64 



in Chili contains a greater or less proportion of gokl. 

 This was well known to the French, who, in the be- 

 ginning of the present centiiry, carried on a profit- 

 able commerce with that country for copper, great 

 quantities of which they exported and extracted the 

 gold from it. The proportions of these metals are 

 Very various, there are some copper ores which con- 

 tain a tenth, and others a third part of gold ; but in 

 these cases both substances are found in a metallic 

 State, without having been mineralized. 



The copper ores, containing but little or no gold, 

 are usually mineralized with arsenic or sulphur, some- 

 times with both, and mixed with iron and silver. They 

 are found under the forms of vitreous and hepatic 

 ôre, of ultramarine stone, and of malachite and white 

 copper ore. These several ores are rich in metal^ 

 but, from the expense of refming them, they are 

 considered as of no value. The ores that are wrou ght 

 are but tw^o kinds, the grey or bell metal, and thé 

 malleable copper. The grey ore, or bell metal, is 

 usually mineralized Vvdlh arsenic and sulphur ; it 

 contains no gold or other metal, except a small por- 

 tion of tin.'^ From this mixture and its grey colouf, 

 which it retains even after having been melted and 

 refined, it may be considered as a species of native 

 bronze ; it has another characterestic of that facti- 

 tious métal in its brittleness, although its specific 

 gravity, is much greater than that of the metals corn» 



* If the author has given an accurate descrifition of this mctaly 

 ■ H is of a verij singular sp.cciea^ and nothing similar to it has been 

 discovered in the mines ofjiurope Fr. Trans. 



