
I cannot afcertain with preciiion the quantity o f mercury
loft in this operation, as the accounts of miners are
fo varied ami incorretft on this head ; the moft probable
conjecture, is, that they lofe as ,many ounces of mercury,
as they obtain ounces of filver, fo that an ounce o f mercury
delivered at Mexico, becomes nearly o f the fame
value as an ounce o f filver (#).
, (<?) The 18000 quintals o f mercury, mentioned above, are difpofed'of in the following manner;
12000 ient-to.-Mexico and New Spain, 2000 to Guatimala, and.4000 to Lima ; Peru
furniihed the remamHer frorn its own mine of Guahcavelica. According to Barba, who was
£‘a«ih prieft of Bolofe, in 1637, mercury was'firft tife&^n the mines dn.'i 5^4,' .aridtdown;to
his .time, the rfcyal office had'received 2 047 00, quintals of mercury, exclufive of. thefgeeat clan-
deftine import. Efcalona in another work, declares that before 1638, it appeared by the public
accounts, that the -produce of the filver amounted to 395i600.600 pefbs’, which in 93
years, the time it had beea difcovered, amounts to 41.2-5 5,045 ipefos Per annum; rfromwhence
may be conceived the wealth o f the mountain, and though it has not o f lat.e been fo productive
as formerly, yet it is Hill very confiderable. See “ Voyage to South America, uhdettaken
by command o f the king of Spain, by Don George Juan and Don Ant.-de UUoa,
tranflated from-the Spaniih.” London, 1758. .
The following iiTaniiceduni of tner Spaniih mbits in America, ‘ as they flood in 177 7.
Mexicb coins ¿annually, about - - - - - - i 8.a&o.oo<> pef©s> ;-c
Lima | -. - - •.«'» c— - -{ - — 9.000*000
Santiago de Chill, chiefly gold - - - - , ~ ~ 8.006.006' r
Popayan and Santa Fe together - - - - - ' X2.ooo.o00-
Guatimala - - - - - - - - - - - 2.000.000
Potofi - - - - . - - - - - - - - 10.000-. ooo.-
Sonora in California. New mint eftabliihed in 177 8r
uncertain - - - -w _ - - - ^ - - —
^5'g.ooo.ooo pefos.
Fifty-nine millions of pefos, at %s. 6d. each, - - - £.13.775.000 ilerling per annum.
L E T T E R
L E T T E R II.
Itinerary o j Don Guillermo Bowles, continued, from, Almaden to the city
o f Merida, in Eftremadura.
IN T E N D IN G to make a tour into Eftremadura, I fet
out from Almaden towards the north weft, as far as
Zarzuela, then, inftead o f continuing the road to Madrid,
I went to the weftward, crofting a chain o f hills which
divide La Mancha from Eftremadura. Thefe hills- are
covered with rofemary four or five feet high, privet, fe-
Veral forts o f the ciftus with lavender leaves, elm leaves,
rofemary leaves, and two other fpecies:- Alfo a great
deal of lavender, thyme, and dwarf ciftxls, and though
the ciftus is of no ufe to the bees, they draw fo rich a ftore
from the other plants with which the country abounds,-
that hives are numerous every where in thefe parts.-
From thefe hills you defceiid to the village of Guabaguela,
where the good pafture begins for the Merino iheep, the
grafs being plentiful and fine. The hills are chiefly covered
with oaks, which become hollow by the imprudent
manner in which the branches have been lopped ; however
they produce abundance of acorns for the fwine,
which are all black hereabouts. The principal revenue
I i o f