Page:Mexico (1829) Volumes 1 and 2.djvu/466

426 MEXICO. thousand three hundred and nine yards more were driven before the 1st of February, 1827, which left only 450 yards to be completed. The whole is regarded by the natives as a most judicious, and scientific work, which weU deserves to be repaid by the success, which those acquainted with the district confidently predict. The works of the Anglo-Mexican Company, comprise twenty mines in the district of Guanajuato alone ; three in that of San Cristobal ; two at Maconi ; five at Zimapan ; three at Catorce, and six at Real del Monte. Of the Guana- juato mines, some are upon an enormous scale, as Valenciana, Mellado, Tepeyac, Sirena, and ViUalpando, all of which were delivered to the Company, in February 1825, in a state of complete ruin. When I saw them, in November 1826, the machinery, and works connected with them, had been entirely rebuilt ; the drainage in Sirena, and Villalpando, was nearly concluded, and in the Valenciana it was proceeding at the rate of 10,000 tons per week. Nine Haciendas de beneficio, (amalgamation works,) had been erected, and completely fitted up, with crushing-mills, and every other necessary. In most of these, the process of reducing ores was carrying on to a considerable extent : some were still idle, but the progress of the drainage in the Valenciana, and Villalpando, was expected very shortly to furnish a sufficiency of ores to bring them all into activity. The number of mules and horses employed in the drainage was 3,100 ; in addition to which there were about 400 more used merely in the conveyance of ores from the mines. The weekly expenses of the Valenciana mine alone, which is re- garded as the principal undertaking of the Company, were about 1,200Z. : the whole outlay upon it, in September 1826, was, 134,452/. : but then the produce of the Valenciana, from 1788 to 1810, when the works were"^ stopped by the Re_ volution, averaged 1,446,067 dollars (or 289,213/.) per an-