79 



of wood or horn, called poruña ^ which is placed in 

 a running stream and constantly shaken ; by this 

 means the sand which contains no metallic particles, 

 being lighter, is thrown out over the top, and the 

 more weighty or the gold remains at the bottom. 

 This operation is necessary to be repeated several 

 times in order to carry off all the ferruginous earth 

 which is always united with gold. But as many of 

 the smaller metallic particles must necessarily be 

 washed away with the earth by this process, a mode^ 

 in my opinion, much more economical, is that em- 

 ployed in some places of washing the sand upon in- 

 clined planks covered with sheep skin. Defective as 

 the process of washing is, the profit that accrues from 

 it is frequently alm.ost incredible, as it is not unusual 

 to find among the sand large pieces of gold, called pe- 

 pitas, which sometimes exceed a pound in weight ; but 

 it is more commonly found in a pulverized state, and 

 in the form of little round or lenticular grains. This 

 gold is sold in the cities in little purses made of the 

 scrotums of sheep as in the time of Pliny, and is gene- 

 rally more esteemed than that of the mines, as it is 

 of a better colour and a finer standard. 



The quantity of gold annually dug in Chili is diffi- 

 cult to be estimated. That called oro- quintado^ which 

 pays the fifth to the royal treasury, does not amount 

 to less than four millions of dollars, of which there is 

 coined at the mint of St. Jago a million and a half, the 

 residue is exported in bullion, or used in the country 

 for plate and jewelry. The amount smuggled without 

 paying the duty cannot be calculated, but it certainly 



