242 JAMAICA. 



this platform is a pretty large fragment of a gutter, made for con- 

 ducing the river-water into the bafons. This feems to be a con- 

 vincing teftimony, that the bed of this river has afforded the gold 

 fand, vvaflied down perhaps from fome of the mountains among 

 which its courfe hes; and a further proof is, that bits of gold have 

 fomctimes been found after floods. The late Mr. Alderman Beck- 

 ford pofl'efled a plantation on the oppofite fide of the river. Manjr 

 years ago, when he was in the ifland, the manager for this eftate 

 brought to him one day a fmall piece of v£ry fine gold, which, 

 had been picked up in the fand of the river ; and, at the fame time< 

 advifed him to lend for a ikillful metallurgifli as he would probably 

 difcover a rich mine within his own land hereabouts. To this 

 propoial Mr. Beckford made no other reply, than '< whilfl we 

 " havegot fo protitable amine above ground" (pointing to the 

 cane-pieces), " we will not trouble ourfelves about hunting for any 

 «*■ under ground." And he was certainly to be commended for the 

 prudence of his anfwer; fnice, not to mention only the many thoUf 

 fand of Indians and Negroes deffroyed by the Spaniards in Peru and 

 Mexico in mining, and fo little to the advantage either of indi-- 

 viduals or their nation, how many great fortunes have there not 

 been annihilated by undertakings of this fort,, which have rarely, 

 yielded a profit in the end commenfurate to the heavy expences 

 that attended the condufting of them ; and particularly in hot cli- 

 mates, where the fubterraneous vapours are known to be of fo ma- 

 lignant a nature, as to kill, or at-leafl difable, very fpeedily the 

 floutcfl: labourers! I am aware, that the manner of procuring 

 gold by means of lavaderos is not liable tp any fuch obje<Slion. 

 It is neither an expenfive nor unhealthy bufinefs ; and therefore, if 

 the art of difcovering the river fand, in which gold has generally 

 been found, could be revived in Jamaica, by fending for: an^ Indian 

 or Spaniard fufBcjently intelligent, there might be no harm in'tryr 

 iog fome experiments with the fand of thisxiver, where it has ac- 

 tually, been found; as well as Jome others in th?. ifland, where jt; 

 might reafonably be expeded. 



The mountains abound, with copper ore of various fpecies ; the 

 green and livid ore; and the fliining dark ore, or vitrious copper* 

 Thefe two kinds are the richefl: as yej: difcovered here, and.thoughc^ 



equal; 



