LOUISIANA. 9 



executed by neceflity and fervitude, in order to 

 extract gold from the bowels of the earth. The 

 wretched workmen who are employed there, en- 

 joy neither the air of our atmofphere, nor the 

 light of the fun, and bury themfelves in infec- 

 tious and cold abyfTes ; of which the exhalations 

 are fo unwholefome, that they caufe fwoons and 

 giddinefs to the workmen as foon as they* offer 

 to go in. They make ufe of candles to light 

 them in thefe dark fubterraneous places : the 

 metal is generally hard in them ; they break it 

 in pieces with hammers, load it on their Ihould- 

 ers, and mount upwards on ladders made of 

 twilled hides of oxen, with wooden fteps, contri- 

 ved in fuch a manner, that whiltt one goes up 

 on one fide, another may defcend on the other : 

 thefe ladders are divided into ten fets. A man 

 generally carries two arobas of metal on his 

 back *, v/rapped up in a piece of cloth : he that 

 goes firft has a candle fafcened to his thumb ; 

 and they all hold themfelves with both hands on 

 the ladder, in order to be able to go upwards 

 for the fpace of 250 feet. 



The general hiilory of America tells us, that 

 the nations of Florida took the facks with filver, 

 and threw them far from themfelves as ufelefs. 

 The Mexicans^ on the contrary, were fond of 



_^ gQl^ ; 



■^' An Aroba is 25 pounds, poids de Marc, 



