PERU. 271 



established in 1825, for working mines in Spanish America, was in 

 saddling themselves with great numbers of people, engaged at high 

 salaries, and workmen at extravagant wages ; the expenses attending 

 this force swallowed up much of the funds before any work was begun. 

 These included not only inspectors and mining-captains, but artisans, 

 all of whom were sent from England. From a total change of life 

 and circumstances, the mining-captains and artisans almost invariably 

 turned out in a short time drunkards, and became good for nothing. 

 In some cases miners were brought out, and these turned out still more 

 worthless than either of the two former classes. They, indeed, did 

 more work than the Indians, but their wages were higher, and the 

 expenses for their importation in addition, made them cost much 

 more. 



According to the laws of Peru, the silver produced in this depart- 

 ment must be sent to the government assay-office, to be melted into 

 bars, and thence to the mint at Lima to be coined. The usual price 

 of silver as it comes from the mine, is from seven dollars six reals, to 

 seven dollars seven reals per marc. If remitted to Lima on account 

 of the miner, it yields him about eight dollars one real per marc. 



The duties it pays are six dollars per bar of two hundred and ten 

 marcs to the assay-master, one real per marc for the public works of 

 the Cerro, and one real per marc to government. 



The mint price is eight dollars two maravedis per marc of eleven 

 pennyweights fine. 



Within three leagues of Pasco, on an extensive plain, there stands 

 an isolated hill of porphyry, called Raco. From this hill are cut the 

 stones used in grinding the ores, which are from two and a half to 

 three varas in diameter, and from eighteen to twenty-four inches in 

 thickness. The cost for delivering them at the foot of the hill is ten 

 dollars for every quarter of a vara in their diameter, and the expense 

 of drawing them to the mills varies from seventy to two hundred 

 dollars, according to the distance.* 



In 1840, several new attempts were about to be made in mining 

 speculations. 



The great difficulty to secure success seems to be in providing for 

 the proper drainage, which the present adit will not accomplish alone, 

 and great advantages might be derived from steam-power properly 

 employed to free the mines of water. The owners of the mines are 

 always desirous of inserting in the contracts, that they shall not have 



* Most of the above facts are derived from a person who had long resided on the spot, 

 and been engaged in various mining operations. 



