in South America. 71 



state. To obtain the necessary heat for fusing gold, a furnace 

 and a blast were found to be requisite ; accordingly we find 

 the very simple plan was adopted of making an excavation in 

 the ground, and coating it with clay. In the centre some 

 stones were placed as a fire-place ; charcoal was then ignited, 

 and the smelting pot, with the gold, placed. The heat of the 

 burning charcoal was then increased to the required degree 

 by a certain number of men supplying air by alternately 

 blowing through long canes, protected at the ends with clay, 

 so as to produce a constant blast in imitation of a double 

 bellows. 



The original inventors made the patterns and the moulds 

 for their castings in the following primitive but effective 

 manner. The beeswax having been used to make toys, in 

 the form of reptiles and other animals, for the amusement of 

 children, these insignificant playthings were afterwards used 

 to reproduce, in gold, what they had imitated in wax. The 

 fancy article of wax was, therefore, used as a pattern ; it was 

 embedded in clay, a small orifice in the mould being left, 

 made also with wax, through which the melted metal could 

 be introduced. These moulds were then carefully dried in 

 the sun, and afterwards gradually heated so as to melt the 

 wax, and leave the clay-casing or mould ready to receive the 

 fluid metal. This simple and ingenious contrivance of the 

 original inhabitants of South America was also used to pro- 

 cure more elaborate imitations of the flora and fauna of 

 Mexico and Peru. 



The Spanish conquerors reached the interior of South 

 America in the year 1545, the northern portion of which 

 they called " Capatania de la Nueva Granada." This included 

 the coast land between the Gulf of Darien and the Cape de la 

 Hacha, reaching the first degree north latitude. The in- 

 terior part of this Spanish colony occupied a considerable 

 extent of the region of the Andes, the inhabitants of which 

 Avere represented as a " timid and quiet people." The 

 gold trinkets we have alluded to were here, as elsewhere, 

 used for ornaments by the chief or Cacique, as well as the 

 community in general, though a distinct class of ornaments 

 seems to have been reserved for the chiefs. The principal 

 object of the new visitors was gold, which was eagerly 

 sought for in any form. Glass beads, and articles made 

 of iron or steel, which were great novelties to the 

 Indians, were readily bartered in exchange for their gold 

 ornaments. There were, however, some ornaments they 



