BETAGH*"S ACCOUNT OF PERU. IJr 



or blulfh {pots, which Is called plata blanca, or white filver. The mines of Lipes are 

 moft of them of this fort. For the moft part there appear fome little grains of filver, 

 and very often fmall branches extending along the layers of the (lone. There are fome, 

 on the other hand, as black as the drofs of iron, in which the filver does not appear, 

 called negrillo, that is, blackifh. Sometimes it is black with lead, for which reafon it 

 is called plomo ronco, that is coaife lead, in which the filver appears as if fcratched 

 with fomething that is harfli ; and it is generally the richeft, and got with leafl: charge, 

 becaufe, inflead of moulding it with quickfilver, it is melted in furnaces, where the lead 

 evaporates by dint of fire, and leaves the filver pure and clean. 



From that fort of mines the Indians drew their filver, becaufe, having no ufe of mer- 

 cury, as the Europeans have, they only wrought thofe whofe ore would melt ; and, 

 having but little wood, they heated their furnaces with ylo, and the dung of llamas, 

 or Iheep, and other beads, expofmg them on the mountains, that the wii^d might keep 

 the fire fierce. This is all the fecret the hiftorians of Peru fpeak of, as of fomething 

 wonderful. There is another fort of ore like this, as black, and in which the filver 

 does not appear at all ; on the contrary, if it be wetted, and rubbed againfl: iron, it 

 turns red ; for which reafon it is called roficler, fignifying the ruddinefs of the dawn of 

 the day. This is very rich, and affords the finefl filver. There is fome that glitters 

 like talc qr ifinglafs ; this is generally naught, and yields little filver ; the name of it is 

 Zoroche ; the peel, which is of a yellowifh red, is very foft, and broken in bits, but 

 feldom rich ; and the mines of it are wrought on account of the eafinefs of getting the 

 ore : there is fome green, not much harder than the lall, called cobriffo, or copperifli ; 

 it is very rare : however, though the filver generally appears in it, and it is almofl 

 mouldering, it is the hardeft to be managed, that is, to have the filver extraded from 

 it i fometimes, after being ground, it muft be burnt in the fire, and feveral other 

 methods ufed to feparate it ; doubtlefs, becaufe it is mixed with copper. Laflly, there 

 is another fort of very rare ore, which has been found at Potofi, only in the mine of 

 Cotamifo, being threads of pure filver, intangled or wound up together like burnt lace, 

 fo fine, that they call it arana, fpider, from its refemblance to a cobweb. 



The veins of mines, of what fort foever they be, are generally richer in the middle, 

 than towards the edges ; and, when two veins happen to crofs one another, the place 

 where they meet is always very rich. It is alfo obferved, that thofe which lie north and 

 fouth, are richer than thofe which lie any other way. Thofe which are near places 

 where mills can be eredted, and that are more commodioufly wrought, are often pre- 

 ferable to the richer, that require more expence ; which is the reafon, that, at Lipes, 

 and at Potofi, a cheft of ore mud yield ten marks, of eight ounces each mark, of 

 filver, to pay the prime charges : and, at thofe of the province of 'J'arama, five pay 

 them. When they are rich, and fink downwards, they are fubjedt to be flooded ; and 

 then they muft have recourfe to pumps and machines, or elfe drain them by thofe they 

 call cocabones, being paffages made in the fide of the mountain for the water to run 

 out at; which often ruin the owners, by the exceffive expence they infenfibly draw 

 them into. There are other ways of feparating the filver from the ftones that confine 

 it, and from the other metals that are mixed with it, by fire, or flrong feparating 

 waters, made ufe of at fome mines, where other means fail, and \vhere ihey make a 

 fort of ingots, v/hich they call boUos ; but the mofl general and ufeful method is to 

 make pinnas or maffes, ' above mentioned, which are preferred to other forms, on 

 account of their eafinefs in making, and that they fave fire, and other ingredients ; 

 which is a thing of great confequence in works of this nature, where, to fave in ihe 

 expence, has the fame effed as finding the mine. 



VOL. XIV. D It 



