New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-01-07
+ sS1'Els E'lsneEaas dc E'is. 10 Of Sonora.
A CORES pendent Of HE ST. Lofsis Republican

correspondent Of HE St. Louis Republican
writes d letter from Tneson, from which we make
tha iellcHing interesting extract
attentian lias recently been called to an arti-
Csa published saIae months since in a California
II paper in Teiafioa It'd o. rare old hook H written
s about the year lI5B and treating the founda-
ti0n, conquest and history OF Sonora, SinaIoa and
NeusFa 6 eia, no Il known as Durango and jail
ise0. Tie exact TIDE fzthis work is as follows :
& If ApostnHes Afanes de Ia Gafnpania de Jesus, es
Gritos par m padre de III Infsma Sagrada religion
do aa gineia de Mexico -. Hs S.---Uon Lieen-
Cia- eelone p0r Pablo Nadal, Inpressof,5 en-
4 aa Calls dc Canu6a. Ano5i 754. Very few copies
of The work exist, ard although It doubtless
abounas iii exag gsrati0nB, such as characterized
tbs early sehI0ni 6leEs Of the conquest of Mexico
BY C0rtezs II u one Of The most valuable books Of
4 Spanish IneEieaa history in existence. Accord
ing To the newspaper statement, which is my au-
thorit5 VOC every word relative to the book or its
contents, it contains four hundred and tifsy-fve5
folio pages bound 10 Did fashioned parchment,
According 10 this venerable authority, the Plan
chas ae Plata were discovered near the district
4 then kno YIN as the Real do Arizona 9; region
extremely aria and sterile. After the discovery of=
as mineral legion the historian relates that itfelI
under the 3urisa ietion Of the Comandante Of the
rasdso of rontreras and the King u officers took
posaesssoa. The region described is d few miles
South The heltndary line about lon III or llS.
ahs fnll0giag account ef the discovery Of the
P2anehas dc Plata of the z Real de arizona n the
GalifaFnia eator states To be free hut careful
translation from ehapter I'd Of Book IT. Of the or.
gil1al work abaye n. Il. 8
~ show with more eleaTness the discovery Of
these nlneEaiss short distance from the Real de
AEia0na, IA as aiYalGseSas about fifteen years ago
ah0at the year to the admiration and aston
lshnea5 not On s8f New Spain. but all the nations
OF Enrepe onders as Incredible as the fabulous
stories oI Edla. aanl Indian. W no was work
ing in tiiis locality discovered the pure silver
which he Immediately brought to a sfore-keeber.
who Informing athers Of the discovery, in short
tim air became publicly known
&rSa StfTfk r4Fa,1
sides of hill about half league down, near d
canada which Turns and witlfia in The immediate
hills and which canada makes the bed Of an arrC-
ya. md where Nc wafer is found, except after the
rains. 70 this locality Immediately rushed all the
people of tile ghbori0od, with great expeeta.
items and hopes, whe soon satisfied themselves that
they could have all the riches they desired for ia
all The hIsl and canada they found pieces, great
silver; in Others II was formed of half silver and
some other mineral. The weight Of these pieces
was from half an alToba Can arroba Ia rs Iounts1
to one and Two has. This brilliant and sono.
Tous discovery convok from all parts the Spanish
people, to fina the silver which could he had with
only the small labor of removing little earth ana
stones and when they could pick up in this Or that
place, bah and masses tplanchasl Of prodigious
poor fel low; negro on rnulatto. of Guadalajara.
WHO mad wandered d distance Of three hundred
leagues, had the fortune to End ball or mass Of
solid silver f the Of 81 arrobas 525 pounds
neither break nor cut UP, and which was Of such
an ineonsen Ient weight that he could not load
the best mule, with tht strength of himself and
assistants or of their utmost industry. So with
Topes they lifted up to the branches of tree
from which they lowered 1t upon lie pack saddle
nf the animal but to the great misfortune Of the
poor discoYefer. he LOST 1t all in alaw suit, made
against HI freasnfe nv some one whom we cannot
name. The Ministers of Justice took the matter
~ hand. ana seized the mass of silver from both
parties, and refaseo deliver it up notyyithstaud-
ing al The dlscoverers petitions, claiming it as the
Kings pertenance. Others succeeded more han
geight and value.
But what was more wonderful than all the pre-
cedlng discoveries, was that by person who, on
removing about a yard OF earth. found a mass Of
pure silver, weighing one hundred ana forfy
arTobas, which resisted all attempts to part it with
axe Ratchet, er0wbar or any other tool; and il
WAS finally melted down and reduced to parts by
the aefiongof fire. From the surroundjna natris
OF earth and stones they also got by reclining ana
cleaning, overtime arr0has more. Curious persana
hayeslsesn assured that as much as four hundred
afTobas HAYS been collected Of these rich deposits
with scarcely any cost.
Among the most notable features Of these massees
OF native silver, u that some Of them, when re-
Gently ta6en nps are quite flexible and very much
ne soitened WAY, and which could be pulled and
torn to pieces without difficulty, obedenty admit
ting THE iofIan f any fgure Impressed nponit And
fious was, the day after tile
Esd R9t Nil yer sTas melted down and became en-
tltsy songgaied i assumed an intense hardness
asa feasibility. can be testified to l3y many
saonarles and other SpaniaTas now living, who
llad tho f8assesas in their hands, and who could,
therefore, ba witnesses from their own oeeular
yasion Or tie truths Of tlls rare and notable dis
Ward end other Travellers Id Sonora, have given
equailY glowing descriptions of the mineral above
aascEiosds az derived from official archives So /
4 asigliy iamous y became that the appellahon
" aton Of silver was given IL IN The last cen
sgaEg hy thes Spaniarda. Recent explorations Of /
lhe regions which tradition sssigns as the locality
Of these astonishing resalts DO NOT exhibit ang IN
nj extensive uies It is, therefore, pro,
liable that The exact locality, inthe course of gel
has been forgotten.