THE MACOLCA. 



107 



The grinder, standing upon this upper stone, spreads his feet apart, and 

 gives it motion by the movement of his body. The bits of ore are 

 placed between these stones, and a small stream of water from a barrel 

 above mixes with the harina, and carries it off to a receptacle below. 

 It may be imagined that, to draw any profit from so rude a contrivance 

 as this, it is necessary that the ores ground by it should be of the richest 

 kind. 



The apparatus for driving off the mercury by heat is as rude as the 

 boliche. The pella is placed in a kind of earthen jar or bottle made in 

 the neighborhood, and worth from two to three reals. An iron tube, of 

 about two yards long, is introduced into the mouth of the jar, which is 

 then closed with a yellowish clay. The other end of this tube (which 

 is bent) is put into an earthen jar half-full of water, where the fumes of 

 the mercury are condensed. Fire is kindled around the earthen bottles 

 which contain the pella, and continued for three or four hours, when the 

 bottles are broken and the pina taken out. 



The man who was buried by the falling in of one of the mines was 

 got out yesterday. He seemed strong, though he had had no food for 

 nearly seven days. He had lost the account of time, and thought he 

 had been enclosed in the earth but three days. 



July 9. — Suffering to-day from an affection called macolca, which is 

 incident to nearly every one on his first visit to the mines. This is a 

 painful soreness of the muscles, particularly on the front of the thigh. 

 I could scarcely bear that my legs should be touched, and locomotion 

 was anything but agreeable. 



The town of Cerro Pasco is (by temperature of boiling water) thirteen 

 thousand eight hundred and two feet above the level of the sea. Rivero 

 states it at fourteen thousand two hundred and seventy-nine. The 

 population varies from six to fifteen thousand souls, according to the 

 greater or less yield of the mines. Most of the adult part of this popu- 

 lation are, of course, engaged in mining. This seems to be a calling 

 that distorts much the moral perception, and engenders very confused 

 ideas of right and wrong. The lust for money-making seems to have 

 swallowed up all the finer feelings of the heart, and cut off all the 

 amenities of society. There are no ladies — at least I saw none in 

 society ; and the men meet to discuss the mines, the probable price of 

 quicksilver, and to slander and abuse each other. There seems to be 

 no religion here even in form. The churches are mere barns, going to 

 decay ; and I saw no processions or religious ceremonies. Smyth saw 

 a procession in 1834, but I should doubt if there had been one of these 



