420 



NORTHERN CHILE. 



May, 1835. 



for particular metals (as tin) which were soon found not to 

 exist in the country ; contracts to supply the miners with 

 milk, in parts where there were no cows ; machinery, 

 where such could not possibly be used; and a hundred 

 similar arrangements, bore witness to our absurdity, and to 

 this day afford amusement to the natives. Yet there can be 

 no doubt, that the same capital well employed in these mines 

 would have yielded an immense return : a confidential man 

 of business, a practical miner and assayer, would have been 

 all that was required. 



Captain Head has described the wonderful load which the 

 Apires,^^ truly beasts of burden, carry up from deep mines. 

 I confess I thought the account exaggerated ; so that I was 

 glad to take the opportunity of weighing one of the loads, 

 which I picked out by hazard. It required considerable ex- 

 ertion on my part, when standing directly over it, to lift it from 

 the ground. The load was considered under weight when 

 found to be 197 pounds. The apire had carried this up eighty 

 perpendicular yards, — part of the way by a steep passage, but 

 the greater part up notched poles, placed in a zigzag line in 

 the shaft. According to the general regulation, the apire is 

 not allowed to halt for breath, except the mine is six 

 hundred feet deep. The average load is considered as rather 

 more than 200 pounds, and I have been assured that one of 

 300 pounds (twenty-two stone and a half) by way of a trial 

 has been brought up from the deepest mine ! At this time 

 the apires were bringing up the usual load twelve times in the 

 day ; that is, 2400 pounds from eighty yards deep ; and they 

 were employed in the intervals in breaking and picking ore. 



These men, excepting from accidents, are healthy, and 

 appear cheerful. Their bodies are not very muscular. They 

 rarely eat meat once a week, and never oftener, and then 

 only the hard dry charqui. Although with a knowledge that 

 the labour is voluntary, it was nevertheless quite revolting to 

 see the state in which they reached the mouth of the mine ; 

 their bodies bent forward, leaning with their arms on the steps, 

 their legs bowed, the muscles quivering, the perspiration 



