the South-Sea. 1 07 



the Spaniards call Trapiches, being made much- after the 

 Manner of thofe ufed in France to grind Apples for Cy- 

 der : They confift of a Trough, or great round Stone, 

 about five or fix Foot Diameter, with a circular Channel 

 cut in it 18 Inches deep. This Stone is bored in the Mid- 

 dle, to let through the long Axle-tree of an Horizontal 

 Wheel plac'd on it, and fet round with Half Pitchers, on^y/ f 

 which the Water falls to make it turn ; by that Means 

 there comes to roll along the Circular Channel a Milftone, 

 placed upright, and anfwering to the Axle-tree of the great 

 Wheel. That Mill-ftone is call'd Volteadora, or, that turns 

 about y its ufual Diameter is three Foot four Inches, and - 

 itsThicknefs ten, or fifteen Inches : Through the Center 

 of it runs an Axle-tree, fix'd into the Main-tree, which 

 caufing it to turn vertically, grinds the Stone taken from 

 the Mine, which thofe Country People call the Metal, and 

 we, according to Founders Terms, the Ore. Some of 

 it is white, fome reddifh, and fome blackifh ; but moft 

 of it fhews little or no Gold to the Eye. 



When the Stones are a little broken, they put to them a jgfo* the c'M 

 certain Quantity of Mercury, or Quicklilver, which clings extraBm 

 to the Gold the Mill has feparated from the Stone it has 

 ground : Then they let fall into the Circular Trough a 

 Stream of Water, rapidly convey 'd along a little Channel, 

 to difTolve the Earth which it forces out at a Hole made for 

 that Purpofe. The Gold incorporated with the Mercury 

 finks to the Bottom, and is detain'd there by its own 

 Weight: They grind in a Day half a Caxon, that is, 2% 

 Quintals^ or hundred Weight of the Ore; and when 

 they have done grinding, they gather up that Pafte of Gold 

 and Quickfilver which lies at the Bottom of the deepeft 

 Part of the Trough ; they put it into a Linnen Bag to 

 fqueeze out the Mercury, as near as they can; then they 

 put it to the Fire for the reft to evaporate: And this is 

 what they call Oro en pinna^ or Gold clung together like 

 a Pine-Apple. 



p z iff 



