the South-Sea. 



The Manner of taking the Silver out of the Mines : 



OR, 



The Management of the Ore to reduce it into Majfes. 



THOSE the Spaniards call Vinnas^ are porous and light 

 Maffes of Silver, made of dry'd A?nalgama y or Pafte, 

 before form'd by the Mixture of Quick-filver, and theDuft 

 of Silver taken out of the Mines, as I am going to relate. 



After having broken the Stone taken out of the Vein of 

 Ore, they grind it in thofe Mills with Grind-ftones above- 

 mention'd, or in the Ingenios Reales, or Royal Engines, ^Pf s ■ 

 which conGft of Hammers or Pounders, like the French r ' 

 Plaifter-Mills. They have generally a Wheel of about 25 

 or 30 Foot Diameter, whofe long Axle-tree is fet with 

 fmooth Triangles, which, as they turn, hook or lay hold 

 of the Handles of the Iron Hammers, and lift them up to 

 a certain Height, from whence they drop at once at every 

 Turn, aud they generally weighing about 200 Weight, 

 fall fo violently, that they crulli and reduce the hardeft 

 Stone to Powder, by their Weight alone. They after- 

 wards fift that Powder through Iron, or Copper Sieves, to 

 talce away the fineft, and return the reft to the Mill. When 

 the Ore happens to be mix'd with fome Metals., which ob- 

 :ftru& its falling to Powder, as Copper, they then calcine 

 it in an Oven, and pound it over again. 



At the little Mines, where they ufe none but Mills with Wetting tk 

 Grind-ftones, they, for the moft part, grind the Ore with 0re 

 - Water, which makes a liquid Mud, that runs into a Re- 

 ceiver ; whereas, when it is ground dry, it muft be after- 

 wards fteep'd, and well moulded together with the Feet 

 for a long Time. 



To this Purpofe, they make a Court, or Floor, where MmUmg 

 they difpofe that Mud in fquare Parcels, about a Foot thick, 

 each of them containing half a Caxon, or Cheft, that is 25 * rw " 



X 2 Quintals^ 



