direction as nearly as possible north and south 

 (true ; not by compass) and the inclination 

 of the vein generally dips towards the east- 

 ward, but at various angles. The vertical 

 vein, or the nearest approaching to it, is 

 generally considered the most valuable and 

 lasting, but is rare in Chili — now, in Central 

 America, the copper veins are generally ver- 

 tical, and all the large ones I have seen run 

 exactly east and west. The above remarks 

 relate solely to copper mines, but the differ- 

 ence between the gold and silver ones in the 

 two countries (at least all those I have ex- 

 amined myself, and I have both discovered 

 and taken the bearings of many) is equally 

 striking. In Chili the gold and silver mines 

 generally run from east to west ; but in Cen- 

 tral America every one I have seen tend 

 from north to south. 



