454 AVOYAGETO Book VL 



near the village of Angamarca ; the owner of which 

 was an inhabitant of the village called Sanabria. 

 The quantity of metal he procured from jt was fo 

 great, that^ in order to lofe no time, he caufed it to 

 be worked day and night, and had for that purpofe 

 a great number of Negro flaves, who laboured in the 

 night 5 and the Indians continued the work in the 

 day time. But in the height of his profperity, the 

 mine in a violent ftorm gave way, and funk fo low, 

 that^ though frequent fearches have been made after 

 it, the vein could not be found. At laft, in the year 

 1 743, a perfon difcovered it by an accident of the 

 fame nature that had deftroyed it •, a violent tempeft 

 happened, during which, a torrent of water gulhed 

 out through the former entrance of the mine. The 

 perfon, interpreting this accident as a providential in- 

 dication, immediately undertook the working of it; 

 and it has fully anfwered his expedations. 



Within the jurifdidion of this province are many 

 other mines, which appear to have been worked at 

 different times, and to have yielded a great quantity 

 of metal. The nature of the country feems beft 

 adapted to gold mines ; though there are feveral filver 

 veins, which appear to be very rich : and accordingly 

 an account of them is entered in the feveral revenue 

 offices, and in the records of the audience of Qtiito. 

 Some have been lately worked, though with little en- 

 couragem.ent : of this number may be faid to be that 

 of Guacaya, in the jurifdi61:ion of Zicchos, on the 

 frontiers of Latacunga ; and another likewife of filver, 

 about two leagues from the former. Both were 

 worked fome time but never beyond the furface of 

 the earth, the undertakers, not having a fufficient 

 flock of their own to work them in form ; and the 

 aOlftance they folicited was denied. The mod cele- 

 brated filver mine in all this diftrid: is that calJed 

 Sarapullo, about eighteen leagues from the fame town 



