The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-18 00:00:00

THE GOLDEN SANDS OF THE AMAZON.

The following letter, dated Chacapogas, August
17, has been published in the Panama Star, headed
with the following remarks :
"In the last summary of Peruvian news we gave
some information relative to the extraordinary discovery
of gold in the bed of the River Amazon. Since then we
published, in the Spanish part of our paper, a letter
giving further particulars relative thereto, which, being
of considerable interest, we translate to-day, although
we in no way vouch for the correctness of the statements
contained therein :
" 'Don Mariano Aguilar left this on the 10th instant,
to commence the opening of the road to the river Amazon,
with the $2,059 granted by the State for that purpose.
d within two months we shall be on the shores
" 'The important day which shall enrich the north is
near,of the an
river
Santiago de Borja, travelling over its golden
sands, and in the midst of the rich and
fertile plains of
the majestic
"'A person travelling by the river Ucayali, for Pa.
rare, has
discovered, a short distance from the shore of
Amazon.
the said river, a chalk hill, which at first appeared to
him to be of little importance ; but as a pastime he took
e
pieces for examination, when, what wassur-
prise.l
several pieces
at finding a gold ring on
ist his
ar
fingerhapparently
must contain
converted into si ver.
~ 'lt at once struck him that thish
quicksilver, and he continued to inspect further into the
hill, until his surprise was further in
to a layer
ence, aof fine quicksilver, f creased by coming
circumn d
- ----) on mor o some twenty yards in
found in various parts of th e
hill drops of quicksilver fil-
among the herbs, yellow earth, partly concealed
c, `Within five days
sufficient force to Dr. Reyna will be en route with a
mine of Chaehacommence the work at the rich copper
that these Kuala. It is expected in this province
Copiapo mines will, within two months, prove a second
in respect to these same copper veins, which
contains an 4, • 11of
alloy l,BOO marks.
_ " `Fifty years ago a man excavated the vein to the
depth of 14 yards,and the result that
was the layer of
copper
disappeared, changing to pure silver. From this
silver the ornaments of the church of this city, still in
existence, were made. The discoverer worked alone,
and after his death no one was able to discover the
mouth of the mine. In this way it is expected that Dr.
Reyna, will, without doubt, having worked through the
copper layer, meet with a compact bed of silver.
" 'ln conclusion, it is said that within sixty days the
gold washings of Santiago do Borja will be discovered,
and the hill of Chachahuala will be ieduced to solid sil-
ver, and afterwards the quicksilver mines of Ucayali."'

DEATH OF M. FONTAINE, Ancaracr.—The oldest
member of the Academy of Fine Arts has just died in
the 90th year of his age-31. Fontaine, who was suc-
cessively architect of Napoleon, Louis XVIII., Charles
X., and Louis Philippe. Notwithstanding his advanced
age, he presided over the cuuncil to which the preserva-
tion of civil buildings is intrusted. The friend and col-
league of Percier, he erected with him the triumphal
arch in the Carrousel, and participated in the works of
the Louvre duriPg, the Empire,