/HMning* J9 



hundred years. This seemed incredible to him, and he said that I had 

 been so long absent from Mexico for he had previously asked me how 

 long I had been in this country I could not know the real wealth and 

 abundance of our mines, and he was very positive that I had made a 

 mistake. He assured me that the silver mines in China yielded occa- 

 sionally something, but soon were exhausted, and it was impossible to 

 get any silver out of them, and judging the Mexican silver mines from 

 those he had seen at home, he was, of course, incredulous as to their 

 yield. 



Some years ago, and when the Mexican mines only yielded about 

 $20,000,000 a year, I predicted that their annual yield would reach 

 $100,000,000, and that prediction is about being verified, as the present 

 product exceeds $60,000,000. 



Gold. Gold was used freely in Mexico before the Spanish con- 

 quest, and history teaches us how Cortez induced Montezuma to 

 deliver to him his gold treasury. 



As soon as Mexico was conquered, Bernal Diaz del Castillo, one of 

 the cotemporary historians, tells us that Cortez inquired vefy carefully 

 about the place where the Indians obtained their gold, whether there 

 were placers, mines, or washings, and his agents were taken to some 

 localities in the State of Oaxaca, where they were told was the gold 

 supply, but, whether the Indians concealed the real location of the 

 gold deposits, or for other reasons, the Spaniards did not obtain much 

 gold. I have known recently of unavailing efforts having been made 

 of persons from the United States who have tried to ascertain the 

 localities where the Indians obtained their gold, that is the places 

 which were shown to Cortex in Oaxaca as gold deposits. 



There is a river in the State of Guerrero which flows over a coun- 

 try with hills abundant in gold formation, which carries nuggets that 

 the natives find without any difficulty, and it is called for that reason 

 the Gold River. That river passes over some mountains where gold 

 is found, and then comes to a place where a natural dam is formed, 

 and the gold carried by the washings in the rainy season sinks when 

 reaching that place, and every indication shows that there must be a 

 very large deposit of gold there. A military engineer suggested, the 

 last time I was Secretary of the Treasury in Mexico, that the bed of 

 the river be changed by the Mexican Government, a work which did 

 not present serious obstacles, and thus allow excavations to be made 

 and the gold deposits found. It was thought advisable to make some 

 preliminary examinations in the way of boring, and for that purpose 

 the necessary orders were issued to send soldiers there, but I under- 

 stand the project was given up and nothing was accomplished. I have 

 no doubt that at some future time that matter will be taken up, and a 

 great deal of gold will be found there. 



