56 



Miserable manlier of living at Banos. 

 Return to Casa Cancha. Town of Pasco. 



PERU. 



Plain of San Juan. 

 Mines about Pasco. 



by the sacristan to engage him to paint the four 

 Evangelists for the church. Price was no object, 

 provided he could do it, and they would besides 

 consider it as a great favour. 



Some of the bystanders proposed to have the 

 constable painted, and pointed to a strapping big 

 negro. 



The houses literally contained no furniture, and 

 the silver lent to our party was believed to consti- 

 tute the only valuables in the place. The only 

 articles besides that were seen were some roughly- 

 made wooden spoons, earthen dishes, and water, 

 jugs, a few boards made into a rough table, with a 

 stool or two, and a bedstead made of canes and 

 plastered with clay. In no part of the United 

 States, whether in the cabins of the far west, or in 

 the poorest suburbs of our eastern cities, are per- 

 sons to be seen living in such a miserable manner. 

 The country-people of Peru, notwithstanding they 

 are surrounded with every thing to make them 

 comfortable, want the knowledge and industry to 

 use the advantages nature has given them. 



On the 23rd they left Banos on their return. 

 Notwithstanding their horses had had some rest, 

 their backs were in a shocking state, but the sores 

 did not seem to be regarded much by the guides, 

 who applied soap to them ; they scolded and 

 blamed the English saddles, which they called 

 " gallapagos turtles." 



The party had determined to make another visit 

 to Alpamarca, but the guides would not listen to it, 

 giving as a reason that they should have their 

 horses stolen if they went. While this discussion 

 was going on, they met a person who informed 

 them that the only persons now there were Indians. 

 As their only inducement to return was the agree- 

 able company they had left, they acceded to their 

 guides' views, and taking another direction, arrived 

 at Casa Cancha in the afternoon. At night some 

 Chilian cavalry arrived, which caused great alarm 

 among the occupants of the huts and the guides, 

 for fear of losing their horses, a disaster which 

 they said often occurred when such visitors came. 

 The commander proved to be a gentlemanly per- 

 son, and rendered our party much assistance. This 

 party had left Pasco, the chief mining place of 

 Lower Peru, in the morning, and represented it as 

 a place of considerable trade, containing many 

 foreign residents, including English, American, 

 French, and German. He stated that the Quichua 

 language was spoken there, and that the Spanish 

 was not commonly understood. 



The town of Pasco is at an elevation of thirteen 

 thousand feet, and situated in the plain of San 

 Juan, at the head of two ravines or gullies, one 

 called Rumiallana, leading to the northward, and 

 the other Huanuco, to the eastward, where the 

 two great veins of Colquijirca and Pariajirca unite. 

 These are supposed to extend some seventy miles 

 in length, and the town of Pasco is situated at their 

 junction. The part of the ground that has been 

 broken up, and in which ores have been found, is 

 about half a mile in length in a north and south 

 direction, and about one-fourth of a mile east and 

 west. Within the whole of this extent ores have 

 been mined of greater or less value, and the mines 

 formerly worked and now deserted are said to 

 amount to upwards of a thousand. 



The town of Pasco is surrounded on three sides : 

 north-east and south by hills of blue limestone j on 



the west the hills are of sandstone, and on the 

 south-west of a blue slate. All the ores of the 

 Cerro are ferruginous, and the silver nearest to the 

 surface is contained in an ochreous iron-stone. 

 In particular spots the silver is found mixed with 

 lead and copper, and at variable depths in different 

 localities the ores rest on a bed of solid iron pyrites, 

 which in some mines yield silver and in others not. 



The plain of San Juan on the north is divided 

 into many mining districts, to which names are 

 given to distinguish them more readily. The south- 

 ernmost of these is called Zauricocha, and con- 

 tains several mines, from which great wealth has 

 been produced since the revolution. This is the 

 region from which all the richest ores have been 

 produced, and it has been always looked upon as 

 the most important district in the Cerro. It is be- 

 lieved that further south, between this point and 

 the hill of Uliachim, some good ores exist ; but no 

 attempt has yet been made to mine there. 



In the district of Santa Rosa, lying west of 

 Zauricocha, the greatest quantity of ore has been 

 raised : it has been worked down to the level of 

 the adit ; and in several mines, where good ore 

 has been discovered, they have descended to a 

 lower level, drainage having been effected by hand- 

 pumping. 



On the east of the Zauricocha is the district 

 called Aranillapata, in which few mines are now 

 worked ; the ore which is produced, although 

 abundant in particular spots, is not rich. 



Immediately within the town there are some few 

 mines that are good, but there has never been any 

 extensive work carried on. It is believed that pro- 

 fitable ore yet remains to be discovered. 



Cayac, another district lying north of Zaurico- 

 cha, is worked to some profit ; the upper adit 

 from the north-west reaches it, and several mines 

 in it have been yielding good returns. 



To the north of Cayac are the Chucarillo and 

 Zauracancha districts, the working of the mines in 

 which had been impeded by water accumulated 

 since the breaking out of the revolutionary war. 

 The upper adit, leading from the gully of Rumial- 

 lana, is carried above them, and they consequently 

 derive no benefit from it. 



To the north of these last two districts lies the 

 plain of San Juan ; there are a few small veins 

 running through some parts of it, but no important 

 discovery has yet been made, although many mines 

 have been opened and carried down to depths of 

 from one hundred and twenty to one hundred and 

 fifty feet. The lower adit, from the gully of Ru- 

 miallana, is to run through it, and may open to the 

 proprietors some discoveries to recompense them 

 for their labours. 



The whole number of mines considered rich in 

 the different districts, may be enumerated as fol- 

 lows : 



In Zauricocha 12 to 14. 



Santa Rosa 20 to 25. 



Cayac 10 to ] 2. 



Chucarillo 5 to 6. 



Zauracancha 10 to 12. 



Each of these mines comprises a space of one 

 hundred and eighty feet long by ninety feet wide. 



The silver ores are estimated by a measure 

 called a box of ore, which contains twenty-five 

 mule-loads of ten arrobas, or twenty-five pounds 

 each. Each box varies in value from six Spanish 



