able; large investments of capital are made in mines of an inferior quality in the United States, and roads constructed to reach them, which cost twice what will be required to control the access to the mines of Santa Lucia. It is our gross ignorance of Honduras, its geography, and its metallic wealth, which has allowed us to leave it so long a hidden and useless treasure. Not many years can pass before this darkness will

alize half that amount from it. Some very ordinary specimens, which I picked up and took with me to San Francisco, were analyzed by my friend Mr. Hewston, of the Mint, and gave $218 to the ton; Ferrari's results do not reach half that amount. The major domo appeared to be fully aware of the great loss incurred by the inferior processes in use in Honduras. "Trabajamos aqui ciegos, Señor," he exclaimed, “no hay intelijentes, no hai brazos, ni fundos, ni na-have been dissipated by the press; and I regard da-absolutamente nada, Señor-Perdimos la mitad de la plata porque nadie sabe estraerte."* To my surprise the proprietor of the mine corroborated the statement, and joined in the complaints of the major domo, and then told me that he was so thoroughly disgusted with the miserable management of the native metallurgists, he would freely give me a quarter of the proceeds of the mine-which is one of the best Honduras-if I would, of my own knowledge, Ovith the assistance of a good chemist, enable hin to save his enormous losses in silver and quicklyer by the introduction of a good modNatus.

ern pr

even the slight and superficial information contained in this article, scattered as it will be, like wheat from the hand of the sower, over vast surfaces of active and fruitful mind, as the first in a series of events which will end in opening to all the world a new and inexhaustible source of commercial prosperity.

Although we know that, under Spanish rule, millions of silver were taken annually from these mines, we are not therefore to suppose that the methods of mining were in those days any better, or the arts of metallurgy more advanced. The secret of the great yield lay in the number of workmen employed in taking out the ore, does every thing for Honduras, man and the number engaged in breaking and crush

ing it. The aim of American miners is to save labor by machinery; machinery, first, to draw the ore up from the mine; next, to break and crush it into fine dust, rapidly and without waste; and, finally, skillful metallurgy, in amalgamating and refining, which should not only save, as in Germany, every ounce of silver, but economize the quicksilver now dissipated and lost. Where there is a profit of ten dollars by the old process, there should be a hamdred by the new.

RAGUA

The operation of breaking ore for the mill is now done by a lazy naked native, with a hammer or a stone. A hundred of these fellows would hardly supply the trough of an American quartz-mill. The tanateros, indeed, who are a class of workmen employed to bring up the ore in sacks from the bottom of the mine, do their work manfully, and are, physically, a

—at least during the present age-almost no- | superior kind of laborers. They climb nimbly up thing. A silver mine in Connecticut or Vir- the slippery escaleras with a load of 125 pounds ginia yielding $20 of silver to the ton, would be a valuable property. The Germans work ores of argentiferous galena, which yield only $5 or $7 to the ton; and they are not unprofit

• “We work in the dark here, Sir; no intelligence, no workmen, no funds, nothing-absolutely nothing, Sir. We lose the half of the silver, because we are ignorant of

the means of extracting it."

attached to their backs. The enormous development of their muscles proves the violence of the exercise. These men are Indians or halfbreeds, and are beautiful in form, mild, indusbe much better and more economically pertrious, and obedient. The same labor would formed by a small steam-engine, such as would cost only three or four hundred dollars; and

f ore in this minand consequently the beds eral, run north and south cept the veta azul. I am not a professionly, the causes of these geologist, and can not explain, even hypothhe precious metals have fissures, through whip from the interior metalcozed up to the su earth. Did they arise in lic-lava lakes of pon the walls of the fissures? vapor, condensed in water, heated far beyond Were they disof white-hot iron, and preventthe temperating by the pressure of solid miles ed from evy them? Were the fissures made of rock Earthquakes, themselves occasioned by anciging of the crust of the earth as it by the Did the metals rise molten, in the cool lava? Of one thing I am convinced, forer, that the causes-whatever they may From the San Martin we rode over the same been-pervaded a wide extent of territory, evening, not a mile distant, to the Gatal, an- were deep-seated in the earth. Silver other celebrated mine, also the property of Señorines in this region never give out; they vary Ferrari. Our road lay through a forest of sturin width, but are indefinitely continued. Their ed oaks, mingled with large pines, very suit supply is inexhaustible. for mine-timber, and terminated at a smal. tlement resembling the one already de ecNotwithstanding my resolution, I ma and ond descent into the earth at this more found the excavations of the Gatale comextensive and imposing than thoses branch paratively modern San Martin. Gtance, foluff to the right and left to a grsecting bed lowing the course of a secoy of the larger

vet by the slow methods in present use, more than two millions, it is said, have been netted since it was first opened, long previous to the

Revolution, from the San Martin mine; corresponding with more than thirty thousand tons of good ore, allowing the usual losses, from a mine only 150 feet in depth! This is certainly the largest yield on record. Not less than 60,000 tons of rock and ore together must have been carried up on the backs of tanateros! Consequently, one million sacks of stone and ore have been taken out through the mouth of the mine! If steam were applied, the annual yield of this mine, in pure silver, would be limited only by the number of men who could work abreast in its subterranean galleries.

While examining the interior of the Gatal, I observed more carefully the method of propping the roof of the excavation. Wherever the roof is shaky, or of loose stone, heavy masses of unhewn timber-oak is preferred-are set under, as supports. The weight of the roof pressing slowly and insensibly downward, will sometimes bend these columns like reeds. Fragments are continually dropping from the roofs of the gal

leries.

of ore, which traverses thenese, called the The miners grow accustomed to the or perpendicular vein. Orently conforma- danger. As I was standing in one of the reta azul, or blue vein, ake a bed of trap caves which are left where large masses of ore ble with the stratificers of sandstone- are taken out, I looked up, and saw over my interposed between pal) is a perpendicu- head a mass of at least five tons' weight hangwhile the other (vares of the mountains, ing in the crevice, and ready at any moment to

lar fissure. All

fall. The echo of the voice or the sound of | drain penetrates horizontally and upward to the a hammer might have brought it down. One of the miners touched me, without speaking, and pointed to the rock. I stepped quietly out of the way, with a sensation like sea-sickness. A campaña, or "caving-in," is not so dangerous an affair, however, as might be imagined. Before the roof comes down-more especially when the strata above are horizontal, or moderately inclined-the mine gives out a sound, quivering and grumbling; each timber prop-set close to its fellow-begins to sigh and struggle against the roof like a weary Hercules. The crash comes on slowly. A wind blows out of the mine; the miners run to the main gallery, which is always secure, and a sound is heard for a few moments, not loud, but awfully significant of the forces at work.

After the flight of the Rosas family, in 1831, the Gatal was neglected, and the galleries fell to cay; but recently they have been cleared, and we now worked with considerable results. The works are placed, as usual, upon the brow of a steep hill, perhaps 300 feet above the general table-and of the district. Penetrating the flank of this eminence is a subterranean conduit, or water drift, called by the miners a taladro. The erance of the mine is certainly not less than 200 feet perpendicularly above the mouth of the talaro. Out of this runs all the natural drainage of the mine, and the excess poured into it during the rainy season. The

galleries, with which it is connected by wells, or shafts, sunk in the remote interior. This taladro is estimated to have cost the Rosas $50,000, when labor under an arbitrary government was far less expensive than at present. American miners would have incurred an outlay of at least $100,000 in the boring of this tunnel, and without it the Gatal mine would be comparatively valueless. There are several mines in the mineral of Santa Lucia drained in the same manner. Taladros are the principal expense in silver mining. Without them the only resource would be a powerful steam-pump, and it is for this reason that all the mines of the department are opened on heights, which gives an opportunity for subterranean drainage. Farther to the north, on the summit of the hill, is a lumbrera, or air-hole, which must have been equally expensive, as it penetrates to the lower galleries.

As we rode over the country many places were pointed out to me by my companions where silver veins had been traced; and there is no doubt that a net-work of silver penetrates all the mountains of this district. It will always be impossible to estimate the amount of silver contained in these hills, but it is not saying much to affirm that the present waste and wear of silver in arts and commerce might be readily supplied from them.

Having filled a sack with the glittering ore of the Gatal, I mounted with the rest, and we

INDIAN SILVER MINER.

me.

soon the muffled blows of hat he had discovered a mass

turned our faces homeward. At the roadside | serving the process. A 4g of copper dollars I saw a mound of not less than 1000 tons of re- and a few words of encragement were all that fuse, or medium ore, mingled with rubbish, too was required to indu him to begin again for He entered throw drift, creeping on his poor for transportation by mules to the mill. This will yield $20 or $30 to the ton, and can hands and knees, g be had for the asking. Señor Ferrari assured the bar announce ine that he does not raise more than half a ton of ore by the tyght of the mine. In half an e, he came out, dragging behind a day from the Gatal, employing ten workmen. hour, or less bout twenty pounds of the shinThis daily half ton gives full employment to his him in a safe man and woman then selected mill, and yields an average of 124 marcs, equal ing brosa. stone, and began pounding the ore, to 100 ounces of silver. A marc is worth $9 of each a thus gradually reduced to the condigood coined money in Tegucigalpa. There is which gravelly dust. The fire, meanwhile, not a mine in Santa Lucia which does not average tion fargely by the children; a smaller earthfour mares to the quintal of 500 pounds. The was, holding a portion of the brosa, was set native miners, nearly all of them out of employ-e in a bed of coals. The wood was piled ment, haunt the old mines, and by a rude smelt-r it, sulphureous vapors escaped, and when ing process, in earthen pots, obtain buttons of he whole had burned fiercely awhile and fallen crude silver, worth intrinsically about $1 thto ashes, our son of Tubal Cain drew forth the These are every day brought into pot and turned out upon the ground a mass of gucigalpa, and sold to the retail traders at a t gray, black, and red slag and ash, out of which discount. This is one source, and at Be- I drew with a stick a button of red-hot silver, the principal one, of the silver carried f weighing, perhaps, two ounces. For this button lize and San Miguel to London. nd in I gave the miner a silver dollar, and he seemed While riding in company with upon a well satisfied with the price, which was less than the vicinity of Tegucigalpa, I happa desert- half its value in the market. These wandering group of Indians near the entranthe side of miners form a considerable portion of the couned mine. It was a gloomy caver An old wo- try population. Their occupation yields them the hill, overhung with aged tren, was boil- a meagre subsistence. With them also rests the man, with a couple of nakeds. The father knowledge of many rich veins in the recesses of ing a pot over a fire of pinon in his hands, the mountains, to which they resort at certain of the family, with a bare cavern, waiting seasons, transmitting the secret through many stood at the entrance pass by. Several generations. It is, however, only the best ores until the strangers sy at his feet. Wish- that can be treated in such a primitive fashion, masses of very rich metallurgist at work, I and the loss is excessive. ing to see this prin awhile in the shade obalighted, and ren

ounce.

The riches of this wonderful region are not