whole is built with brick and lime-mortar, and, on the firft {tone being
laid, an obelifk, in imitation of that in St. Peter’s fquare, and many
others in Rome, was erefted, on the pedeftal of which is the following
infcription, in Spanilh:
D. O. M.
In the reign of Charles the fourth :
and
During the Government of this Kingdom,
by Don
Ambrolio Higgins
de ,
Vallenar;
Who ordered
Thefe dams to be conftruried
in the year
1792.
* 36 quadras
pnake a mile.
There were two very fumptuous fabrics' creating in St. Jago, which,
when finilhed, as I was informed by the Preftdent, would be unequalled
in New Spain ; the one is the Cafla de Moneda, or the money-houfe, and
-the other is the cathedral.
At the diftance of about five quadras* to the fouthward of the principal
fquare, is ere&ing, by order of His Catholic Majefty, the Money-
Houfe, or Mint. The fituation is open, healthy, and well chofen for
this extenfive and fpacious building, which appeared to be conftru Cling
upon the plan of the public offices contained within Somerfet-Houfe in
London, though the ft.rufture is by no means equal to that edifice, either
in fize or magnificence. It is intended for the refidence of all the officers
and people belonging to the Mint. The apartments for the former are
large and commodious, and the rooms for the latter are very convenient.
To thefe are added a fort of hofpital for the lick, and a chapel for divine
fervice. Large places are to be fitted up for the reception of the, materials
and implements ufed in aflaying the precious metals, and feparating
them
them from the ore. The walls are built with large bricks, and the ce- >795-
ment, or mortar, is from lime procured by the calcination of ffiells. Part <---- -—
of the infide was plaftered with a moft delicate white fubftance, that had
the appearance of being very durable. Moft of the iron-work ufed in
the building, and fuch as is neceflary for the implements, &c. ufed in
the bulinefs of coining, is imported from Old Spain. Patterns for the
balconies, balufters, and rails, have been tranfmitted from St. Jago to
Bifcay, which have been fent back in iron, moft perfectly and fatisfatlori-
ly executed. All the wood made ufe o f in this fabric is oak, excepting
for the doors and windows, which are made of cyprefs. The principal
front is to the north, and is, about one hundred and fifty yards in length,
Befides the door, or grand entrance, which is adorned with eight columns,
there are.eighteen inferior windows, and eighteen fuperior balconies.. The
two other fronts look to the eaft and to the weft, and are each of them
one hundred and feventy-eight, yards in length ; thefe are decorated in the
fame manner as the principal front, with pillars and balconies, between
which are various efcutoheons, with devices, alluding to the purpofe for
which the building is erelled. The court-yard is forty-five yards fquare,
the whole adorned with columns, architrave, frize and cornice, which
extend round the court at fome little diftance from the building. The
principal entrance leads into a fpacious faloon ; on the right are the
apartments deftined for the fuperintendent, arid on the left are to be tlrofe
of the auditor; befide thefe, in the other two fronts, are the public
offices, the hall for drawing bills, the office for weighing gold and filver,
the treafury, auditory, chapel, hofpital, &c. &c. After paffing through
the court-yard towards the fmelting-offices, we entered a palfage, fourteen
yards wide, which led round all the workffiops and offices of labour :
the whole of the edifice is of the Doric order, and the diftribution of the
offices and apartments appeared to have been well confidered and judi-
cioufiy appropriated. The communications were likewife commodious,
and well concerted to facilitate the bufinefs between one office and
another, and the whole together was a ftrufture well deferring our attention.
The