COIITEZ TO CHARLES V. 277 



to the Emperor, Charles V., " I was presented with gold 

 plate and jewels of such precious workmanship, that un- 

 willing to allow them to be melted, I set apart more than 

 a hundred thousand ducats worth of them to be pre- 

 sented to your Imperial Highness. These objects were 

 of the greatest beauty, and I doubt if any other prince 

 on earth ever possessed anything similar to them. That 

 your Highness may not imagine I am advancing fables, 

 I may add that all which the earth and ocean produces, 

 of which king Montezuma could have any knowledge, 

 he had caused to be imitated in gold and silver, in pre- 

 cious stones and feathers, and the whole in such great 

 perfection, that we could not help believing that we saw 

 the very objects represented. Although he gave me a 

 great share of them for your Highness, I gave orders to 

 the natives to execute several other works in gold, after 

 my designs, which I furnished them with, such as images 

 of saints, crucifixes, medals, and necklaces. As the fifth 

 or eighth on the silver paid to your Highness amounted 

 to more than a hundred marcs, I gave orders to the native 

 goldsmiths to convert them into plate of various sizes, 

 spoons, cups, and other vessels for drinking. All these 

 works were imitated with the greatest exactness." When 

 we read this passage, we cannot help believing that we 

 are reading the account of a European ambassador, re- 

 turned from China or Japan. Yet we can hardly accuse 

 the Spanish General of exaggeration, when we consider 

 that the Emperor Charles Y. could judge with his own 

 eyes the perfection or imperfection of the objects sent 

 him. 



Humboldt remained a couple of months at Moran and 

 Keal del Monte, inspecting the Mexican system of min- 



