Mlwrable mwK.ci or Hvlnff at BwW. i>l-i>i' 1'liUa of Sau Juan. 



* w HfULni to C;t»n CLiticlia.— Tnt»n of Pasco. li",ltl. Mines about Puco. 



by tlio sacristan to engage him to paint tin; four 

 Evangelists for the church. Price was no ubjert, 

 provided he could do it, and they would besides 

 consider it as a great favour. 



StNDfl of the bystanders proposed to have the 

 constable painted, and pointed to a strapping big 

 negro. 



The houses literally contained no furniture, and 

 the silver lent Lo our party was believed to consti- 

 tute the only valuables in the place. The only 

 articles besides that were seen were sonic roughly - 

 made wooden spoons, earthen dishes, and water, 

 jugs, a few boards made into a rough table, w ii h a 

 stool or two, ami a bedstead made of canes and 

 plastered with clay. In no part of the United 

 States, whether in the cabins of the far west, or in 

 the poorest suburbs of unr eastern cities, are per- 

 sons t.. be seen living in such a miserable manner. 

 The country-people of Peru, notwithstanding they 

 are surrounded with every thing to make them 

 comfortable, want the knowledge and industry to 

 use th< advantages nature ha- given litem. 



On the '*:\vil tiny left Matins on their return. 

 Notwithstanding (heir horses had had some rest, 

 their backs were in a shocking state, hut the sores 

 did not seem to be regarded much by the guides, 

 who applied soap to them ; they scolded and 

 blamed the English Baddies, which they called 

 " gallapagoa turtles." 



The party had determined to make another visit 

 lo Vlpumurca, hut tin gnidi s would not listen to it, 

 giving as a reason ih.it they should have their 

 horses stolen if ihey went. While this discussion 

 was guing on, they met a jtenson who informed 

 ibeiii that the only persons now there were Indian*. 

 .As their only iuduceiuent to return was the agree- 

 able company they had left, they acceded to their 

 guides' views, and taking another direction, arrived 

 at Casa t utieha in the afternoon. At night boiue 

 Chilian cavalry arrived, which caused great alarm 

 among the occupants of the hutu and the guides, 

 for fear of losing their horses, a disaster -which 

 they said often occurred when such visiters came. 

 The commander proved to be a gentlemanly per- 

 son, and rendered our parly much assistance. This 

 party had left Pasco, the chief mining place of 

 Lower Peru, in the morning, and represented it as 

 a place of considerable trade, containing many 

 foreign residents, including English, American, 

 French, and German, lie stated that the (fpichua 

 language was sjnda.il there, and that the Spanish 

 was not commonly understood. 



The town of 1'aaco is at an elevation of thirteen 

 thousand feet, and situated in the plain of Sau 

 Juan, at the head of two ravines or gullies, one 

 called Rumiallana, leading to the northward, and 

 the other lluanuco, to the eastward, where the 

 two great veins of Coh|iiijirca and Pariajirea unite. 

 Thoso are supposed to extend some seventy miles 

 in length, and the town of Pasco is situated at their 

 junction. The part of the ground that has been 

 broken up, and in which ores have been found, is 

 about half a mile in length in a north and south 

 directum, and about one- fourth of a mile east and 

 west. Wilhin the whole of this extent ores have 

 been mined of greater or less value, and the mines 

 formerly worked and now deserted are said to 

 amount to upwards of a thousand. 



The town of Pasco is surrounded mi three sides: 

 ijorih-eu-t and south by hills of blue limestone ; on 



the west the hills ore of sandstone, and on the 

 soulh-west of a blue slate. All the ores of the 

 CeiTo are ferruginous, and the silver nearest to the 

 surface is contained in an ochreuus iron-stone. 

 In particular spots the silver is found mixed with 

 lead and copper, and at variable depths in different 

 localities the ores rest on a bed of solid iron [nriieN, 

 which in some mines yield silver and in others noL 



The plain of .San Juan on the north is divided 

 into many mining districts, to which names are 

 given to distinguish them more readily. The south- 

 ernmost (J f these is enlbd Z.< nricorha, and con- 

 tains several mines, from which great wealth has 

 been produced since the revolution. This is the 

 region from which all the richest ores have btjM 

 produced, and it has been always looked upon as 

 the most important district in the Cvrro. It is be- 

 lieved (hat further south, between this point and 

 the hill of Uliacbim, some good ores exist ; but no 

 attempt has yet been made to mine there. 



In the district of Santa Rosa, lying west of 

 Zauricocha, the greatest miauiity of ore has been 

 raised : it bus been worked down to the level of 

 the. adit; and in several urines, where good ore 

 has been discovered, they have descended to a 

 lower level, drainage having been effected by Uand- 

 [iii toping. 



nn the east of the Zauricocha is the district 

 called AratrilUpata, in which few mines are now 

 worked ; the ore which is produced, although 

 ahuudnnl in particular spots, is no I rich. 



Immediately within the town there are some few 

 mines that are good, but there has never been any 

 extensive work carried on. It is believed that pro- 

 fitable ore yet remains to be discovered. 



Cayac, another district lying north of Zaurico- 

 cha, is worked to some profit ; the upper adit 

 from the north -west reaches it, and several mines 

 in it have been yielding good returns. 



To the north of Cayac are the Chucarillo and 

 Znuraeancha districts, the working of the mines in 

 which had been impeded hy water accumulated 

 since the breaking out of the revolutionary war. 

 The upper adit, leading from the gully of Rumial- 

 laim, is carried above them, and they consequently 

 derive no benefit from it. 



To the north of these last I wo districts lies the 

 plain of San Juan ; there are a few small vein* 

 running through some parla of it, hut no important 

 discovery has yet been made, although many mines 

 have been opened mid rarried down to depths ot 

 IV. m one hundred and twenty lo one hundred and 

 Ii fly feet. The lower adit, from the gully of Ru- 

 miallana, is to run through it, and may open to the 

 proprietors some discoveries to recompense them 

 for their labours. 



The whole number of mines considered rich in 

 the different districts, may be enumerated as fol- 

 lows : 



In Zaurlcoch* 12 tn H. 



Santa Rom JO to 85. 



Cayac 10 to 12. 



Chucarillo 5 to 6. 



Zauracaucha . . . . , 10 to 12. 



Each of these mines comprises a space of one 

 hundred and eighty feet long by ninety feet wide. 



The silver ores are estimated hy a measure 

 called a box of ore, which contains twenty-five 

 mule-loads of ten arrobas, or twenty-five pounds 

 each. Each box varies in value from six Spanish 



