Chucuito, la Paz, Caylloma, and Carangas. In the intendancy of Puno, the mountains of Ananca, near Caravaya and Azangara, to the north-east of the lake of Titicaca, were celebrated in the first years of the conquest on account of the wealth of their mines of gold. * Thoughts were entertained in 1803 of resuming the old operations of Morocollo, in the Pampa Fungoso de la Rinconada, and on the banks of the lake of Communi. They sought also to continue the gallery of Vera Cruz, in the famous silver mine of Salcedo, situated in the mountains of Ycacota and Cancharani. The mountain of Potosi † has alone furnished, including only the silver which has paid the royal duties, since its discovery in 1545 to our days, a mass of silver equal to 5750 millions * Proclamacion del Intendente de Puno, D. Jose Gongalez. Platina is also said to have been discovered near Morocollo, but the fact has never yet been confirmed by persons deserving of credit. † Potosi, properly Potocchi, Potossi or Potocsi. The old name of Huancavelica is Huanca-Villca. Garcillasso, ComReales, lib. viii. c. 25. Pedro de Cieça de Leon, Chronica del Peru, c. 109. The porphyrry bed which crowns the mountain of Potosi, the Hatun-Potocsi, gives it the form of a sugar-loaf or basaltic hill (see p. ). This mountain is 1624 varas, or 697 toises above the neighbouring plain, Acosta, lib. iv. c. 6. Hernandez, p. i. lib. xi. c. 2. Helms, p. 65-122. of livres tournois. * Ulloa has communicated some historical information respecting this mining operation, which has had the most powerful effect on the commerce and price of commodities of Europe; but he could only collect very incomplete materials, founding his calculations on the consumption of mercury in the amalgamation works. I am enabled to publish from official papers, year after year, between 1556 and 1789, the value of the duties (derechos reales) paid into the provincial treasury of Potosi, on the silver given into the mint. As the proportion which has existed at different periods between these duties and the value of the silver extracted from the mines, is known, we may deduce from the three following tables the annual produce in piastres. * £234,693,840 Sterling Trans. ROYAL DUTIES (DERECHOS REALES.) Paid on the silver extracted from the Cerro de Potosi. TABLE I. First period, from 1st January 1556, to 31st December 1578, during which the fifth alone was paid. Fifth. Fifth. Fifth. Years. Piastres. Reals Years. Piastres. (Reals Years. Piastres. Reals 1556 450,734 1 1564 396,158 4 1572216,117 3 1557 468,534 51565 519,944 11573 234,972 1 1558 387,032 0 1566 486,014 3 1574313,778 5 1559 377,031 2 1567 417,107 1 1575413,487 4 1560 382,428 3 1568 398,381 3 1576 544,614 6 1561 405,655 7 1569 379,906 7 1577716,087 6 1562 426,782 1 1570 325,467 1 1578825,505 2 1563 449,965 3 1571 266,200 4 78/825,505 Total of the 23 years 9,801,906 piastres. TABLE II. Second period from the 1st January 1579, to the 19th July 1736, during which at first one and a half per cent. cobos was paid, and afterwards the fifth of the remaining 98 piastres 4 reals. Years. One and a half per cent. and fifth. Piastres. Reals Years. 1579 1,091,025 3 1580 1,189,323 1 1581 1,276,872 6 15821,362,855 7 1583 1,221,428 3 1606 1,434,981 5 1633 1,003,756 0 1607 1,414,660 1 1634 984,414 6 1608 1,200,488 5 1635 946,781 0 1609 1,132,680 4 1636 1,424,758 6 1610 1,139,725 4 16371,197,572 4 1584 1,215,558 1 16116,299,052 2 1638 1,174,393 0 1585 1,526,455 1 1612 1,329,701 7 1639 1,128,738 1586 1,456,958 01613 1,200,947 6 1640 1587 1,226,328 0 1614 1,269,692 7 1641 978,483 2 940,367 1 905,797 6 1588 1,441,657 0 1615 1,354,412 3 1642 1589 1,578,823 7 1616 1,257,599 0 1643 924,659 0 1590 1,422,576 1 1617 1,071,932 4 1644 871,174 3 15921,578,449 6 1591 1,562,522 2 16181,061,264 2 1645 |1593 1,589,662 1 1594 1,403,555 7 1595 1,557,221 3 908,414 4 840,982 0 1619 1,108,744 6 1646 1596 1,468,182 5 917,845 7 757,418 6 796,244 2 759,904 5 835,109 4 754,784 1 804,071 0 933,441 4 877,862 1 799,609 1 1675 567,827 5 1676514,530 4 1677 550,099 3 1678 653,067 1 1679 622,979 5 1680 629,270 0 1681 685,791 0 1682 659,341 0 1683731,599 6 1701 338,572 1702 372,447 41727286,328 3 1 1728 220,698 1 4 1703 360,114 6 1729 360,414 7 1704 333,702 0 1730303,361| 6| 1705 319,264 7 1731 293,497 3 1706 354,600 11732308,137 3 1707 364,415 0 1733 304,768 3 1708 374,183 1709 334,080 6 1734273,084 5 1735 271,621 6 1684 719,082 0 1710 309,008 1 1736 149,567 01 1736 149, 1685 655,256 0 1711246,147 1 Total of the 158 years, 129,417,273 piastres. |