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576 whims to take it out. In this same hill there are twelve other distinct veins, some of which have been worked for the sake of those small threads of very rich silver which appear to have formed the centre of the vein; but the azogues, which are very abundant, and yield from twenty-four to ninety-six ounces of silver, for three hundred pounds of ore, (according to experiments made on the spot by an azoguero, whom we brought with us from Real del Monte,) are untouched. The ores, by smelting, have yielded one-half pure silver; and tradition says, when they were obliged to abandon Santa Ana from water coming in, they left off in a vein of pure silver, one-third of a yard in breadth. The above twelve veins vary from one yard to six in breadth, at the surface; the depths to which they have been worked, are as follow: —Santa Ana, one hundred and forty varas; Rosario, sixty; Cata de la Agua, five; Guadalupe, four; Gazapa, twenty; Texedora, twenty; Santa Catarina, twenty; Arpa, twelve; Prieta, twelve; Bellotita, twelve; Coronilla, twelve; Fontana, ten.

Half a league to the north of Santa Ana is the mine of Descubridora, with a vein of azogues, fifteen varas in breadth. This mine is thirty varas deep, and the metals contain ninety-six ounces to three hundred pounds.

One league to the westward, is the mine called Bronzosa, with an immense vein, which may be traced at least one mile upon the surface. It has been considerably worked, but has water in it.

Two leagues farther west, is the mine called Cobriza, a new mine, twenty varas deep. These two last mines bear a high character.

On the fifth day we returned to Oposura, after a very fatiguing but interesting excursion.

The valley of Oposura, through which the river of the same name winds, is about twenty-six leagues in length, commencing at the foot of the mountains of Nacosari to the north, and terminating at the town of Tepache to the south. In some places