CHTUL 585 
It is much fissured, and the surface and seams for a hundred feet 
from the vein are green with chrysocolla, or siliceous carbonate of 
copper, which mineral occasionally occurs also in botryoidal concre- 
tions. 
The lode was apparently a string of nests or interrupted seams. The 
immediate gangue consisted of cale spar and quartz. ‘The ore which 
occurs at the place is mostly the sulphuret of copper or vitreous copper 
ore; besides which there are the variegated and gray copper ores, and 
some carbonate of copper in addition to the chrysocolla. ‘The occur- 
rence of native copper is always considered a bad sign among the 
Chilian miners, as it is supposed to indicate that the mine will soon 
ruin out; and they say that it is generally associated with much red 
oxyd of copper. 
This mine is situated on the steep slope of a ridge, nearly two thou- 
sand feet above its base, and eight hundred from the top. The exca- 
vations have been carried on nearly four hundred feet into the side of 
the mountain; formerly the mine was productive, though yielding 
little at the time of our visit. 
The limited time in Chili was too short for any farther examination 
of its mines. 
The coal mines of the country were also out of our limits. ‘They 
are described as extensive and valuable. The principal that have 
been opened are situated near Talcuhano, in Arauca, on Chiloe, and 
at Penco near Valparaiso. The coal is good for ordinary purposes, 
and is used by the steamers of the coast; but it contains too much 
pyrites to be employed in smelting ores. A specimen examined by 
Prof. Walter R. Johnson, contained 67:62 per cent. of fixed carbon. 
The beds are believed to be of the tertiary epoch, and therefore pro- 
mise to be less productive than if of the older carboniferous formation. 
147 
