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of mountains covered with fnow, over which the road to the Still Lake paffes, was the highest Helms had yet met with, and confifted of fimple fand-ftone, through which metallic veins, in fome places with quartz or feld-spath, in others with fteatite and fhoerl, &c. openly appear.-On the contrary, the chain of mountains to the north of Guamanga and Guancavelica is faid to confift, to the extent of 100 miles, of fimple lime-ftone, and equally abounds with metallic ores, efpecially in the province of Tarma.

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The royal mine-town Guancavelica was formerly celebrated on account of its rich quick filver-mine. But, as this mine was not worked in a proper and regular manner, the pit fell in; and they now dig only in places lefs abounding with ore; which annually yield about 1500 cwt. of quick-filver: but, owing to the wretched manner in which the mines and fmeltingfurnaces are conducted, each hundred weight of quick-filver cofts 166 piaftres. The king fells it to the proprietors of the gold and filver mines at the rate of 73 piaftres; and annually lofes by this traffic on the whole 200,000 piaftres. The vein of cinnabar was 80 Spanish ells in extent; and the cinnabar was found partly folid and cryftallifed with galena, calcareous fpath, ponderous fpath, quartz, manganele, arfenic, &c.; partly interfprinkled in a fand-ftone of a very fine grain, or in lime-ftone. So long back as 200 years ago, the mine was worked with great profit by mining companies; and is faid to be funk 600 fathoms (!) deep. A thick ftratum of red arfenic and yellow orpi ment, which lay contiguous to the mafs of quick-filver-ore, was, by the ignorant fuperintendant, taken for cinnabar: and fome hundreds of the workmen had perished in the operation of fmelting it. For extracting the quick-filver from the cinnabar they employ the ill-contrived Old-Spanish Almadena-furnace, which is heated from below with mountain-straw (?). There are 75 fuch furnaces here: inftead of which Helms proposed to conftruct 16 on the plan of thofe of Idria: but was prevented by the Viceroy from executing his purpose.

On an official journey, Helms found at the town of Tarma, the capital of a government of the fame name, two quickfilver-mines, one of which was dug into an iron-fpath vein of five ells, with folid and volatilised cinnabar; both, however, were yet only a few fathoms deep. Here likewife two veins with antimony and white filver-ore are worked; and in feveral

pits they dug native falt-petre of an excellent quality.

Lima, the capital of Peru, and the refrdence of the Viceroy, lies in a fandy plain, only two miles in breadth, between the Cordilleras and the fea; which, it is probable, formerly extended above a mile farther inland towards the mountains. This, at least, would feem evident from the fea-fand and fhells with which the flat ground is covered to the extent of two miles, and from the numerous fmall hillocks wholly compofed of fuch fhells. Lima is a large city; but, on account of the frequent earthquakes, the houfes are only one ftory high, and very flightly conftructed with' planks, laths and reeds, plastered over with mortar; the roofs being covered with fmall fhingles, as in Lima it never rains. On the out-fide they have, indeed, a mean appearance; but within they are magnificent and convenient. The ftreets are very regular, ftraight, broad, clean, and well paved; and in almost all of them are palaces of the rich nobles; fome of which are built in the modern ftyle of architecture. Alleys fhaded with rows of high line trees, country-houfes, and gardens, embellish the environs of the city; which would certainly be a most charming place of abode were it lefs fubject to difeafes and earthquakes, and if the inhabitants fuffered lefs from the exceffive heat and fwarms of every kind of vermin. The whole coaft on the South Sea is here fubject to frequent earthquakes: which 40 years ago deftroyed Lima, and the no lefs extenfive fea-port Callao, the latter of which was overwhelmed by the waves of the raging ocean. The ruins of Callao are ftill vifible, and the citadel, which was on an eminence confiderably higher than the city, remained ftanding. The formerly rich commercial city Ariquipa was likewife converted by earthquakes into a heap of ruins; on which, however, fresh inhabitants are ftill tempted to build, on account of its advantageous fituation. With regard to earthquakes, the month of October is the moft dangerous feafon of the year.

The population of Lima was formerly eftimated to amount to 70,000. At prefent, owing to the total decay of trade in Peru, it is faid to have decreased onethird, and to have funken fo low as 50,000 Spaniards, people of colour, and Negroes. So late as 30 years ago, Lima was one of the richest and most flourishing cities in Spanish America. But fince that time the markets have been fo over-stocked with European goods, that the capitals of moft

of

of the commercial houses became metamorphofed into piece and other goods, and all the ready money by degrees emigrated to Cadiz; which neceffarily occafioned an exceffive fall in the value of European articles of merchandize. A pair of French filk-ftockings, which then coft 40 piaftres, may now be purchafed for fix; and in like manner all-European goods have funken to one-third of their former price, and even lower. Thus the merchant gradu. ally loft the capital which he had riiked in trade, and was totally ruined. The fame is faid to be the cafe in all the other commercial cities of the Spanish colonies in South America. The confequent fcarcity of money caufed an almoft total ftoppage in the working of the mines; and it feemed as if this fource of wealth in Peru would be wholly dried up. To prevent this, the Viceroy, La Croix, an intelligent, difin terefted, and generally beloved Netherlander, had requested of the King to fend over to Peru fkilful German miners and mineralogifts, poffeffed of- the requifite talents and knowledge*; and in the mean time erected, at the expence of the proprietors of the mines, a fupreme tribunal of the mines, on the plan of the like tribunal in Mexico. The members, how ever, who compofed this fupreme court were entirely deftitute of mineralogical knowledge: and the Peruvian Board of Mines has not yet expended a fingle penny for promoting the working of any of the numerous mines under their jurifdiction; of which the proprietors loudly complain; but their complaints are nowhere attended to. Government not only leaves them to themselves without any fupport, but likewife depreffes them by vexatious proceffes and chicanery, and by executions on the lightest refufal; by which many have been driven from their homes. More efpecially the fub delegates are the greatest of villains, who enrich themselves by their unjuft acts of tyranny, and continually accufe the subjects of fedition and rebellion; while the Viceroy, who refides in the capital, and is a stranger to the extenfive region committed to his care, gives himfelf little trouble about the burthens and oppreffions under which the people groan. The following ftatements may ferve as an additional proof of the richness of the Peruvian mines. The mountain Gual gayoc, in the province of Truxillo, and the filver-mountain Jauricocha, not far

* Helms and his German affociates, howEver, only arrived in Peru when La Croix was returning to Europe.

It

from the small town named Pafco, in the province of Tarma, yield above one-half of the whole mafs of filver furnished by the kingdom of Peru; that is, annually about 280,000 marks. The latter of these mountains Helms himself examined. contains a prodigious mafs of ore (half a mile long, equally broad, but in depth only 15 fathoms), of fine porous brown iron-ftone, which is throughout interspersed with pure filver. This iron-ftone itself contains, indeed, at most nine marks of filver in every 50 cwt. of which, however, the unfkilful Indian metallurgist gains from the fmelting-furnace only from four to feven marks. But a friable white metallic argil in the middle of the mass of ore, about one-quarter of an ell in thicknefs, yields from 200 to 1000 marks of fine filver in every 50 cwt. Wherever the miner hits upon this immenfe vein, he finds ores containing more or lefs of filver. This has induced a number of needy and ignorant adventurers to perforate the mafs of ore with innumerable holes, without order or regulation; fo that it is wonderful that the whole mine had not long ago fallen in: fingle pits frequently tumble in and kill the workmen; but such accidents excite very little attention.

Above 200 private proprietors and workers of mines have their pits on this mountain, and annually extract about 200,000 marks of filver; that is, three times as much as is produced from all the Saxon filver-mines. The mines of Guantajaya, in the government of Ariquipa, 300 miles from Lima, and close to the fea-port Iquique, annually yield 38,000 marks of filver: but, might yield a confiderably greater quantity, if it were not fituated in the dry burning fandy defert on the fea-fhore. Fresh water must be fetched from a distance of from 20 to 30 miles; and a common drinking-glafs full is fometimes fold at the rate of a piastre. The ores there dug out are for the most part rich horn-ores; and fometimes they meet with large lumps of pure filver. Peru and Potofi abounds fo much with gold and filver that the mines there, if worked with but a tolerable degree of metallurgic skill, might yield confiderably more than the quantity neceffary for the fupply of the whole world. The ignorance, then, of the inhabitants of thefe countries, and the oppreffive meafures of the Government, fortunately combine to hinder the depreciation of the nobler metals from their too great abundance. Almost all the mines in Peru, &c. were opened by deferters from the army and navy, failors, and other 5 R 2 vagabonds;

vagabonds; and continued to be worked without obfervance of the mine-laws and regulations, as if merely for the fake of plunder; and the most of them are even at prefent in this wretched condition. If Peru, Chili, and Buenos-Ayres, poffeffed the fame advantages as the more populous and induftrious kingdom of Mexico, where royal and private banks are established for the fupport and furthering of the mines, and where, as it is lefs diftant from the mother-country, a ftricter obedience is paid to the laws, and a better system of po

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licy and economy prevails-Peru (where every thing ftill remains in a state of chaotic confufion) might alone furnish annually a four times greater quantity of gold and filver than Mexico, which abounds lefs with thefe precious metals. But this is very far from being the cafe. From authentic regifters transmitted to the Governors of the different provinces, it appears that, from the 1st of January to the 31ft of December 1790, they coined in the royal mints

In Silver. 17,435,644 Piaftres;

4,341,071

3,983,176
146,132

25,906,023

This would give (eftimating the mark of refined filver at 8, and the mark of re-. fined gold at 136 piaftres) 18,169 marks of fine pure gold, and 3,338,428 marks of pure filver*. If to thefe fums we add the gold and filver fabricated into various utenfils for churches, convents, and private perfons; and the fums clandeftinely exported by the merchants without being coined, which, according to Helms, amount to a third; according to Robertion, even to one-half of the whole of the precious metals; we may venture, with Helms, to eftimate the whole annual produce at more than fifty millions of piaftres.

We shall conclude with fome remarks on the character and manners of the inhabitants of the Spanish provinces, in South America. The converted Indians, who are ftyled Fideles, in contradiftinction to the favages, whom they call Barbaros, Infideles, or Brawoes, are of a very obedient and patient difpofition; but, from their abject state of fubjection, and the oppreffion of the fub-delegates, very timid and fufpicious. To draw from their character an inference refpecting that of the

According to other statements of Heims, 766,768 piaftres in gold, and 3,570,000 piaftres in filver, were in the year 1789 coined in Lima; and in 1790, 6038 marks of gold, and 534,000 marks of filver; making in the whole 5,162,239 piaftres. The last ftatements do not agree; and therefore in the

above calculation the amount has been reckoned at only 510,714 marks of filver. The annual coinage of filver at Potofi should be from 550,000 to 600,000; and of gold about In 1790 it amounted to no more than 468,609 marks of filver; and 2204 marks of gold.

2000 marks.

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Total. 18,063,688 Piaftres 5,162,239 4,283,022

867,886

28,396,835

wild Indians, it feems not improbable, that if they enjoyed a better education, and milder treatment, they would become one of the best nations on earth; for in their intercourfe among themselves they give ftronger proofs of humanity and the love of juftice, and betray less selfishness and lefs foolish pride, than the Creoles; and evince a quick fenfe of right and wrong. Their colour refembles dark bronze; they have an agreeable phyfiognomy, and ftrong-built limbs; are of a middle ftature; and endowed with an excellent understanding; and rather of a penfive and melancholy than lively difpofi tion. Being efteemed the most laborious and diligent of the various claffes of men found here, fuch as Spaniards, Creoles, Mulattoes, Samboes, Negroes, and Meftizoes, the Indians are employed in the greatest part of South America in mining, pafturage and agriculture; and in Peru likewife as domeftic fervants; as in the mountains the Negroes, like the Europeans, cannot endure the daily alternations of heat and cold, but become fickly, and foon die an untimely death.

The Creole, a defcendant of AmericanSpaniards, is of a brown complexion, and differs in every respect from his ancestors. Though born with a genius capable of attaining whatever ennobles humanity, yet, from an education in the highest degree neglected, he becomes lazy, licentious, and indelicate in his converfation; an hypocrite, and infected with a blind and malignant faitaficifm.-He tyrannizes over his flaves; but, in general, through his inordinate luft and amours, is himself enflaved by his Mulatteffes and Negreffes, who rule him with defpotic fway. He is in

the

the highest degree, clofe and infidious, the fport of every unruly paffion, immoderately puffed up with pride, and prepoffeffed against whatever is European; and, in an efpecial manner, of a hoftile and miftruftful difpofition towards the Spaniards. Under the oppreffive yoke of fuch men the Indian has lived for centuries, and pants for the bleffings of liberty; which, however, he is yet incapable of attaining; though he wants not a found understanding and judgment; hence with lively emotion has he often openly and loudly complained of the injuries heaped upon him. The king, indeed, has enacted feveral falutary laws, with a view of ameliorating the condition of the Indians; but they have either never been promulgated, or, at least, by intrigues foon rendered of no avail. The Indians are the only productive class of the community. To the labour of thefe patient drudges we are indebted for all the gold and filver that is brought from all parts of Spanish South America. For no European, nor even the negroes, are robust enough to be able, for one year only, to refift, in these regions, the effects of the climate, and fupport the fatigues in the mines on the high mountains of South America. And to thefe good and patient fubjects, their haughty mafters leave, as the reward of their toil, hardly a fufficient pittance to enable them to procure a fcanty meal of potatoes and maize, boiled in water.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

SIR,

MUSING a vacant hour by recurA ring to your elegant publication, I was ftruck with a question made under the fignature of a Friend to Philofophical Enquiry, in the Magazine of January, 1799. As far as I have examined the fucceeding feries, the subject has received no further notice. The enquirer laments that the purfuit of fcientific knowledge has been difcouraged by the general argument, that all great difcoveries are the offspring of chance; thence deducing that it is needlefs for the ftudent to bufy himself in deep and troublefome inveftigations, fince accident will better produce what is often denied to industry.

I

This letter efcaped my notice at the time of publication, and thus the feafon of intereft is paft; but, at this late period, will make an effort to rescue fcience from the obloquy that indolence has cast upon her.

The obfervation itself is merely that of ignorance; like most general axioms, it

looks only to the furface, and leaves truth unfought at the bottom. Accident has indeed called forth fome latent effects from natural caufes, which human intellect could never have developed; but, had not science and industry been at hand to recognize and improve the hint, fmall good would have accrued to knowledge from the random favours of the blind deity. Every day fhe unveils the fecrets of nature; but, falling under the of the eye unlettered, the ignorant, or the infenfible, they are loft to the WORLD, and her favours are in vain. Who, then, are the men who employ this as an argument to difcourage scientific research ?*

It is univerfally known, that in every branch of human knowledge much affiftance is attributable to accident; but much more to ftudy and profound inveftigation. The philofopher feizes the favourable moment, he arranges, he heightens, he unveils the half-discovered truth.-By the force of intellect, the dark hint is improved by a thousand affociations; he fees at a glance all the affiftance it is capable of receiving; and gives it use, regularity, and beauty.

It is thus in aftronomy, the highest of earthly attainments, chance made known the wonderful effects of the lens ; but had the accident fallen under the eye of a common obferver, the fcience would have loft the fublime advantages to which genius has rendered it fubfervient.

A painter, in the infancy of the art, impatient to give expreffion to the fubject his mind laboured with, fnatches, a piece of linen, that fortunately lay in his way, and for want of other materials, fketches. his picture on that, thus fuggesting the method of painting on canvas. Is it to accident, or to genius, we owe this improvement ? The chemift is much indebted to chance combinations, which frequently throw new light on his operations, and give him the affiftance that is denied to his labours. It is needlefs to enlarge on this fubject; every day's experience establishes the truth of my pofition, and no foreign affiftance is neceffary.

The further queftion your correfpondent propofes, namely, " If inventions and tion as the general mass of knowledge has difcoveries have been multiplied, in proporbeen augmented and diffused," I leave to abler hands to determine; the investigation may be curious, but, I humbly ima

* See the letter in queftion. Alluding to the invention of the tele

cope.

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gine unneceffary. Knowledge needs not much enquiry to prove her invariable utility to the advantage and happiness of fociety. R.

Gfbire, Aug. 14, 1799.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

IN

SIR,

N the account, published in your Magazine for June laft, of the ftate of manners, &c. at Briftol, is mentioned as a unique of its kind, an inftitution founded in that city, for the purpose of inftructing the indigent blind to work at different trades. It is mentioned in a note, that at Liverpool alfo a fimilar charity exifts. But allow me, through the medium of your far-read publication, to inform the public, that not to Bristol or Liverpool alone is this too long neglected exertion of benevolence confined. In Edinburgh, during feveral years paft, has a like inftitution been established; the fuccefs of which has reflected equal honour upon its founders, and upon those whofe fuperintending attention has produced effects gratifying to the most fanguine wishes of every compaffionate fpectator of this fpecies of human wretchedness. My diftant local fituation and other circumstances render me unable to give a particular de

tail of the mode in which it is conducted. Were any one, acquainted with any of thefe inftitutions, to favour the public with a particular account of the manner on which they are conducted, it might be of confiderable general ufe to excite, in other places, efforts to alleviate one of the most deplorable fituations in which men can be placed.

Aberdeen, Aug. 1799.

A. D.

For the Monthly Magazine. DISCOVERY OF A MARITIME ARSENAL BELONGING TO THE LACEDÆMONIANS,

Being the Subftance of a Memorial of Citizen Jumelin, read in the fecond Clafs of the National Institute, on the fecond of Meffidor laft.

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ITIZEN Jumelin, one of the most learned of the perfons who accompanied Choifeul Gouffier in his voyage, in returning from Conftantinople, in 1788, narrowly efcaped being wrecked on the rocks of Cape Matapan. The accident, however, was the occafion of an interefting difcovery, relative to ancient geography. Unfortunately, he had not an opportunity of examining the place he difcovered as minute

ly as he wished, but others will probably visit the spot under more favourable circumftances. In the mean time, Citizen Jumelin's account of this difcovery is fufficiently curious and interesting.

On the 8th of June, 1788, the veffel on which Jumelin was on board, was fuddenly becalmed in paffing under Cape Matapan. Night came on; and the veffel was at the mercy of a current, which fet in toward the rocks. At break of day, the

was fo near the rocks that thofe on board could almoft touch them with their hands; when the wind, which sprang up with the morning, together with aid from the boat of a Venetian veffel that lay at anchor near the place, delivered them from this imminent danger. The report of a cannon, that had been fired to advertize the Venetian veffel of their fituation, had alfo given notice of it to the inhabitants of the coast, and about a hundred men armed with firelocks were defcending from the mountains with the expectation of feizing upon fome wreck. As foon as they perceived their ferocious hopes fruftrated, they set up a cry of rage, difcharged their pieces at the veffel; but fortunately no perfon on board was wounded.

Citizen Jumelin remarks, on this occafion, that if the idea of men eagerly watching for wrecks, and even doing all in their power to accelerate the lofs of veffels, for the fake of plunder, is disgusting to a civilifed country, although many of its inhabitants are capable of the crime, nevertheless men in their progress to civilization have not always been guaranteed from fo fhocking a practice even by the influence of religion. The minifters of the altar have encouraged this enormity, to fhare in the profit; and Chriftian temples have refounded with prayers addreffed to Heaven to caufe fhipwrecks; a circumftance which, however extraordinary, is proved by a form of prayer for the purpofe, which is found in the antient rituals of the maritime provinces of France.

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The gale which fnatched the French veffel from her extreme peril, continuing to be favourable for a while, the proceeded towards the Iflands of Sapienza, when the wind fuddenly changing to the north-west, and blowing with viclence, compelled her to return beyond the Cape for shelter, under very high lands on the western fide of the Gulph of Colokitia. The delay, arifing from calms and contrary winds, having already occafioned the confumption of much of the fhip's ftores, apprehenfions were entertained of their falling fhort, efpecially in the article of water. The cap

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