O'iiEiLLY — Milesian Colonization relative to Gold-mining. 65 



Ancients ") -which appeared in th.e Mining Journal, 24th. February, 

 1894, p. 199, is worth being cited from. The writer says: "The 

 Cambrian zone, lying between the E. I^avia and the E. Canero, is 

 notable for th.e immense belt of quai'tzite that passes from the sea, on 

 the north, through the whole province, interning in the province of 

 Leon on the south. Between Salime and Pola de Alende, and about 

 six leagues to the south of the town of jS^avia, near the village of 

 Lago (altitude about 800 m. above sea-level), there is a mass of 

 feldspathic diorite, about 200 m. wide. This has not affected the 

 adjacent stratified beds, which are comprised of chloritic schists, and 

 to the S.S.E. and E. of this, there is a run of common diorite, in the 

 vicinity of which (near the banks of the R. Yalledor), there are 

 several ancient workings for gold. Here between the two groups 

 (that of the village of Celon and that of Pola de Alende) the schist is 

 altered, first to gneiss, then to micaschist ; afterwards talcose and 

 twisted ; sometimes fibrous ; generally of a white colour, and very 

 lustrous; often of a pearly white. In these, near the village of 

 Pigueras, there are some ancient workings, and in the pearly white 

 schist, there are thin veins of true asbestos, having a good fibre, to 

 be worked at some future day. At Iboyo, under the saccharoidal 

 limestone, there are some ancient workings in hard porphyritic diorite. 

 The eastern margin of the great quartzite zone marks the greatest 

 development of the ancient workings. These form a string from 

 Vegalagar, two leagues S.-W. of Cangas de Tineo, for a distance of 

 ■eight leagues, to near Trevias, S.-E. of Luarca, the limestone band 

 serving as a guide. All these had their canals to bring the water, 

 often long distances, above the level of the workings ; these canals 

 were made along the irregular sides of the moimtains, and show to- 

 day that the engineering skill of these ancient miners was well up to 

 the mark. Some of these workings have two or more canals from 

 drfferent watersheds, so that when, on one side, the supply was 

 insufficient, they soon went in a contrary direction for a further 

 supply. There are several cases where they tunnelled thi'ough an 

 iutervening ridge to get the water through, after bringiag it from 

 a long distance ; such is the case at Montefurado, where the water 

 was reqiiired for the working of the mine, which to-day is known as 

 the C'iieva de Juan Rata ^ celebrated in the folk-lore of the country." 

 Moatefurado is thus described in Viv. de S. Martin's Diet, de Geogi-. 

 Univ.: "A village (bourg.) of the province of Lugo, at 64 kms. 

 S.S.E. of Lugo, district of Quiroga, at 367 m. altitude above the level 

 of the E. Sil. The river here passes subterraneously by a camd of 



E.I. A. phoc, see. ni., vol. vi. ^ 



