Page:Vol 3 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/603

Rh The quicksilver necessary for the amalgamation was sent from Spain by the regular fleets and under control of the government, which reserved for itself the monopoly, partly on account of the revenue derived from it, partly because of the supervision thus obtained over the yield of metal; for miners had to make returns in proportion to the quantity of quicksilver distributed. It was given out only at the capital, by royal officials, who with the superior connivance of the viceroy formed a body called the tribunal de azogues. Whenever the quicksilver mines of Almaden in Spain failed to yield the required quantity, which in New Spain alone amounted to fifteen or sixteen thousand quintals, the deficit was supplied from Austria at a dearer rate, rarely from Peru. The commodity was supposed to be sold at actual cost, in order to encourage mining, the price ranging from one hundred and eighty-seven pesos a quintal in 1590 to forty-one pesos for Spanish and sixty-three pesos for German quicksilver in 1777. Occasionally also special