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river Bio-bio and the Archipelago of Chiloe, 

 several very rich mines of gold were formerly 

 discovered, which yielded immense sums ; but 

 since the expulsion of the Spaniards from those 

 provinces by the Araucanians,, these mines have 

 been in the possession of that warlike people^ 

 who have prohibited the opening them anew 

 by any one under pain of death. 



The most important mines that are at present 

 wrought are those of Copiapo, Guase, Co^ 

 quimbo, Petorca, Ligua^ Tiltil, Putaendo, 

 Caen, Alhue, Chibato, and Huilli-palagua. 

 All these, excepting the three last, which are 

 of recent discovery, have been wrought ever 

 since the conquest, and have constantly yielded 

 a great product. But this is by no means the 

 case with all the mines that are discovered : 

 in many the miners are allured at first with ap- 

 pearances of great riches, but soon find the ore 

 entirelv fail, or in so small quantities as not to 

 repay them for their labour. The metallurgists 

 of Chili call this kind of wandering mine bolson; 

 the same name is also applied to the ramifi- 

 cations, which in general are circular, and to 

 the richest veins where the ore is found lodged 

 in heaps and cavities. Another obstruction to 

 working the mines are the inundations to which 

 they are subject from subterraneous spring'^. 

 These are frequent, and, when they occur, 

 compel the miners to abandon the mine, wh<i> 



