Page:Mexico in 1827 Vol 2.djvu/476

458 La Borde; with the Păvĕllōn at Sombrerete, when denounced by the Făgŏāgă. family; and with the famous mine of Bărrāncŏ at Bŏlāñŏs, which, after being given up by its first proprietor, (Barranco,) gave immense wealth and his title to the second, (the Marquis of Vibanco,) and afterwards yielded an enormous mass of silver when worked by a Company formed for the purpose, although with little profit to the adventurers, on account of the expences of the drainage.

It is to be hoped that the name of Cata may be added to this list, although, in 1826, the amount of silver raised did not exceed 19,000 dollars.

The United Company possesses four Haciendas de beneficio, containing in all seventy-two arrastres. That of San Matias, which I visited, belongs to the Marquis of Rāyas, and is rented by the Association. It was exceedingly well fitted up in all its parts, but the process of amalgamation being nearly the same there as at Sălgādŏ, any-farther description of it would be superfluous.

The necessity of fitting up these Haciendas, and of bringing all the larger timber employed in them from the Sierra of Maravatio, (in the vicinity of Tlălpŭjāhuă,) a distance of nearly forty-eight leagues, has been one of the great drains upon the Companies; this has now ceased, and, the works having been well executed, they will require but few repairs during the remainder of the term for which the contracts are held.