CHAP. ri.
SPAIN.
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in all the Roman provinces, but the best inSpain , and that in a barren soil, and even in themountains. Wherever one vein is discovered,another is found not far from it. It is verysingular that the mines begun by Hannibal stillexist, and retain the original names given by thepersons who first explored them. One is stillcalled Bebulo,from the discoverer, which formerlysupplied Hannibal with three hundred poundsWeight of silver daily V’ This the same authorinforms us was effected by means of passagesUnder the mountain a mile and a half in length,in which the labourers, standing in water, workednight and day by lamp-light to turn off the water,Which at length formed a large river.
Polybius, as quoted by Strabo , informs usthat “ The silver mines near to New Carthage l n Spain were very productive. They weredistant from the city about twenty furlongs, andembraced a circle of forty furlongs, wherein fortythousand workmen were constantly employed,^’ho at that time procured for the RomanPeople twenty-four thousand drachmas daily 2 .”
The mine of Bebulo, which is said to havefielded to Hannibal three hundred poundsheight of silver daily, does not appear to haveProduced that quantity when Pliny composed
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