MINING SYSTEM. 



55 



fications, immaterial to the general principle, will 

 serve to explain the manner in which a great ma- 

 jority of all the mines are now managed in Chili. 



An English merchant, who had resided long 

 enough at Coquimbo, and other parts of Chili, to 

 become well acquainted with the mining districts, 

 and with the personal character of most of the 

 miners; happened to hear of the situation to which 

 the farmer, above mentioned, had been reduced ; 

 and knowing him to be an honest and hard-work- 

 ing man, inquired into the details of his case. 

 It appeared that his debt to the habilitador was 

 eight thousand dollars, and that there was ore 

 enough at the surface to smelt into a thousand 

 quintals ; which, at the stipulated rate of eight 

 dollars per quintal, would be just sufficient to re^ 

 deem the debt. But the miner had no funds to 

 defray the cost of this process^ or the current ex- 

 pences of the mine. 



The English merchant, upon hearing how the 

 matter stood, offered to free him from his embar- 

 rassment, and to conclude a bargain far more ad- 

 vantageous to him. In the first place, he offer- 

 ed to lend the miner a thousand quintals of cop« 



