MEXICO. 363 great, that even a correct account of the number of dollars struck off, would not be found to give a just idea of the quantity of silver, which they contained. 3rdly. Because of the large sums which passed through the hands of the Revolutionary Chiefs, (some of whom work- ed mines of considerable importance,) no account Avas ever given. And, 4thly. Because the gold contained- in the silver, (a great abundance of which is found in the ores of some mines,) was never properly separated from it, after the communication between the Interior and the Capital was closed. None of the Departments possessed a Casa del Apartado, (in which the chemical process of separating the two metals, when com- bined, is performed ; and, although some portion of the gold may have been obtained by the use of quicksilver in the Arastres, (crushing mills,) whatever remained incorporated with the silver was sacrificed ; and, as the amount of gold, produced annually, before the Revolution, averaged 1,100,000 dollars, (a great part of which passed through the Casa del Apartado,) this loss, in fifteen years, must have amounted to a very considerable sum.* These observations sufficiently prove the unavoidable inac- curacy of any estimate that can now be formed, respecting the amount of the precious metals raised from the mines of Mexico, during the fifteen years immediately subsequent to the Revolution : but having pointed out the difficulties that must be encountered, and the impossibility of so entirely sur- mounting them as to arrive at any very accurate conclusion, I shall proceed, without farther preamble, to state the results of my enquiries with regard to the Produce and Exports of each of the two periods under consideration.
- I have myself seen ores from Guarisamey, at the Mint of Durango,
which contained 2100 grains of gold to the Marc. (There are 576 grains in the ounce. ) The mine of Rayas has produced ores containing 27 00 grains ; and 550 grains per Marc is by no means an uncommon ley de oro (proportion of gold) in the mine of Villalpando, at Guanajuato.
