Part 15
The mud is disposed in square parcels of a hundred weight a piece, upon a smooth floor made on purpose. On each of these they throw a great quantity of salt, and mix it all together for two or three days; then they sprinkle it equally with quicksilver, on each mass perhaps about fifteen pound; for the richer it is, the more mercury it requires. An _Indian_ moulds each of these squares seven or eight times a day, that the mercury may incorporate. Sometimes the ore is greasy, and then they put lime to it: wherein they are cautious; for it is very remarkable, that sometimes it is so burnt with heat, that the mercury and silver are both lost. Now and then they intermix a little lead to help the operation of the quicksilver, which is but slow in cold weather. So that at _Lipes_ and _Potosi_ they are a matter of six weeks kneading the ore: and at _Puno_ particularly, they lay a brick pavement upon arches, under which they make fires to help the works: but in other countries they do it in eight or ten days.
When the workman thinks the mercury has attracted all the silver, he takes out a little bit, and washes it in a basin. If the mercury looks dark, the ore is too much heated; to remedy which, they add more salt, which makes the quicksilver evaporate. If the mercury is white, they squeeze a drop of it under the thumb: the silver sticks to the skin, and the mercury slips away. This they find will do; so that when all the silver is gatherd up by the mercury, they give the ore three different washings: and when all the dross is gone, they put the silver in a woollen bag, which they press between boards, to get the quicksilver out. After ’tis hung up, draind and prest as much as they can, they put it into a wooden mould, generally the form of a sugar loaf, with thin copper plates at the bottom full of holes.
After taking off the moulds, these pieces are calld _pinnas_, which are set upon a frame over an earthen vessel full of water coverd with a cap, which they surround with lighted coals. When the mass grows very hot, the quicksilver that still remains will come out in smoke, which having no passage, circulates between the mass and the cap, till descending to the water, it thickens and sinks to the bottom. Thus the mercury loses but little, and will serve several times, tho’ there must be a new supply because it grows weak with using.
According to _Acosta_, they use to spend 7000 hundred weight at _Potosi_ in a year: by which one may judge what vast loads of silver they got.
When the mercury is quite evaporated, the silver remains a spongey hollow lump: and this is calld virgin silver; being pure and unadulterated. All this according to law must be carryd to the mint, and pay the fifth part to his majesty. There the silver is cast into ingots or bars of different weight, about a foot long or more. These bars which have paid the duty can have no fraud in them, but it may be otherwise with the _pinnas_ uncast: for the maker often intermixes iron or lead; therefore they should all be opend, and tryd by fire, which would discover another cheat of wetting them, to make them heavy: for their weight may be increased near a third part by dipping them in water, when they are very hot. There are also different degrees of fineness in the same piece, which might be found out: but the _Spaniards_ not having convenient places to discover these frauds, and not caring for it, they e’en let them go.
There are many sorts of silver ore, according to the different consistence of the earth. Some is blackish mixt with iron, calld _nigrillo_: another greenish of a copper mixture, calld _cobrisso_: some white with real silver veins, calld _plata blanca_; and sometimes the ore is black with lead particles, this is calld _plomo ronco_, and is commonly the best: because instead of kneading it with quicksilver, it may be melted in a fornace, and easily parted from the lead. The old _Indians_ not having, or knowing the use of mercury, got all their silver from these sort of mines; and having but little wood, used to heat their fornaces with the leaves of plants, and the dung of their sheep: they made their fornaces upon the mountains, that the wind might pass thro’ and keep the fire strong. There is another brown ore like this last mentiond, where the silver is not seen at all; but if wetted and rubd against iron, it turns ruddy, calld _rosicler_, and yields the finest of all silver. There is another sort calld _zaroche_ which shines like isinglass; and the _paco_ soft and clayish, but neither of them valuable. Lastly, there is a very choice ore found in one of the mines of _Potosi_ containing many threads of pure silver, wound up like lumps of burnt lace: this is calld _arana_, or spider, being something like a cobweb.
At _Copiapo_ there are gold mines just behind the town, and all about the country, which have brought many purchasers and workmen thither, to the great damage of the _Indians_: for the _Spanish_ magistrates take away not only their lands, but their horses, which they sell to the new proprietors, under pretence of serving the king and improving the settlement. Here is a great deal of _Magnet_ and _Lapis lazuli_ which the _Indians_ know not the value of: and some leagues in the country there is plenty of saltpetre, which often lies an inch thick on the ground. About 100 mile east upon the _Cordileer_ mountains, there is a vein of sulphur two foot wide, so fine and pure that it needs no cleaning. This part of the country is full of all sorts of mines; but in other respects is so barren, that the natives fetch all their subsistence from _Coquimbo_ and that way, being a mere desert for 300 mile together: and the earth abounds so much with salt and sulphur that the mules often perish for want of grass and sweet water. There is but one river in 200 mile, which the _Indians_ call _Ancalulac_, or hypocrite, because it runs only from sun-rise to sun-set. This is occasiond by the great quantity of snow melted from the _Cordileers_ in the day time, which freezes again at night; where the cold is often so great, that people’s features are quite distorted. Hence _Chili_ takes its name, _Chile_ signifying cold in the _Indian_ language: and we are certainly informd by the _Spanish_ historians, that some of their countrymen and others, who first traded this way, died stiff with cold upon their mules: for which reason the road is now always lower along the coast.
The mine countries are all so cold and barren that the inhabitants get most of their provision from the coast: this is caused by the salts and sulphurs exhaled from the earth, which destroy the seed of all vegetables. The _Spaniards_ who live thereabout find them so stifling, that they drink often of the _mattea_ to moisten their mouths. The mules that trip it nimbly over the mountains, are forced to walk gently about the mines and stop often to fetch breath. If those vapours are so strong without, what must they be within the mine it self, where if a fresh man goes, he is suddenly benumbd with pain? and this is the case of many a one; but the distemper seldom lasts above a day; and they are not so affected the second time: But vapours have often burst out so furiously, that workmen have been killd on the spot: so that one way or other, multitudes of _Indians_ die in their calling. To fortify themselves against the aforesaid steams, they are continually chewing _coca_, a herb which is their common preservative.
An observation occurs here to my memory; that upon the road to _Piura_, the night when we lay down to sleep, our mules went eagerly to search for a certain root not unlike a parsnip, tho’ much bigger; which affords a great deal of juice, and in such a sandy plain often serves instead of water: but when the mules are very thirsty, and they can’t easily rake up the root with their feet, they will stand over it and bray till the _Indians_ come to their assistance.
Tho’ the gold mines are more peculiar to _Chili_, yet there are one or two washing places for gold in the south of _Peru_ near _Chili_, which I shall now speak of, being the next thing remarkable. About the year 1709 there were two surprising large lumps of virgin gold found in one of those places; one of which weighd thirty two pound complete, and was purchased by the count _de Moncloa_ then viceroy of _Peru_ and presented to the king of _Spain_. The other was shaped somewhat like an oxe’s heart. It weighd twenty two pound and a half, and was bought by the _corregidor_ of _Arica_.
To find these _lavaderos_ or washing places, they dig in the corners of a little brook, where by certain tokens they judge the grains of gold to lye. To help carry away the mud, they let a fresh stream into it, and keep turning it up, that the current may send it along. When they are come to the golden sand, they turn off the stream another way, and dig with mattocks; and this earth they carry upon mules to certain basins joynd together by small chanels. Into these they let a smart stream of water to loosen the earth, and carry all the gross part away, the _Indians_ standing in the basins and throwing out all the stones. The gold at bottom is still mixt with a black sand, and hardly to be seen till it is farther cleard and separated, which is easily done. But these washing places differ, for in some there are gold grains as big as bird shot: and in one belonging to the priests near _Valparaiso_, some were found from two or three ounces to a pound and half weight. This way of getting gold is much better than from the mines: here is no need of iron crows, mills, or quicksilver; so that both the trouble and expense are much less. The _Creolians_ are not so curious in washing their gold as the people in _Europe_: but great plenty makes them careless in that and many other articles.
There are abundance of iron mines in _Peru_ and _Chili_; besides lead, tin and copper, which the _Spaniards_ intirely neglect, as not worth their while to work them. Copper serves for a little kitchen furniture; but most of their utensils are of silver, even those for vulgar uses.
About the town of _Coquimbo_ there is plenty of gold found in the streams that come down from the mountains after the rain showers. These showers are only at certain times of the year: but if they came oftner, they would undoubtedly always have the same effect. And now I speak of _Coquimbo_, it would be a fault not to mention the charms of its scituation. It lies in the 30th degree south, a short mile from the sea. It stands on a green rising ground about ten yards high, which nature has regularly formd like a terras north and south in a direct line of more than half a mile, turning at each end to the eastward. The first street makes a delightful walk, having the prospect of the country round it, and the bay before it. All this is sweetly placed in a valley ever green, and waterd with a river, which having taken its rise from among the mountains, flows through the vales and meadows in a winding stream to the sea.
_Baldivia_, who built this town in the year 1544, to serve as a resting place between _Chili_ and _Peru_, pleased with the beauty of the scituation, and the happiness of the climate, calld it _la Serena_; signifying tranquillity and mildness; which name it deserved more than any place in the world. The whole country puts one in mind of the poets golden age: there the sharp north winds never blow; and the heats are fand with refreshing gales; so that the revolving year is only spring and autumn joind together.
_Conception_ lies six degrees higher in a part of the country abounding, like _Serena_, with all the comforts of life, as well as inestimable mines of gold. At the king’s station a little to eastward they have a washing-place, where they have got _pepitas_ or gold grains of four pound weight: and these sort of washes are innumerable, but remain as it were undiscovered thro’ negligence and incuriosity. The _Cordileer_ mountains abound with hardly any thing else but minerals: this is true of those which have been opend; and very likely all the rest are so. About 300 miles inwards from _Conception_, there’s one hill yields copper so remarkable, that _Melendes_ who discovered it, found lumps weighing a hundred quintals a piece, each quintal being a hundred weight. Mr. _Frezier_ says he saw one of forty quintals making into six field pieces, six pounders each. Some are part copper and part stone, which the inhabitants affirm do all in time breed and grow intirely to copper. There is another hill adjoyning which is scarce any thing but loadstone: and many of them afford sulphur and salt: About the town it self there is pit-coal a few foot under ground. In the year 1510, many mines were found near the _Cordileer_ mountains, affording at once gold, silver, copper, iron, lead and tin: which destroys the notion, that different metals are never formd together in one mine.
About twenty mile to the eastward of _Serena_ are the washing places of _Andacol_, whose gold is twenty three carats fine: and the inhabitants all affirm that after seventy or eighty years they find them recruited with gold as plentifully as at first. And the governer of _Coquimbo_ as well as others have assured, that on the mountains the gold mines are so numerous that, forty or fifty thousand men might easily be imployd: but for want of hands, the king of _Spain_ must content himself without the treasure.
Spain _in_ America _had two designs; To plant the_ gospel _and to seise the_ mines: _For where there is no real supply of wealth Men’s souls are never worth the charge of health. And had the kings of that new world been poor, No_ Spaniard _twice had landed on their shore ’Twas gold the_ Pope’s _religion there that planted, Which, if they had been poor, they still had wanted._
CHAP. IV.
_Some account cf the origin of Metals, with various opinions concerning their formation in the earth._
The old _Creolian Spaniards_, and some others imagine that this plenty of gold in _Chili_ was occasiond by _Noah_’s flood, which threw down the mountains, and broke up the mines, and washd away the gold into the lower grounds where it now continues. But, besides the great probability that that deluge was only upon the land of _Palestine_, _Moses_’s history on which this fancy is founded, rather contradicts it; and tells us that the deluge made very little alteration in the surface of the earth. Besides, by all the late discoveries in _America_, we are convinced that the mountains yield more gold than the rivers. Common rains may send the gold to the lower parts: for in _Chili_ the showers that fall from _May_ to _September_, are daily making new gutters upon the hills, which bring down the golden grains with them.
Without doubt earthquakes have made great alterations in this part of the world; some of which, according to several historians, have changd the scituation of mountains, and turnd rivers into lakes: and some authors have supposed that these subversions have proceded from an inward fermentation, which has burst open the hills, and forced the minerals, before they were duly formd, into the water chanels where they are so often found. Tho’ this does not at all answer how metals are formd, yet great commotions have often happend in the bowels of the earth, and put many things out of their natural position; particularly shells, which in most countries have been found, sometimes in heaps, and far enough from the sea where they were first formd.
The native _Indians_ believe that gold and silver breed in the earth without any original vein; because after certain years the mines and washing-places have afforded a perfect new supply; several instances of which I have before mentiond. And it is undeniable, that in _Chili_ these _lavaderos_ are common in the low grounds, where infinite treasure lies conceald for want of labourers: for the _Spaniards_ apply chiefly where the profit is most obvious; and when any new mine is sprung, they all flock thither.
I have been informd at _Lima_, that several _Frenchmen_, whose effects were confiscated by his _Spanish_ majesty’s order for carrying on an interloping trade between _France_ and _Chili_, have thought it better to stay in the country at any rate than return home: and so made shift to purchase a _Nigro_ or two, whom they imployd to fish for gold in some of these washing places, which turnd to so good a profit that they were inabled to settle in _Chili_. I spoke with two of them at _Conception_. They told me they had but little trouble in doing of it; that they us’d to watch for the showers, and then carry only a few sieves to refine the earth. These places were chiefly at the small cataracts and water-falls, where they told me they had often taken up considerable grains of gold with their hands: but the _corregidors_ always take care they shall not grow too rich.
As for metals being formd by the sun; ’tis a weak notion and sufficiently exploded. About forty years ago a violent lighting fell on the _Illimanni_ mountain, which is between _Chili_ and _Peru_. Great pieces and splinters thereof were found scatterd about the country, and they were all plentifully veind with gold, tho’ the mountain is ever known to be coverd with snow. Therefore that heat which is not strong enough to thaw the snow, can never be able to generate and form gold in the mountain under it.
But as those opinions are most rational, which are grounded on real discoveries, one may find out a better way to account for this thing, than any before mentiond: and from what has been said, fairly conclude, that all metals are made and formd by subterraneous fires, which burn as it were in a kiln, conveying their heat far and near through all the passages of the earth, as well as the solid mass itself.
These fires are known to be in all the mine countries of _America_; and may well be supposed to dwell in other parts yet unknown. This intestine heat gives motion to the salts and sulphurs, being the chief principles of metals. And tho’ their operation is incomprehensibly different from all that we know or practise, yet may we form a notion, that these spirituous vapours are forced by fire into the pores of stone; where being condensed they insinuate themselves like veins, extend and grow upwards to the surface.
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I shall now collect some authorities to confirm the opinion that there are a race of men in the world calld giants.
_Don Pedro Molina_ governer of _Chiloe_ and several other eye-witnesses have affirmd that in the country behind the _Cordileer_ mountains, there is a nation of Indians calld _Caucahues_, of an uncommon _size_, being near four _varas_ or _Spanish_ yards high; which is ten foot _English_. These are the people antient travelers speak of calld _Patagonians_, who live on the eastern side, about 50 degrees south latitude. I know this has been taken as a fable, because many ships going down that way, have not chanced to see them; the men who appear on the _Patagonian_ coast and in _Magellan_ straits being generally of the common stature: and this is what deceived _Froger_ in his account of _Degennes_ voyage; for some ships have seen both sorts at once.
In 1704, captain _Harrington_’s men belonging to a ship of St. _Malo_, saw seven of these giants in _Gregory_’s bay. The crew of the St. _Peter_, a ship of _Marseiles_ saw six of the same; among whom there was one distinguisht from the rest by a net-work cap that he wore made of birds entrails stuck round with feathers. Their garments were skins with the hair inwards; and they all had bows with cases of arrows: they helpd the sailors with their boat ashore, and gave them some of their darts: the men offerd them bread, brandy and wine; but they refused them all. The next day 200 of them appeard in a body. These men they believed were more sensible of the cold, tho’ larger than others: for the ordinary size people along that coast had only a single skin thrown over their shoulders, whereas the others were cloathed.
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_The following are Mr._ Frezier_’s words translated._
“What I here deliver on the testimony of creditable persons, is so agreeable to what I read in many good voyages; that ’tis my opinion there is much truth in it: and a man may believe there is a nation of people in the southermost part of _America_, much exceding the common proportion, without being thought fanciful: the time, place and circumstances all agreeing, seem to carry a truth sufficient to overcome the general opinion to the contrary. Perhaps the strangeness of the sight may have caused their size to be somewhat magnifyd: but if we consider the height of these men not actually measured, but only ghest at, we shall find that travelers differ very little from each other. To strengthen what I have advanced, the reader will excuse me if I collect what I find in various authors upon this article.
“_Leonardo Argensola_ in the first chapter of his history of the _Molucca_ islands, says that the same _Magellan_, in the straits that bears his name, took some men who were fifteen spans, that is eleven foot high: but they soon pined away and died. In the third chapter he says that _Sarmiento_’s men fought with some of these people, who were above three _Spanish_ yards high, that is above eight foot. They repulsed the _Spaniards_ once: but being attackt the second time, they took to their heels and run at so great a rate, that according to the _Spanish_ saying, a bullet would not overtake them.
“There is something like this in _Sibald Dewert_’s voyage 1559, who being at anchor in the _Green-Bay_ in _Magellan_ straits with five ships, saw seven _Indian_ imbarkations full of giants; who they ghest were ten or eleven foot high. The _Dutchmen_ fired at them and drove them ashore, but they were so terrifyd at the fire arms, that they tore up the trees to shelter themselves from the musket balls.
“_Oliver North_, who came there a few months after _Dewert_, tells us that he saw giants ten or twelve foot high: tho’ he had seen other men of the common size.
“_Spilbergen_, as he enterd _Magellan_ straits in 1615, saw on _Terra del fogo_ a man of surprizing height got upon a rising ground to see the ships go by.
“_Shouten_ in the same year being in _Port Desire_, his men went ashore and found heaps of stones laid in such a form that they had a mind to see what was under them: and they found bones of a human body between ten and eleven foot long, that is nine or ten _English_ measure; to which measure _North_’s account and _Dewert_’s must be reduced.
“Other authorities as well living as dead might be brought to justify this relation: and tho’ some people have doubted it, yet the several testimonies aforementiond, joind with the account of giants which we have in holy scripture, should incline us to receive it for truth.”
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