63 



iron of these mines is of the very best quality ; but the 

 working of it is prohibited, in order to favour the trade 

 of Spain, from whence all the iron used in the country 

 is brought. But during the last war between Eng- 

 land and Spain, wlien iron was at an exorbitant price, 

 several quintals were secretly wrought which prov- 

 ed to be of a superior quality. The Araucanian pro- 

 vinces likewise produce excellent iron, and I have 

 been assured by an intelligent Biscayan smith, that 

 it was no way inferior to the best in Spain. In the 

 same country has likewise been discovered a spe- 

 cies of that mineral substance called refractarias ; 

 and there is scarce a province that does not contain a 

 mine of load- stone : Frazier speaks of a mountain 

 in the Andes, called St. Agnes, which is entirely 

 composed of this substance. 



If the Chilians have neglected the working of 

 mines in general, this cannot be said of those of 

 gold, silver and copper, to which the greatest atten- 

 tion has been paid, from the conquest to the present 

 time. The richest mines of the latter are found 

 betwixt the 24th and 36th degrees of latitude ; the 

 ore obtained from them is of various qualities, some 

 very fine and some but indifferent. Ulloa, in speak- 

 ing of this copper generally, assigns to it the second 

 place after that of Corinth, which is properly consi- 

 dered as an artificial metal.* Almost all the copper 



* In the province of Coquimbo all kinds of metals are so com- 

 mon, that it would seem as if the earth was entirely composed of 

 mineral. In that province are those mines of copper which sup- 

 ply the consumption of Chili and Peru, and although it is consi- 

 dered as the best of any hitherto known^ it is dug very sparingly. 

 American Gazetteer \ article Chili. 



