260 CHILI. 



CHAP. XXV. 



age of those years afforded annually three hundred 

 and twenty thousand dollars. In the years since 

 that, by a private communication from an intelli- 

 gent person, a resident in Chili, lately arrived in 

 this country, the annual amount is stated to have 

 continued at the same rate up to the present time. 

 According to this view the whole amount of silver 

 produced in Chili in the twenty years from 1810 

 to 1830 will appear to be seven millions two hun- 

 dred and eighty thousand dollars. 



Gold was formerly collected in Chili in much 

 larger quantities than it has been of late years. 

 The mines of that metal have fallen into disuse, 

 partly from the scarcity of labourers, and partly 

 from the greater wages that can be obtained by 

 miners from working in the silver, but more espe- 

 cially in the copper mines. 



During 1810 and 1811, before the revolution 

 began, the produce of gold continued as before at 

 nearly one thousand pounds weight yearly ; from 

 that to 1815 the amount may be taken at not 

 more than five hundred pounds weight ; from the 

 end of 1815 to the beginning of 1826, at four 

 hundred pounds, and for the last four years at 

 one hundred and eighty-five pounds. 



It appears by this estimate that the whole of 

 the gold produced in Chili in the twenty years 

 from 1810 to 1829, both years included, amounted 

 to forty-eight thousand six hundred and forty 



