Captain Betagh. 
they throw about 200 Weight of Sea or common Salt* more 
or lefs, according to the Nature of the Ore, which they 
mould, and incorporate with the Earth for two or three 
Days. Then they add to it a certain Quantity of Quick- 
lilver, fqueezing a Purfe made of a Skin, into which they 
put it, to make it fall in Drops, with which they fprinkle 
the Body or Mafs equally, according to the Nature and 
Quality of the Ore. They allow to each Mafs ten, fifteen, 
or twenty Pounds ; for, the richer it is, the more Mercury 
it requires to draw to it the Silver it contains : So that they 
know not the Quantity, but by long Experience. An In- 
dian is employed to mould one of thefe fquare Parcels eight 
times a Day, to the end that the Mercury may incorporate 
with the Silver. To that Effecft they often mix Lime with 
it, when the Ore happens to be greafy, where Caution is 
to be ufed ; for they fay, it fometimes grows fo hot, that 
they neither find Mercury nor Silver in it j which feems 
incredible. Sometimes they alfo ftrew among it fome Lead 
or Tin-ore, to facilitate the Operation of the Mercury, 
which is flower in very cold Weather, than when it is tem- 
perate •, for which Reafon, at Potoji and Pipes, they are 
often obliged to mould the Ore during a whole Month, or 
a Month and an half : But, in more temperate Climates, 
the Amalgama is made in eight or ten Days. 
To facilitate the Operation of the Mercury, they in fome 
Places, as at Puno and elfewhere, make their Buiterons or 
Floors on Arches, under which they keep Fires, to heat the 
Powder of the Ore, for twenty-four Hours, on a Pavement 
of Bricks. When it is thought, that the Mercury has 
attracted all the Silver, the Effayer takes a little Ore from 
each Parcel apart, which he wafhes in a little earthen Plate, 
or wooden Bowl ; and, by the Colour of the Mercury found 
at the Bottom of the Bowl, knows whether it has had its 
Effedt : For, when it is blackifh, the Ore is too much heat- 
ed *, and then they add more Salt, or fome other Drug. 
They fay, that then the Mercury difpara , that is, fboots 
or flies away. If the Mercury is white, they put a Drop 
under the Thumb, and, prefling it haftily, the Silver there 
is amongft it remains flicking to the Thumb ; and the 
Mercury flips away in little Drops. In Conclufion, when 
they perceive, that all the Silver is gathered, they carry the 
Ore to a Bafon, into which a little Stream of Water runs, 
to wafh it, much in the fame Nature as I fhall fhew they 
wafh the Gold, excepting that this being only a Mud with- 
out Stones, inftead of an Hook to ftir it, an Indian ftirs it 
with his Feet, to diflblve it. From the firft Bafon it falls 
into a fecond, where another Indian is, who ftirs it again, 
to diflblve it throughly, and loofen the Silver. From the 
fecond it pafles into a third, where the fame is repeated, to 
the end that what has not funk to the Bottom of the firft 
and fecond, may not efcape the third. 
When all has been walked, and the Water runs clear, 
they find at the Bottom of the Bafons, which are lined with 
Leather, the Mercury incorporated with the Silver *, which 
they call Lapetta. It is put into a woollen Bag, hanging up, 
for fome of the Quickfilver to drain through. They bind, 
beat and prefs it as much as they can, laying a Weight upon 
it, with flat Pieces of Wood ; and, when they have got 
out as much as they can, they put the Pafte into a Mould 
of wooden Planks, which, being bound together, generally 
form the Figure of an odtagon Pyramid, cut fhort, the 
Bottom whereof is a Copper-plate, full of little Holes. There 
they ftir, in order to fallen it ; and, when they defign to 
make many Pinnas , as they call them, that is, Lumps of 
various Weights, they divide them with little Beds or Lay- 
ers of Earth, which hinder their coming together. To that 
End the Pella or Mafs muft be weighed, deducting two- 
thirds for the Mercury that is in it ; and they know, with- 
in a fmall Matter, what net Silver there is. They then 
take off the Mould, and place the Pinna or Mafs, with its 
Copper Safe, on a Trivet, or fuch-like Inftrument, Hand- 
ing over a great earthen Veflel full of Water, and cover it 
with an earthen Cap or Covering, which they again cover 
with lighted Coals •, which Fire they feed for fome Hours, 
that the Mafs may grow violent hot, and the Mercury that 
is in it evaporate in Smoke-, but that Smoke having no 
Paffage out, it circulates in the Hollow that is between the 
Mafs and Cap, or Covering, till, coming down to the 
Water that is underneath, it condenfes, and finks to the 
Bottom again, converted into Quickfilver. Thus, little of 
it is loft and the fame ferves feveral times : But the Quan- 
tity muft be increafed, becaufe it grows weak. However, 
they formerly confumed at Potoji 6 or 7000 Quintals or 
hundred Weight of Quickfilver every Year, as Acofta 
writes ; by which a Judgment may be made of the Silver 
they got. 
W hen the Mercury is evaporated, there remains nothing, 
but a fpongy Lump of contiguous Grains of Silver, very 
light, and almoft mouldering, which the Spaniards call la 
Pinna ; and is, as I obferved, a contraband Commodity 
from the Mines, becaufe, by the Laws of the Kingdom, 
they are obliged to carry it to the King’s Receipt, or to the 
Mint, to pay the fifth to his Majefty there. Thofe MafieS 
are call into Ingots, on which the Arms of the Crown are 
ftamped, as alfo that of the Place where they were caft, 
their Weight and Quality, with the Finenefs of the Silver 
to anfwer the Meafure of all Things, according to an an- 
tient Philofopher. It is always certain, that the Ingots, 
which have paid the fifth, have no Fraud in them but it 
is not fo with the Pinnas or Mafles not caft. Thofe who 
make them, often convey into the Middle of them Iron, 
Sand, and other Things, to increafe the Weight fo that, 
in Prudence, they ought to be opened, and made red-hot 
at the Fire, for the more Certainty ; fob, if falfified, the 
Fire will either turn it black, or yellow, or melt it more 
eafily. This Trial is alfo to extract a Moifture they contract 
in Places where they are laid on purpofe to make them the 
heavier. In fhort, their Weight may be increafed one-third 
by dipping them in Water when they are red-hot, as alfo by 
feparating the Mercury, with which the Bottom of the Mafs 
is always more impregnated than the Top. It alfo fome- 
times happens, that the fame Mafs is of different Finenefs* 
The Stones taken from the Mines, the Ore, or, to fpeak 
in the Language of Peru, the Miner ay , from which the 
Silver is extra&ed, is not always of the fame Nature, Con- 
fidence, or Colour. There are fome white and grey, 
mixed with red or bluifh Spots, which is called Plata Blanca , 
or white Silver. The Mines of Lipes are moft of them of 
this fort. For the moft part there appear fome little Grains 
of Silver, and very often fmall Branches, extending along 
the Layers of the Stone. There are fome, on the other 
hand, as black as the Drofs of Iron, in which the Silver 
does not appear, called negrillo, that is, blackifh. Some- 
times it is black with Lead, for which Reafon it is called 
Plomo ronco , that is, coarfe Lead, in which the Silver ap- 
pears as if fcratched with fomething that is harfh ; and it 
is generally the richeft, and got with leaft Charge, becaufe, 
inftead of moulding it with Quickfilver, it is melted in Fur- 
naces, where the Lead evaporates by dint of Fire, and 
leaves the Silver pure and clean. 
From that Sort of Mines the Indians drew their Silver, 
becaufe, having no Ufe of Mercury, as the Europeans 
have, they only wrought thofe whofe Ore would melt ; 
and, having but little Wood, they heated their Furnaces 
with YJo, and the Dung of Llamas, or Sheep, and other 
Beafts, expofing them on the Mountains, that the Wind 
might keep the Fire fierce. This is all the Secret the 
Hiftorians of Peru fpeak of, as of fomething wonderful. 
There is another Sort of Ore like this, as black, and in 
which the Silver does not appear at all ; on the contrary, 
if it be wetted, and rubbed againft Iron, it turns red •, for 
which Reafon it is called Roficler, fignifying the Ruddinefs 
of the Dawn of the Day. This is very rich, and affords 
the fineft Silver. There is fome that glitters like Talc or 
Ifinglafs 5 this is generally naught, and yields little Silver 5 
the Name of it is Zoroche ; the Peel, which is of a yellowifli 
Red, is very foft, and broken in Bits, but feldom rich ; 
and the Mines of it are wrought on account of the Eafinefs 
of getting the Ore : There is fome green, not much harder 
than the laft, called Cobriffo , or copperifh ; it is very rare : 
However, though the Silver generally appears in it, and 
it is almoft mouldering, it is the hardeft to be managed, 
that is, to have the Silver extracted from it ; fometimes, 
after being ground, it muft be burnt in the Fire, and feve- 
ral other Methods ufed to feparate it •, doubtlefs, becaufe 
it is mixed with Copper. Laftly, there is another Sort of 
very rare Ore, which has been found at Potoji , only in the 
Mine of Calami fo, being Threads of pure Silver, intangled 
