Coinage

The most considerable mines of gold, are Petorca, ten leagues to the South of Chuapa; Yapel or Villa de Cuscus, Llaoin, Tiltil and Ligua, near Quillota. Mines are also wroughtin the partidos of Copiapo, Coquimbo and Guasco. The silver mining operations of Chili are in general by no means productive. The Cerro de Uspallata, at eight leagues distance to the north-west of Mendoza, contains, however, pacos so rich that they yield from two to three thousand marcs per chest (caxim) of 5000 pounds, or 40 or 60 marcs of silver per quintal. The produce of the mines of Chili, has considerably increased of late years. In 1790 there was coined at Santiago 721,000 piastres in gold, and 146,000 in silver.

d

III. The great mass of precious metals, supplied by the viceroyalty of Buenos Ayres, is entirely derived from the most western part, the provincias de la Sierra, which in 1778 were separated from Peru. We may

estimate the annual produce, which is almost wholly silver, at four millions two hundred thousand piastres. • The districts which supply the most are Potosi, Chaganta, Porco †, Oruro,

* 882,000l. Sterling. Trans.

+ See Alonzo Barba, Arte de los Metales (ed. 1729) p. 48, respecting the silver mines of Porco, wrought by the Incas.

Mines

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 thismining 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 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.

I

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

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.

978,483 2 940,367 1 905,797 6 924,659 0 871,174 3 908,414 4 840,982 0

1579 1,091,025 3 1606 1,434,981 5 1633 1,003,756 0 1580 1,189,323 1 1607 1,414,660 1 1634 984,414 6 1581 1,276,872 6 1608 1,200,488 5 1635 946,781 0 1582 1,362,855 71609 1,132,680 4 16361,424,758 6 1583 1,221,428 3 16101,139,725 4 1637 1,197,572 4 1584 1,215,558 1 16116,299,052 2 1638 1,174,393 0 1585 1,526,455 1 16121,329,701 7 1639 1,128,738 2 15861,456,958 0 16131,200,947 6 1640 1587 1,226,328 0 1614 1,269,692 7 1641 1588 1,441,657 0 1615 1,354,412 3 1642 1589 1,578,823 7 1616 1,257,599 0 1643 1590 1,422,576 1 16171,071,932 4 1644 15911,562,522 2 16181,061,264 2 1645 15921,578,449 6 16191,108,744 6 1646 1593 1,589,662 1 1620 1,069,599 3 1647 1594 1,403,555 7 1621 1,099,244 1 16481,123,932 2 1595 1,557,221 3 16221,093,201 4 1649 1,067,376 1 1596 1,468,182 5 1623 1,083,641 7 1650 1597 1,355,954 6 1624 1,086,999 0 1651 1598 1,310,911 7 1625 1,024,794-3 1652 1599 1,339,685 2 1626 1,033,868 7 1653 1500 1,299,028 5 1627 1,068,612 3 1654 1601 1,477,489 7 16281,172,352 3 1655 1602 1,519,152 71629 972,807 0 1656 1603 1,478,697 6 1630 962,250 4 1657 1604 1,326,231 6 1631 1,067,001 6 1658 16051,532,646 6 1632 964,370 6 1659

891,287 0

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