The Sun.
London, England, 1825-03-19 00:00:00

LITERARY NOTICE:

TRAVELS in SOUTH AMERICA, during the years 1819/
20,21, containing an account of the present state of Brazil,
Buenos Ayres, Chili. By A. CALDCLEUGiH, E!q.
2 vols. Bvo.

At a period when public interest is powerfully
awakened by the important. events that are pass-
ing in the New World, whatever tends to throw
any light upon the subject is certain of meeting
with public patronage. Although the, Spaniards
have now been masters of the greater portion of
the Continent of America for the space of
.nearly
400 years, yet is it only•since a .very short time
that Europeans have been able to obtain an in-
sight into countries, from which they were scrur.
piously excluded by the -jealous policy of the
Spanish Government. Hence it is, that to the
interest which passing events attach to these
countries, every description of them has'also the
inestimable advattag.e of novelty. Mr. C. pos.,
sessed advantages which no other traveller could,
have, inasmuch" as he was one of the suite of
Mr. Thornton, the British Minister at the Court
of Brazil ;- and a perusal-of-his book will proxe
that he has not been remiss 'in the dUties of a.
traveller, intending.to give the. public the benefit,
of his observations.

Of Brazil we have an ample account. Mr. C.
calculates the popuiation at three millions, and
says Rio Janeiro contains not less than 135,000
inhabitants. The revenue he states to be two-
millions and" a 'half sterling. His account of the
mines is"highly interesting.
"It is not easy to learn with accuracy the produce of the dia-
mond mines, as they are worked by Government, and strictly
Monopolized; much smuggling consequently prevails. In
some years, the quantity discovered by Government has amount-
ed to as much as 4,000 octavas of 18 carats, but these are years
of rare occurrence : taking.the average, however, of some years,.
the number of octavas would come to near 1200. In the quan-
tity there would be of course many of large size, adding im-
mensely to the value. It is .calculated that about the same'
quantity is smuggled ; and there are strong reasons to suppose,.
.that if no difficulties were thrown in the way, owing to the
facility with which they are obtained, the produce of Brazil dia-.
monds, in every way as fine as the oriental, would have con-
siderable affect on the demand.
" With respect to the quantity of gold. which comes fi out. the
mines, it is immersed in a certain degree of obscurity.. The
one-fifth due to government is the principal cause that I could
never ascertain, in each mine that I visited, its exact produce..
Knowing the amount of the workings at the commencement of
the century, and from information 1 collected in Rio de Janeiro;
and in the.mines, and making allowance for that exaggeration
so common in Brazil and allnew countries, Iconsiderthe annual
value of gold certainly does not exceed 900,0001. including the
contraband.
"No silver is produced in Brazil. As there is lead, it would
be too much to affirm that none exists, but probably the quan-
tity would be trifling. • -
« The quantity of precious stones shipped is not-no:w eery
considerable. In most cases they are sent to a losing market,
being, in fact, more valuable in Brazil than in tondon yr
Paris. Aqua Marines of very large size have been found. In'
-January, 1811, one was found in the Riberas des Americanas,
'near the diamond district, which weighed 15 pounds, and in
the same place, in the October followirig, one was 'discovered-
weighing four pounds. 'Topazes, of- fine quality, but seldom
large, amethysts and crisolytes, are also articles of exportation,
and, at times, some. fine specimens of these gems are to be
met with in the jewellers shops.
Respecting-the mines of Chili, we have the.
following account
"Streams• abounding in gold, wanler through the most
luxuriant corn-fields, and the farmer and the miner hold con-
verse together on their banks.

46 By:far the largest proportion of the
gold found in Chile
where it is much more abundant than silver, is promised b‘f;
means of washing the beds of rivers. It is-of a very pure qt
lity ;. but I met with it in no instance crystalized, but in larg''
flattened grains of a peculiar light colour. From this circurn"
stance I should be led to conclude that its matrix had tieen al'',
ginally some metallic substance. probably the sulphuret n•
iron. In confirmation of this it may be stated, that not unfre-
quently beds of gold of several inches thick, arc Callon in wi'l"
which certainly have never been disturbed, for the angles are
sharp, and could, therefore, have only been left by some de-
composed substance.:
" The only gold mine I visited, which properly deserves the'
name of mine, was on the road to Valparaiso ' • it existed 'in a-
ganngue of iron pyrites, but was neither rich, nor extensively-
Worked. The amiferous iron pyrites of Chile are found isolat-
ed and finely crystallized. At Coquimbo gold is found in a
matrix of carbonate of copper.
The Silver mines are of much less importance, and are chiefly
confined to that part of the" country which borders on the Cor-
dillera. The process of amalgamation in use has been before
described. All the ores, whatever they may be, are purified in
the same manner. Many of them pure sulphuret of silver,
containing 80 per cent. of metal, might be more advantage-
ously deprived of the sulphur by simply roasting with a mode-
rate heat, than by the expensive process of amalgamation. The,
muriates and some other ores would not, of course, be subjected
to the process, without the additions of an olkalic. It is painftif
to- think what a large proportion of the riches of the New Wo!'l4
has been lost by the ignorance of discoveries.
" It is a well known fact, that none of the South American;
mines produce, at the present day, that vast quantity of rneol
which they used to do in former times. When first discover-01,
the metal was in great abundance, and "within a few feet of, eau
in some instances on,_ the surface of the earth. All this has
been removed, and the great excavations subsequently made
have become full of water, from which the'proprietors have not,.
a sufficiency of capital to clear them. From this cause many of
the mines which yielded a large proportion of silver have be'
come entirely unproductive and closed. The chief falling 011,
therefore, has been owing to the deficiency of capital, which the
revolution has naturally much aggravated. These circumstances
which have been perhaps more apparent in Peru and Mexlo
than Chile, have nevertheless been felt in the latter country-
Molina states that the value of the gold and silver raised in hi;
time (1780) was not under four millions, exclusive of wll3*
was smuggled.
" in 1821, the produce of the mines, including an allowance
for contraband, according to D. Manuel de Sales, did not ex-
ceed a million and a half of dollars, showing a great deficiencl9
but one easily accounted for by the reasons above stated, r°'
gether with the unsettled state of the country. ' 0
" It seems to me, that the first thirg to be done, matea
of making fresh excavations, is to supply proper Machinery, a 11,,,,, i
clear the old mines of water. In many situations this would t'
exceedingly expensive, whether undertaken by means of an aCiii,l
or by the steam engine: in using the latter much-difficulty wolf'
be experienced on the subject of fuel, for it is scarce in t`,,lef
mountainous parts, where the ore exists • and the expence
...',.
bringing coals from Conception would be Leavy.. Could this Fr;
overcome, and there is no doubt it might, the mines worked .14
galleries, and the practical experience of the old workmen, `,:e
to the direction of the veins, properly attended to, the prochi„,
would be enormous. On the last point I could not ascertal
that the veins ran more in one direction than another, or tl:3
P.
;
it was possible to lay down any rule on the subject. If Cil
fict
were to become so settled in its government as to afford Per. cps
security of property, the application of capital to the rnin:e,
would return a large profit. The quantity of metal still iv"
maining in the Audes must be stupendous ; but there is this is
be considered, that if all the mines were properly worked, `cry
more than probable that silver would fall in Europe to a
low price."
_.....0_

BIRTH.
On Thursday last, at South Cottage, Oxted, Surrey, )I°'
Talboys, of a daughter.

DIED I,'
On Tuesday, the 15th inst. at Ramshury, Wilts, Elizabe,t`"t
the wife of Mr. James Russell. • la,
On the sth inst., suddenly, at Hitchin, Hcrts, John Fle
Es
Oq., in
th the 87th year of his age. del
On e 14th inst ~ at Cimbridge, in the 19th year of his 010
Mr;Charles Field, of Trinity College;,only son of Mr. C11"31
Field, of Old Broati-street, London.
On Tuesday, the Bth inst., Elizabeth, wii*of Mr. Willi3lll-
Brashier, Chancery-lane. the
Lost, on his passage from Seville, where he been for .
benefit or his health, David, the third son of John Lyall, fsil '
of
Onel Ma,r... Chsea. oil'
Friday, the Bth inst., at Bethnal-green, rs. ~..
aged 78.
.. i—..•"..-

eamerortrrson..swmer...”llB.[l,o7o,64.ll.,
StP
Prifited and rlluu3neu for the rItOPRIET MIS, at the
OFFICE, No. 112, Strand, by J. B. ,L;ausTAMs•

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