PERU. 



457 



with veins of gold, and with veins of silver ore, in which pieces of pure silver, solid copper, 

 and lead ore occur, frequently intermixed with white silver ore, and virgin silver in threads. In 

 many parts are rich veins of gold ore in quartz, and gold is also obtained by washing the mud 

 found in the beds of the rivers. The ores are extremely rich, yielding from 5 to 50 pounds 

 of silver for every hundred weight of ore. A large number of the silver mines are neglected. 

 This is owing to their being inundated by water, which has gradually gained on them, so as to 

 completely choke them. The Peruvian gold partly comes from the districts of Pataz and 

 Huailas, where it is extracted from veins of quartz traversing primitive rocks, and partly from 

 lavaderoSj or washing grounds, established on the banks of the Maranon, in the district of Cha- 

 chapoyas. Nearly the whole silver is extracted from the great mines of Lauricocha, (com- 

 monly called the mines of Pasco and Cerro de Bombon,) Gualgayoc or Chota and Huantajaya. 



The mines of Lauricocha were discovered in 1630, by an Indian shepherd ; and though 

 very badly wrought, they annually furnish near 2,500,000 dollars. The mines of Gualgayoc 

 were only discovered in 1771, by an European Spaniard. From 1774 to 1802 they furnished 

 the provincial treasury with an annual income of about 130,000 pounds sterling. The mines 

 of Huantajaya, surrounded with beds of rock-salt, are celebrated for the great masses of native 

 silver which they contain. The value of the annual produce of these mines is from 595,000 

 to 680,000 dollars. These mines are near the shore, in the district of Arica. In 1758 and 

 1789, 2 masses of native silver were found in 2 of its mines, the one weighing 800 pounds and 

 the other 200 pounds. Humboldt calculates the mean produce of the gold and silver at 6,000,000 

 dollars annually. He however adopts 5,300,000 as the mean annual term of registered gold 

 and silver in Peru ; a sum which does not amount to one-fourth of the mineral produce of 

 Mexico, the annual average of which is 23,000,000 dollars. To this sum of Peruvian gold 

 and silver must be added the fraudulent exportation of the silver, or what is denominated un- 

 registered produce, on which no duty has been paid. This was estimated at 940,000 dollars ; 

 making the whole amount of gold and silver, registered and smuggled, 6,240,000 dollars.* 



Peru is the only part of Spanish America where mercury is found in considerable abun- 

 dance ; and here it is met with in various districts. The famous mercury mine of Guancave- 

 lica is situated in the mountain of Santa Barbara. The bottom of this mine is 13,805 feet 

 above the level of the sea ; so that the miners work in a point 1,640 feet higher than the sum- 

 mit of the peak of Teneriffe. The mercury in the environs of Guancavelica, is found in two 

 different forms, in beds and in veins. The great mine is divided into 3 stories, and it is esti- 

 mated that 50 quintals of tolerably rich mineral yield, by distillation, from 18 to 12 pounds of 

 mercury. For the last 16 years, the metalliferous bed of the great mine of Santa Barbara has 

 been completely abandoned, owing to the falling in of the uppermost of the 3 stories of the 

 mine. The other minerals are numerous. White granite, basalt of a brown color, in beauti- 

 ful square colunms, and rock salt of various colors, are found in several parts of the country. 

 What is denominated the stone of the Incas, is found in different parts of the Andes, being a 

 compact marcasite, capable of a high polish. 



There are many obstacles to successful mining in Peru. One great obstruction is the igno- 

 rance of the miners in the science of amalgamation. Another, is the comparative want of capi- 

 tal ; the speculator being generally a person in necessitous circumstances, who is obliged to 

 borrow money on very exorbitant interest, to enable him to commence his works, and to sell 

 the produce of his mines at a great loss, in order to carry them on. The labor of the mines is 

 chiefly carried on by the Mestizoes and Indians, as they only are able to stand the fatigue and 

 unwholesomeness of the employment. 



POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY. 



1. Divisions. Peru is now divided into 7 intendencies : Lima, Tarma, Arequipa, Cuzco, 

 Guamanga, Truxillo, and Guancavelica. 



2. Cities. Lima, the capital of Peru, situated in the valley of Rimac, was founded by Pi- 

 zarro, in 1534, and by him denominated Los Reyes, or the City of the Kings. Its situation is 



* The mining district of Puno, on tlie western borders considered among the most valuable in Peru, and as pos- 



of the Titicaca lake, seems to have escaped the notice of sessing a combination of advantages rarely to be found in 



the indefatigable Humboldt. The mines in this region mining speculations. In its geological disposition and 



were once astonishingly productive, and though abandon- metallic minerals, this district presents a great resem- 



ed since the commencement of tlie present century, are blance to the rich mines of Mexico 



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