210 REFINING OF SILVER ORES. 



LIB. iv. j n those small furnaces which they call Huayras, for 

 that is most leadie, by reason whereof, it is most subject 

 to melt, and for the better melting thereof, th Indians 

 cast in a matter they call Soroche, which is a mettal 

 ful of lead. The mettal being in these furnases, the filth 

 and earthie drosse, through the force of the fire, remain es 

 in the bottome, and the silver and lead melt ; so as the 

 silver swimmes vpon the lead, untill it be purified ; then 

 after they refine the silver many times. After this maner of 

 melting they have vsually drawne out of one quintall of 

 mettall, thirtie, fortie, and fiftio peoces of silver, and yet I 

 have scene some most excellent, that have bin shewne me, 

 where they have drawne in the melting two hundred, yea, 

 two hundred and fiftie peeces of silver of a quintall of met 

 tal, a rare wealth, and almost incredible, if we had not 

 seen the tryall thereof by fire, but such mettalls are verie 

 rare. The poorest mettall is that which yeeldes two, three, 

 live, or six peeces or little more. This mettall hath com 

 monly little lead, but is drie, and therefore they cannot 

 refine it with fire. And for this reason, in Potosi ihere was 

 great store of these poore mettalls, whereof they made no 

 great account, but were reiected like straw, and as the 

 skumme of the good mettall, vntill they found mcanes to 

 refine it by quicke-silver, whereby the skumme as they 

 called it was of great profit, for the qui eke-silver by a 

 strange and wonderfull propertie purifies the silver, and is 

 apt for these mettalls which are drie and poore, wherein 

 they consume less quicke-silver then in the richer : for the 

 richer they are the more ncede of quicke-silver they have. 

 At this day the most vsuall manor of refining in Potosi is 

 by quicke-silver, as also in the mines of Zacatecas, and 

 others of New Spaine. There were in old time, vpon the 

 sides and toppcs of Potosi, above six thousand HuayraSj 

 which are small furnaces where they melt their mettall, the 

 which were placed like lightes (a pleasant sight to behold 



