^.74 A VOYAGE TO Book VI, 



to polifh others, by rubbing them together ; ic 

 'being highly improbable that they could bring them 

 -to fuch perfedlion with the few and aukward tools 

 they ufed : as for the working of iron, they were 

 •undoubtedly ftrahgers to it, there being many 

 'inines of that metal in this country, and not one 

 ^f them with any marks of having ever been 

 touched. And no iron was found amonp- them 

 at the arrival of the Spaniards, But, on the con- 

 trary, they lliewed an extreme fondnefs for any thing 

 made of that metal. 



I HAVE already mentioned the quarries, or mines, 

 pi'oducing the two kinds of fbone of which the 

 Indians made their mirrors and which were thofe 

 moft efteemed. There are likewife quarries of 

 other ftones, which, in a country where gold and. 

 fi?ver mines tdo not abound, would be thought va- 

 luable. Of thefe one is in the plain of Talqui, 

 fouth of Cuenfa ; out of which are taken very 

 large and beautiful blocks of white and very 

 clear dabafter; Its only fault is its foftnefs : yet 

 that is not fuch as to hinder all kinds of works 

 from being made of it ; or rather its eafmefs con- 

 tributes to their perfe6li6n : nor is there any dan- 

 ger of large flakes flying ofl\, which often fpoil 

 ^ti entire piece. The only quarries of this ftone 

 are near Cuen^a but thofe of rock cryftal I have 

 feen in many parts, from whence I have had fome 

 very large, clear, and tranfparent pieces, and of a 

 remarkable hardnefs : but, as it is not efteemed[ 

 here, no ufe is made of it ; fo that what is found- 

 is purely by accident. In the fame jurifdidtion of 

 Cuen^a, and about two leagues north-weft of the 

 city, not far from the villages of Racan and Sa- 

 anfay, is a fmall mountain, entirely covered with 

 flints moftly black, fome of a reddifh caft, andt 

 btfieri^ whitifh. But, being ftrangers to the manner 



of 



