MINES OP BARBACOAS. 
15 
Chap. I. — B. S.J 
mines of Barbacoas. Tlie discovery of gold in Barbacoas 
—which is a place up the river Tumaco, on the west 
coast of South America, nearly under the Equator—had 
led to the influx of numerous diggers from California, 
a fine set of men, who, though belonging to different 
nationalities, had very much the same outward appear¬ 
ance ; so that when you have seen one you seem to have 
seen them all. Some of them were going to Barbacoas ; 
others returning thence. The latter did not believe the 
Californian papers, which warned them not to proceed 
to so unhealthy a climate as that of Barbacoas, because 
they thought the articles had been inserted by parties 
anxious to keep them in California. They confirmed the 
accounts of the unhealthy nature of the climate; and 
this agreed well with what I myself remember about 
the Tumaco river, visited by me years ago. They said 
that the white men, from exposure, want of food, and 
climatic disadvantages, were dying like rotten sheep ; 
and that one-half of all the gold obtained was claimed 
by the owners of the soil. I could find only a single 
man who had made any large amount of money. One 
of the mines there in successful operation had produced 
four hundred pounds weight of gold since December, 
1865. The -gold is of fine quality, and so is called 
“float” gold; that is, flat and thin. The general 
conviction was that the poor man, whose whole fortune 
consists in mining implements, would not be much 
bettered by going to Barbacoas; but that powerful 
companies might be able to turn the mineral wealth of 
the locality to good account. 
The war between Chili and Spain, and the disasters 
