half. The principal shafts, upon the two great veins of Guadalupe and Santa Ana, contain little or no water, (from eight to ten varas;) and it is known that the works were only suspended during the Revolution, in consequence of the seizure, by General Guerrero, of ores, to the amount of 500,000 dollars, (which were undergoing the process of reduction in the Hacienda,) in order to pay his troops. A splendid Adit, six hundred and thirty varas in length, and four varas broad, by three high, likewise attests the former importance of the mines; and notwithstanding the drawbacks of climate and distance, and the difficulty of effecting even the most ordinary repairs, there can be little doubt that, if properly conducted, this negotiation may become highly advantageous.
It now only remains for me to add, that the mining terms in use at Temascaltepec differ considerably from those adopted in other districts, and explained in the preceding Section.
In the Haciendas, the quantity of ores submitted to the process of amalgamation, is estimated by Tareas. The Tarea consists of one hundred Quintals, or five Montones, of twenty Quintals each. This is inconvenient, both because the terms differ from those more generally in use, and because the Tarea does not contain an exact number of Cargas, as is the case with the Tortas and Montones in other districts.[1]
- ↑ Torta, fifteen Montones of ten Cargas, each of three Quintals, or twelve Arrobas—four hundred and fifty Quintals in all.
