56 



CHILT, 



per, to be delivered at Guasco to the habilitadorj 

 whose claim upon the mine would be thus anni- 

 hilated. He next agreed to purchase the farm 

 which the miner had so long wished for, and at 

 once to put him in possession of it. He then 

 proposed, not to habilitate the mine in the usual 

 way, but to lend money to the miner, that he 

 himself might pay the workmen, and be the pur- 

 veyor for his mine ; instead of having an account 

 kept against him for these disbursements. Final- 

 ly, he was willing to take the copper off the min- 

 er'^s hands, at eleven dollars per quintal instead 

 of eight. 



The miner was, of course, delighted with these 

 terms, and readily adopted them, as he gained 

 immediately several material advantages. He 

 got rid of the opression of the habilitador ; he ac- 

 complished the great object of his exertions, the 

 possession of the large farm ; he secured a high 

 price for all his copper ; and what he valued more 

 probably than all the rest, he had the satisfaction 

 of providing the mine himself, and was saved 

 from the mortifying conviction of being cheated 

 at every stage of the transaction. 



