24^ The V O Y 
period s Proceedings. I might add,- that it is as direcd a 
Refutation of all that Captain Shehocke has advanced upon 
this Subject •, fo that it is impoiTible for any Man, who con- 
fiders it, to believe what he charges Captain Clipperton with 
to be true ; or to dream, that it ever was the Intention of 
Clipperton to defert Shehocke. It might alfo be obferved, 
that the latter does not fo much as pretend to have left any 
Inftruftions for Clipperton , in cafe he fhould come to any 
of the Places where Shehocke had touched ; the Inference 
from which is very eafy. 
While Mr. Thaylet was gone upon his Cruize, a Spanijh 
Ship arrived at Calao , the Mailer of which reported, that, 
being driven out of his Courfe, he had made the Illands of 
Solomon. This occafioned much Difcourfe on that Subjeft, 
and the comparing all the different Accounts that had been 
given of theie Iflands, and their Inhabitants, which appeared 
fo clear, fo probable, and well connected, as fcarce to leave 
any Doubt of the Veracity of fuch as pretended to have 
made this Difcovery. In the Midft of the Difcourfes raifed 
by this Accident, another Ship arrived, with the like Ac- 
count, attended with Circumftances, which rendered it evi- 
dent, that there could not be any Fraud or Collufion in the 
Cafe ; but that both had, by pure Accident, been driven 
upon the fame Ifland. This was very lucky for Mr. Thaylet, 
lince, while he was employed in one Expedition, another 
was thus unexpectedly provided for him. On his Return 
with the InftruCtions, and the two Men who deferted there, 
the Viceroy, willing to encourage him, thought of this 
fhort Expedition for him. in the fame Veffel, being an Eng- 
lijh Ketch of about fixty Ton, and in which he had ferved 
Captain Martinet as a Tender *, for the Intelligence he had 
received of Solomon’s Illand made his Excellency curious to 
purfue the Difcovery. He therefore ordered the Ketch to 
be fitted out for two Months, under Thaylet’ s Command ; 
who accordingly failed into io° South, in which Latitude 
the Ifland was faid to lie. He cruifed thereabouts till his 
Provifion was very nigh expended, and returned, without 
Succefs. However, as the fame Account came by two dif- 
ferent Ships, who touched there, the Spaniards verily be- 
lieve there is fuch a Place ; for the Men reported, that the 
Natives, as to their Perfons and Behaviour, were much like 
the Indians on the Continent ; that they had Gold and Sil- 
ver Things among them ; but that their Language was 
ftrange and unintelligible. The Reafon why Mr. Thaylet 
could not meet with Solomon’s Ifland, might be from the 
Uncertainty of the Latitude, and his Inability of making 
further Search, being provided only for two Months ; for 
I have been informed in London , that the faid Ifland or 
Iflands lie more Southerly in the Pacific Ocean , than where 
they are laid down in the Dutch Maps and the two Spa- 
niards, who had been there, were only fmall trading Vef- 
fels, carried thither by irregular Currents *, and could give 
no certain Account of the Latitude, becaufe they kept no 
Reckoning. And thus ended all Thoughts of profecuting 
this Difcovery at that time. 
12. As the Riches of Peru con fill chiefly in their Silver 
Mines, I fliall endeavour to treat of theie, not only from 
my own Experience, but from the belt Lights I have been 
able to derive from the ftricteft Inquiry I had it in my Power 
to make from others. There are two Sorts of Silver Mines, 
the one where Silver is found fcattered about in fmall Quan- 
tities •, the other, where it runs in a V ein between two Rocks ; 
the one excefiively hard and the other much fofter : And 
it is thefe laft, which bell deferve, and are generally diftin- 
guilhed by, the Name of Silver Mines. . This precious 
Metal, which is, in other Countries, the Standard or Mea- 
fure of Riches, is, in Peru , the Riches of the Country, con- 
fidered in another Light, I mean that of a natural Commo- 
dity ; for, throughout the Whole of that vaft Country, there 
are almoft every-where Silver Mines to be met with, of 
more or lefs Value, according as the Ore produces more or 
Ids Silver, and can be wrought at a greater or lefs Expence. 
There are fome, but not a great many. Mines to the North- 
ward ot Lima but, to the South, they are very numerous. 
On the Back of the Andes , there lies a Nation of Indians, 
called los Plat eras , or the Plate-men , from the vaft Quan- 
tities they poflefs of Silver •, but the Spaniards have very 
little Communication with them. The beft part of the 
Mine-countries are to the South of Cufco, from thence 
5 
AGE S of Book L 
to Potofi, and fo to the Frontiers of Chili ; and where, for 
the Space of 300 Miles, there is a continued Succeflion of 
Mines, fome being difcovered, and others deferted, every 
Day. 1 
It is a common thing for the People here, as well as 
elfe where, to complain of the prefent Times, and commend 
the paft, as if heretofore there were infinitely greater Quan- 
tities of Silver dug out of the Mines than at prefent : And, 
perhaps, with regard to particular Mines, it may be fo ; 
but, upon the Whole, doubtlefs the Quantities of Silver 
that are annually obtained in the Spanijh Weft Indies abun- 
dantly exceeds v/hat was formerly exported from thence. 
As to the N ames of thofe, which have been moft remark- 
able, or are fo at prefent, in the Country of Peru, they are 
thefe * viz. the Mines of Loxa and Camera, Cuenca, Puerto 
Veio, St. Juan del Oro : Thefe are wrought at prefent. 
Thofe of Oruro and Titiri are neglected. Thofe of Porco 
and Plata filled up. At Potofi there are a great Number of 
Mines. And thofe of Tomina , Chocaia , Atacuma, Xuxui, 
the Calchaques , Guafco , Iquique, &c. are all wrought with 
more or lefs Profit ; and this according to the Skill of their 
Proprietors, or of fuch as have the Direction of thefe Works* 
It is generally believed, and there feems to be fome Reafon 
for it, that Experience has taught the Creolians here a per- 
fect Acquaintance with Minerals, and the Art of treating 
them, fo as to obtain the largeft Profit. But, however, 
when one confiders their Ignorance in other Arts, their go- 
ing on conftantly in the fame beaten Track in this, together 
with their vaft W afte of Quickfilver, one is almoft tempted 
to believe, that our European Miners might manage their 
Works to ftill greater Advantages. This feems the more 
probable, when one reflects, that this Knowledge of theirs 
is not at all founded upon Principles, but is, properly fpeak- 
ing, an Art built upon accidental Difcoveries, in which 
there is little of Accuracy, and abundance of Uncertainty ; 
which will be more evident to the, Reader, when he has 
perufed and confidered the following Account of the Man- 
ner, in which the Silver is extradled from the Ore at the 
Mines. 
The moft perfect Silver that comes from thence, is in 
that Form which the Spaniards call Pinnas , which is a Lump 
of Silver extremely porous, becaufe it is the Remainder of 
a Pafte, made of Silver-duft and Mercury ; and the latter 
being exhaled, leaves this Remainder of the Mafs fpongy, 
full of Holes, and light. It is this kind of Silver that is 
put into different Forms by the Merchants, in order to 
cheat the King of his Duty, though that is but very mode- 
rate ; and therefore all Silver in this Condition, if found 
any-where on the Road, or on board any Ship, is looked 
upon as contraband Goods, and is liable to Seizure. In re- 
gard to the Art of Refining, therefore, I am to fhew the 
Progrefs of the Ore from the Mine to this kind of Mafs or 
Cake: After having broken the Stone taken out of the 
Vein of Ore, they grind it in their Mills with Grind-ftones, 
or in the Ingenios Raales, or Royal Engines, which confift 
of Hammers or Pounders, like the French PJafter-mills. 
They have generally a Wheel of about twenty- five or thirty 
Feet Diameter, whofe long Axle-tree is fet with fmooth 
Triangles, which, as they turn, hook or lay hold of the 
Iron Hammers, lift them up to a certain Height, from 
whence they drop at once at every Turn j they generally 
weigh about 200 Weight, and fall fo violently, that they 
crufh and reduce the hardeft Stones to Powder by their 
Weight alone. They afterwards fift that Powder through 
Iron or Copper Sieves, to take away the fineft, and return 
the reft to theMill. When the Ore happens to be mixed with 
fome Metals, which obftruft its falling to Powder, as Cop- 
per, then they calcine that in an Oven, and pound it over 
again. 
In the little Mines, where they life none but Mills with 
Grind-ftones, they, for the moft part, grind the Ore with 
Water, which makes a liquid Mud, that runs into a Re- 
ceiver ; whereas, when it is ground dry, it muft be after- 
wards fteeped, and well moulded together with the Feet 
for a long time. To this Purpofe they make a Court or 
Floor, where they difpofe that Mud in fquare Parcels about 
a Foot thick, each of them containing half a Caxon or Cheft, 
that is, twenty-five Quintals, or 100 Weight of Ore-, and 
thefe they call Cuerpos, that is, Bodies. On each of them 
