Year: 1859

account may be interesting to some of
our readers.


A pile of brick and mortar ten feet
high, eight feet wide and some forty
long, presents on its front side rows of
ovens. one row over another. Under
each oven is deep arch for wood.
These ovens are each cast in one piece
and imbedded in the brick and mortar,
have a fiat bottom about 20 inches in
width by 6 ieet in length and arched
sides and roof. In the top of the back
end tube runs out and falls downward
a distance of from Two 10 81 K feet into a
long tank of water. The cinnabar,
broken into small pieces and dried in the
sun to get rid of the water which would
turn to steam in the ovens 20 the danger
O { the works, then mixed with one third
lime, quantities of which are found in
adjacent hills, is spread evenly over
the floor of the oven to the depth of an
inch or two. The door of the oven is
then prepared with fresh mortar, that no
fumes may escape, and screwed tightly
in its place, and the fire is applied un~
derneath. A whole row of these ovens
is put to roasting at the same time.
Three hours is the time allowed to ex>
tract the metal. The mcrcurial vapor
passes into the tube before described
and is condensed by cold water dropping
upon the tube, falling in tho form of
globules ofquicksilver into the tank of
water INTO which the end Of the tube
enters. From the tank the metal is
drawn off into kettles and put up i'll iron
bottles for market. When the metal is
drawn off quantity of dark residuum,
called SCOT, is left in the tank which is
taken out, put in a tub, and lime added.
After the mixture stands few hours a
large quantity of pure quicksilver is
drawn off from the mass.


In house attached to the works are
quicksilver bottles, brought from Eng
land, corded up for use, and large mum.
Der of cast iron half and quarter bottles
of American manufacture.


The Guadalupe mine yields from S
to 60 per cent of quicksilver from the
rock, and VIC were told dmakes handsome
dividends to the stockholders.


EuRIQuETA MINE.-Two miles fur
ther up the creek we come to the newly
discovered mine of Enriqueta, so named
from the little daughter Of Henry Lau-
rencel the principal proprietor. The
mine is in mountain standing in the
forks of the creek, and is opened some
three hundred feet above the level of
the narrow valley below. The ascent
to it is made by means of a steep and
crooked mule path down which the cin-
nabar is carried on the backs of animals.
The entrance to the mineis through tun-
nels over the upper one of which is a
fine, large picture of the little girl after
whom the mine is named. We found no
one about who spoke English. Some
| forty or fifty Mexicans we're at work or
lounging about To the best looking one
of these l made known the object of my
visit in upexceptionable Spanish, showed
him a letter of introduction to Mr. Lau-
rencel from his amigo and abogadO and
VIC were soon supplied with candies and
our good looking mimero accompa MED
us through the caverns of the mine.


As in the Guadaloupe mine we passed
from chamber to chamber, down and up
the most primitive sort of ladders made
ofsaplings six or eight inches in dame
ter and notched for steps. We descen-
ded l know not how deep, say $50 feet,
being compelled every now and then to
get out of the way to allow an hombre
with load of rock on his back to pass.
The mineral is all transported 20 the
mouth Of the mine in raw-hide sacks on
the backs of Mexicans and supported by
a strap, or bail across the forehead. A
cargo or load is from one to two hundred
pounds.


The cinnabar in this mine is found in
a sort of serpentinc, fractured and bro
ken in such manner rs to be easily
dug with a pick like decomposcd quartz
Tie discovery of the mine was made by
six Mexicans from Sinaloa. in the en-
ploy of Laurencel, on the 11th of De-
cember last. The Enriqueta mine is in
the came Gordon of hills as the New AL.
MAIDEN on the other side of the same
ridge and but two miles distant across
| L. xrn1I 1,,-o ,I