Metals. 
481 
MINERALOGY. Metals. 
\enth degree of north, are equally'poor in metallic wealth. 
The mines of Huantajya are celebrated for the great 
quantities of native filver they formerly produced. They 
are fituated in an arid deferi, and furrounded by rock- ; 
fait, near the ihores of the Pacihc ocean, at no great dif- 
tance from the lmali port of Yquique,. in the audience of 
Lima. Thefe mines are a remarkable exception to the 
great elevation of filver-mines in Spanifh America, being 
placed on a low and gentle declivity. Their produce is na¬ 
tive filver, vitreous fiver, and horn-filver; the annual 
amount is about 50,000 lbs. troy of filver, or So,000 
marcs. 
The fiiver-mining operations of Chili, according to 
Humboldt, are in general notproduftive; but the vein at 
Ufpalata contains ores fo rich, that the produce is from 
2000 to 30*00 marks in every 5000 lbs. or from 40 to 60 
marcs per quintal. Molina, in his'Hiltory of Chili, de- 
feribes the vein at Ufpalata, on the Andes, as being nine 
feet in thicknel’s. It has been traced 90 miles, and is 
fuppofed to extend 3000 miles. From the main vein 
there are branches on each fide, which extend to the neigh¬ 
bouring mountains : fome of thefe branches are thirty 
miles in length. This is the largell metallic vein which 
is at prefent known in the world. 
According to Humboldt, the greateft part of the filver 
extrafted from the bowels of the earth in Peru is fur- 
niftied by a fpecies of ore called the pacos, of an earthy 
appearance, which M. Klaproth analyled, and was found 
to conlill of almoft imperceptible particles of native filver 
with the brown oxyd of iron. In Mexico, on the con¬ 
trary, the greateft quantity of filver annually brought 
into circulation is derived from vitreous filver-ore, grey 
filver-ore, horn-ore, and black and red filver-ores. 
Although the new continent has not hitherto produced 
fingle malles of native filver equal to what have been 
found in the old, the metal is more abundant in a ftateof 
perfect purity in Mexico and Peru than in any other quar¬ 
ter of the globe, not in mafles, but in particles diilemi- 
nated through the enormous quantity of the ore called 
pacos. The refult of a general inveftigation of the rich- 
nefs of different mines is, that the mean richnefs of the 
different ores is not more than from three to four ounces 
of filver in every fixteen hundred pounds of ore. Ac¬ 
cording to this refult, the ore contains, on the average, 
two ounces and two-fifths per quintal. It had formerly 
been afferted, that no ores were worked in Mexico that 
did not contain one-third part of filver. The filver-ores 
of Peru are not richer on the average than thofe of Mex¬ 
ico. The diftrift of Guanaxato has before been mentioned 
as fur milling more than one-fourth of the filver annually 
extrafted in America, the riches of the mines here being 
fuperior to the celebrated repofitory at Potofi : they are 
all worked in one extenfive vein. Among thefe mines, 
that of the count Valenciana is one of the richeft: the 
average produce of filver is four ounces of filver from a 
quintal of ore. The whole weight of filver from the vein 
of Guanaxato, on an annual average from 1786 to the year 
1803, has been 556,000 marcs, or 364,911 lbs. troy; and 
in thirty eight years the weight of gold and filver, from 
the fame vein, has been 12,700,000 lbs. troy. In average 
years it yields from 500,000 to 600,000 marcs of filver, 
and from 1500 to 1600 marcs of gold. Though it has 
been before ftated that the extent of this vein is more than 
42,000 feet; yet the enormous mafs of filver which it has 
fupplied lor the laft hundred years, fufficient alone to 
change the price of commodities in Europe, has been ex¬ 
trafted from an extent of lefs than 2000 feet; for, where 
this vein is not widened by branches, its general width 
may be ftated at from thirty-eight to forty-eight feet. It 
is for the moft part feparated into three malles, divided 
by banks of mineral matter, or by part of the matrix del- 
titute of ore. At Valenciana the vein continues undi¬ 
vided to the depth of 557 feet, and then divides into three 
branches; and its width, from the floor to the roof, is 
from 164 to 196 feet. Of thefe three branches of the 
vein, there is in general only one which is rich in metals. 
Sometimes, when thefe three branches unite, the mine is 
uncommonly rich. In this celebrated vein there is a certain 
middle region, which may be confidered as a repofitory of 
greater riches, for above and bplow this region the ores 
are poor in filver. At Valenciana the rich minerals have 
been in the greateft abundance, 300 and 1100 feet below 
the mouth of the gallery. 
The filver mines of Zmeof in Afia are fituated in that 
part of the Altaian chain of mountains which lies-be¬ 
tween the Oby and Irtifch, from 50 0 to 52 0 north latitude. 
The annual produce has been ftated at 60,000 marcs of 
filver, which is alloyed with about 3 per cent, of gold. 
The mines of Nertfchink in.Daouria, near the river Amur, 
yield argentiferous galena, producing about 30,000 marcs 
of filver, and containing 1J percent, of gold. The Ruffian 
merchants who trade to China bring back ingots of filver, 
from feveral ounces to a pound weight, in exchange for 
their commodities ; hence it may be inferred, fays Patrin, 
that there are filver-mines on the frontiers of China. 
Patrin s Hijl. (les Mities. 
It has been remarked, that.the warmer regions of the 
globe afford the greateft quantity of gold, but the richeft 
repositories of filver are fituated either in high latitudes 
or in elevated regions. The moft celebrated filver-mines 
of Europe, are in Sweden and Norway, at no great diftance 
from the polar regions ; and thofe which are in warmer 
latitudes, are almoft all fituated near the fuilnnits of al¬ 
pine mountains commonly covered with fnow, as at Alle- 
mont in Franee, and the mines of Mexico and Peru, in the 
centre of the Cordilleras. 
The mine of Aliemont, ten leagues from Grenoble, in 
France, is fituated near the fummit of a mountain, com- 
poled of thin beds of mica-flate and hornblende, curi- 
oufiy contorted and broken. Its elevation is about 3000 
yards above the level of the fea. The veins are numerous, 
and run in all direftions : the mineral appears to have 
filled alfo numerous Allures in the rock. The ores are 
native filver, vitreous filver, red filver-ore, and horn-filver. 
Silver appears alfo dilfeminated in a kind of ferruginous 
clay, and is accompanied with various ores of cobalt, an¬ 
timony, arfenic, and nickel. The matrix was ferruginous 
clay and carhonat of lime, mixed with afbeftus, epidote, 
and calcareous fpar. The veins were much richer near 
the furface than at a great depth; and the working of 
this remarkable mine is at prefent nearly abandoned. 
Red fiiver-ore has alfo been found in the Vofges, in the 
department of the Upper Rhine, in a vein of argentiferous 
copper-ore. Indications of filver have been traced in 
other diftrifts of France. The lead-ores of fome parts of 
France are alfo fufticiently rich in filver to repay the ex- 
penfe of extraftion. 
The filver-mines of Spain are the moft ancient known 
in Europe. It appears, as well from the accounts of his¬ 
torians, as from the numerous veftiges of ancient work¬ 
ings, that the operations were carried on to a confiderable 
extent. The moft remarkable mine was that of Guada- 
lianel, in Andalufia, in the Sierra Morena, five leagues to 
the north of Seville ; the ore which it contains is the red 
or ruby filver, in a matrix of compadt galena. Since the 
dilcoveryof South America no attention has been paid to 
the mines of Spain, though formerly fo productive both 
of filver and gold. 
The mining-diftrift of Freyberg, in Saxony, contains 
numerous veins that yield filver. The veins that traverfe 
rocks of gneifs are generally compofed of quartz, calca¬ 
reous fpar, and fluor fpar; they inciofe argentiferous lead, 
vitreous filver-ores, ruby filver, and grey argentiferous 
copper-ore. The mine at Annaberg, according to Klap¬ 
roth, contains muriat of filver (horn-ore) mixed with 
much clay, which is imbedded in coinpaft line-ftone. 
The mines of Schneeberg in Mifnia, and of Hartz in 
Hanover, contain argentiferous lead, accompanied with 
proper filver-ores. 
The mines of Schemnitz and Cremnitz, in Hungary, 
have 
