298 BOUGUER's voyage to PERU. 



There is much gold contained in the weftern Cordelier, as alfo in the bafe of the 

 eaftern one, and in another very long chain, which breaks a little to the fouth of Po- 

 payan, and afterwards pafling on by Santa Fe de Bogota and Merida, ends towards 

 Caraccas upon the North Sea ; as the gold-duft is found in fituations low with re- 

 fped to the reft of the Cordelier, it is never difcovered till two beds of different 



*L -dM^ ftrata are removed, under which it lies concealed. The firft is of ordinary or the com- 

 mon earth, three or four feet thick, and fometimes ten or twelve ; beneath is often 

 found a ftratum or bed not fo thick, of a yellowifti colour, and yet lower a third, of a 

 violet colour, which is often three or four feet in thicknefs, but fometimes not an inch, 

 and this it is with which the gold is mixed. The colour of the earth changes again 

 below, becomes black as at the furface, and contains no metal. It appears as if the 

 gold, before it had been covered by the two upper ftrata, had been wafhed by the run- 

 ning waters. We are alfo affured that this foil, once waftied or robbed of their riches, 

 never produces them more, which proves that the gold had been, as it were, depofited 

 there : it is probable this may not hold good with regard to other mines, in which the 

 metal may be incorporated with fome ftony fubftance. It is pretended in thefe laft, 

 which, properly fpeaking, are the mines, and which are found in the bowels of the 



^1. mountains, though I have never feen them, and are only found beyond the fouth of the 



^^ equator, there is a daily new produdion of metallic matter. 



In the environs of Popayan, as is the cafe at Quinamajor, Barbacoa, and even at 

 Choco, the fituation of which places I have already noticed, they do not carry away 

 the foil to be waftied, as is done at Chili : to do this would be almoft always too diffi- 

 cult, and even impoftible, particularly as the roads are impracticable for beafts when 

 burthened. The gold is feparated from the earth by an operation upon the fpot : a 

 trench is made of about forty feet in length, according to the inclining of the foil, to 

 which they give from five to fix in breadth ; the two firft ftrata are thrown out, and 

 water paffes through the excavation by means of an opening at the lower extremity ; 

 while this is pafling five or fix men are labouring in the water with fliovels and iron 

 rakes to feparate the earth which contains the metallic particles. This labour will laft 

 for a fortnight or three weeks, and until all the parts of the third bed comprehended 

 in the fpace have not only been diluted, but drawn away, and nothing remains at the 

 bottom but the gold-duft, with the heavieft part of the fand. They know when they 

 have dug a fufficient depth by the blacknefs of the earth adhering to the implements 

 they ufe in digging. There is no failure of water in the country, where the rain 

 falls almoft inceflantly ; at the fame time, as the foil is not competent to the retention 

 of it, they have fometimes to go far in fearchof it ; and their right to it in the forefts is 

 difputed, fo that they are obliged fometimes to purchafe it very dear, and it is really ob- 

 tained but by weight of gold ; and the expence is great to convey it to the places where 

 they want it, which is done by a fort of aquedufts, haftily conftrucled of the bamboos 

 I have before mentioned. This difficulty, joined with a want of provifions, which in 

 thefe places are not to be got at, or which they have not time to cultivate, obliges them 

 frequently to abandon their works in different places, rich in the extreme. 



The remainder of the labour, the gold-duft, and the fand with which it is intermixt, 

 once colledted, takes up but little time ; a few waftiings are fufficient ; for which purpofe 

 they ufe a fort of difli or bafon, in which they tofs it about, and pour it off" from time to 

 time. The operation is frequently forwarded by the glutinous juice of certain plants, 

 which fixes upon the fand, but not with the fame facility on the gold : when the latter 

 is drawn away by the fand, which often happens, they ufe the loadftone to liberate it. 

 Sometimes they have recourfe to a very oppofite expedient : they make ufe of mercury ; 



at 



