POTOSI is the name of a department, a province, and a city of Bolivia, in South America. This part of the republic has been celebrated from the earliest times for its metallic wealth. The Cerro de Potosi, where the argentiferous mines are situated, is a conical hill, 16,037 feet in height, and about three leagues in circumference at the base. It bears marks of a volcanic origin, and its sides are marked with spots of various hues, such as dark green, orange, gray, and red. In this mountain no less than above 5000 mine mouths or levels have been opened, but very few of the mines are now worked. A tradition exists that Diego Hualea, an Indian peasant, accidentally discovered these mines whilst hunting the wild goat. In pursuing his game, he arrived at a steep declivity, and, to prevent himself from falling, he seized bold of a shrub, which, yielding to his weight, was torn from the ground, and disclosed to his eyes a large mass of silver, part of which adhered to the roots of the plant. A slave to whom he intrusted the secret of his good fortune betrayed him, and the mine was opened by the Spaniards on the 21st of April 1545. The surrounding country is also metalliferous. Silver of great fineness abounds in a hill called Guayna-Potosi (Young Potosi), close to the Cerro; but from the number of springs which occur not far from the surface, it has been found impossible to work it. The ore is pulverised in mills, driven by streamlets conducted from lakes or pools in the mountains, from one to ten miles distance from the city of Potosi. In connexion with the mines, General Miller relates the following circumstance. “A singular custom, which probably originated in the indulgence of early mine-owners, still prevails. Between Saturday night and Monday morning, the Cerro literally becomes the property of such persons as choose to work upon their own account. During that time, the boldest master would not venture to visit his own mines. They who thus take possession are called caxchas, and generally sell the produce of Sunday to their own masters. Independently of the ore thus abstracted, the caxehas did considerable mischief, by neglecting the proper precautions as they excavated. If they met with a more than usually rich vein in the course of the week, it was passed over, and cunningly reserved for the following Sunday. Very strong measures were therefore taken to abolish the custom; but every effort proved unsuccessful. The caxehas defended their privilege by force of arms, and by hurling down large stones upon their assailants.” These mines are still considered the richest in South America, but great ignorance of mining operations is displayed in working them. In an agricultural point of view this province is unimportant; its riches consist in its mineral wealth.

The city of Potosi, the capital of the department, is situated on the south side of the mountain, above 13,000 feet above the level of the sea, in lat∙ 19° 34' south, and long. 67° 22 ’ west from Greenwich. Upon the discovery of the mines, it was named an asiento or mine-station; but in process of time it was raised to the rank of a town, and made the capital of an intendeneia. In 1611 it contained 150,000 inhabitants, according to a census taken by order of government officials. On this point General Miller judiciously observes, “This number must at that time have consisted principally of mitayos of every tribe existing between Potosi and Cuzeo, a distance of nearly 300 leagues. Those unhappy beings were generally accompanied in their labours by their wives and families, who came rather to share in the hopeless sufferings of their husbands and fathers, than to settle in the arid hills of Potosi. It is not therefore surprising that its population should have been, by the abolition of the mita, and by the shocks which wealthy establishments received during the revolution, reduced to only 8000 in the year 1825.”