$4$ The V O Y 
or wound up together like burnt Lace, fo fine, that., they 
called it Arkna\ Spider, from its Refembiance to a Cob- 
web. 
The Veins of Mines, of what Sort foever they be, are 
generally richer in the Middle, than towards the Edges ; and, 
ivhen two Veins happen to crofs one another, the Place 
where they meet is always very rich. It is alfo obferved, 
that thofe which lie North and South, are richer than thofe 
which lie any other Way. Thofe which are near Places 
where Mills can be erecfted, and that are more commodi- 
oufly wrought, are often preferable to the richer, that 
require more Expence; which is the Reafon, that, at Lipes , 
and at Potofi, a Cheft of Ore mull yield ten Marks, of 
eight Ounces each Mark, of Silver, to pay the prime 
Charges : and, at thofe of the Province of Panama, five 
pay them. When they are rich, and fink downwards, 
they are fubjedt to be flooded ; and then they muft have 
recourfe to Pumps and Machines, or elfe drain them by 
thofe they call Cocabones , being Paffages made in the 
Side of the Mountain for the Water to run out at; which 
bften ruin the Owners, by the exceffive Expence they in- 
fenfibly draw them into. There are other ways of fepa- 
rating the Silver from the Stone’s that confine it, and from 
the other Metals that are mixed with it, by Fire, or ftrong 
feparating Waters, made ufe of at fome Mines, where 
other Means fail, and where they make a fort of Ingots, 
which they call Bollos ; but the' moft general and ufeful 
Method is to make Pinnas or Maflfes, above-mentioned, 
which are preferred to other Forms, on account of their 
Eafinefs in making, and that they fave Fire, and other In- 
gredients; which is a thing of great Confequence in Works 
of this Nature, where, to fave in the Expence, has the fame 
Effedtas finding the Mine. 
13. It is very natural to fuppofe, that, in Mines, as well 
as other Things, there happen great Variations in their 
Products, and in the Value of the Produdt. The Mines 
Which very lately yielded moft Silver, are thofe of Oruro , a 
little Town eighty Leagues from Arica. In the Year 
1712. one fo rich was found at Ollachea , near Cujco, that 
it yielded 2500 Marks, of eight Ounces each, out of 
every Cheft, that is almoft one fifth Part of the Ore ; but 
It has declined much, and is now reckoned but among the 
ordinary Sort. Next to thefe are thofe at Lipes , which 
have had the fame Fate. Laftly, thofe at Potofi yield but 
little, and caufe a vaft Expence by reafon of their great 
Depth. But, notwithftanding the Mines here are far ai- 
minilhed in their Produdt, yet the Quantity of Ore that 
has been already wrought, and lain many Y ears upon the 
Surface, is thought capable to yield a fecond Crop ; and, 
when I was at Lima , they were adtually turning it up, and 
new- milling it, with great Succefs ; which is a Proof, that 
thefe Minerals generate in the Earth like all other inanimate 
Things ; and it is likewife certain, from all Accounts of 
the Spaniards , that Gold and Silver, as well as other Me- 
tals, are continually growing and forming themfelves in 
the Earth. This Opinion is verified by Experience in the 
Mountain of Potofi , where feveral Mines have fallen in, 
and buried the Workmen, with their Tools; after fome 
; Yeafs, they have dug the fame Place, and difcovered 
many Bones, and Pieces of Wood, with Veins of Silver 
adtually running through them. Thefe Mines belong to 
Mm who firft difcovers them : He immediately prefents a 
Petition to the Magiftrates to have fuch a Piece of Earth 
for his own ; which is no fooner done than granted : They 
meafure eighty Spanijh Yards in Length, and forty over, 
which is about 1200 Foot in Length, and 100 in Breadth; 
and yield it to the Difcoverer, who chufes what Space he 
thinks fit, and does what he pleafes with it. Then they 
meafure juft the fame Quantity for the King, which is 
fold to the beft Bidder, there being many who are willing 
to purchafe a Treafure which may prove ineftimable. If 
any other Perfon has a mind to work Part of the Mine 
himfelf, he bargains with the Proprietor for a particular 
Vein. All that fuch an one digs out is his own, paying the 
King’s Duty, which is for Gold a 20th Part, and for Silver 
a 5th; and fome Landlords find fuch an Account in letting 
out their Ground, and their Mills, that they live upon the 
Profit, 
AGES of Book I. 
At Copiapo ther.e. are Gold Mines juft beyond the Town, 
and all about the Country likewife, which have brought 
many Purchafers and Workmen thither,, to the great Da- 
mage of the Indians ; for the Spanijh Magiftrates take 
away not only their Lands, but their Horfes, which they 
fell to the new Proprietors, under Pretence of ferving the 
King, and improving the Settlements : There is alfo a 
great deal of Magnet and Lapis Lazuli, which the Indians 
know not the Value of: And, fome Leagues in the Coun- 
try, there is plenty of Salt and Saltpetre, which often lies an 
Inch thick on the Ground.' About an hundred Miles Eaft, 
upon the Cordelier Mountains, there is a Vein of Sulphur 
two Feet wide, fo fine and pure, that it needs no cleaning. 
This Part of the Country is full of all Sorts of Mines * 
but, in other refpefts, is fo barren, that the Natives fetch 
all their Subfiftence from Coquimbo , and that Way, being 
a mere Defert for 300 Miles together ; and. the Earth 
abounds fo much with Salt and Sulphur, that the Mules 
often perifh for want of Grafs, and fweet Water. There is 
but one River in 200 Miles, which the Indians call Anca- 
lulae, or Hypocrite , becaufe it runs only from Sun-rife to 
Sun-fet: This is. occafioned from the great Quantity of 
Snow melted from the Cordeliers in the Day time, which 
freezes again at Night, where the Cold is often fo great, the 
People’s Features are quite diftorted. Hence Chili takes 
its Name, Chile fignifying Cold in the Indian Language ; 
and we are certainly informed by the Spanijh Hiftorians, 
that fome of their Countrymen, and others, who firft 
traded this Way, died ftiff with Cold upon their Mules ; 
for which Reafon the Road is now always lower towards 
the Coaft. 
The Mine Countries are all fo cold and barren, that the 
Inhabitants get moft of their Provifion from the Coaft ; 
this is caufed by the Salts and Sulphurs exhaled from the 
Earth, which deftroy the Seed of all Vegetables. The 
Spaniards who live thereabout, find them fo ftifhng, that 
they drink often of the Mattea , to moiften their Mouths. 
The .Mules, that trip it nimbly over the Mountains, ■ are 
forced to walk gently about the Mines, and flop often, to 
fetch Breath. If thefe V apours are fo ftrong without, what 
muft they be within the Miine itfelf, where, if a ffefh Man 
goes, he is fuddenly benumbed with Pain ? And this is the 
Cafe of many an one ; but this Diftemper feldom lafts 
above a Day, and they are not fo affeded a fecond time ^ 
but Vapours have often burft out fo furioufly, that Work- 
men have been killed on the Spot, fb that one way or other' 
Multitudes of Indians die in their Calling. An Obferva- 
tion occurs here to my Memory, that, upon the Road to 
Piura, at Night, when we lay down to deep, our Mules 
went eagerly to fearch for a certain Root, not unlike a 
Parlnep, though much bigger, which affords a great deal of 
Juice, and, in fuch a fandy Plain, often ferves inftead of 
Water : But, when the Mules are very thirfty, and they 
cannot eafily rake up the Root with their Feet, they will 
ftand over it and bray, till the Indians come to their 
Affiftance. One would wonder, that, throughout all this 
Part of the World, that Portion of the Country fhould be 
beft inhabited which is moft barren and unwholfome, while 
thofe Spots, that feem to vie with Paradife itfelf for Beauty 
and Fertility, are but thinly peopled. Yet, when one 
confiders, that it is not the Love of Eafe, but the Third: 
of Wealth, that draws People hither, the Difficulty is very 
eafily folved ; and we fee at once, how much the Hopes 
of Living rich, gets the better of the Hopes of Living ; as 
if the foie End, for which a Man was created, was to 
acquire Wealth, at the Expence of Health and Elappinefs. 
It is generally underftood, that Silver is the peculiar 
Wealth of Peru ; and the Spaniards ufually talk, as to Gold 
Mines, of thofe that are to be found in Chili ; but, not- 
withftanding this, there are one or two Walking-places for 
Gold in the South Part of Pm/, near the Frontiers of Chili. 
About the Year 1709. there were two furprifmg large 
Lumps of Virgin Gold found in one of thefe Places, one 
of which weighed thirty-two Pounds complete, and was 
purchafed by the Count de Moncloa , then Viceroy of Peru , 
and prefented to the King of Spain ; the other was fhaped 
fomewhat like an Ox’s Heart ; it weighed twenty-two 
Pounds and an half, and was bought by the Corregidor of 
Aficfi 
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