248

MINES IN COLUMBIA.

CHAP. XXV.

it will give a result different from the views wehave formed, it may be admitted at least as fairand candid, though it may somewhat over-state theactual produce. We assume, then, that the twelveyears yielded on an average six hundred and sixty-one thousand four hundred and forty-eight dollars,or the whole twenty years thirteen million twohundred and twenty-eight thousand nine hundredand sixty dollars, or two million seven hundredand one thousand and thirty-three pounds, or an-nually one hundred and thirty-five thousand andfifty-one pounds h

We thus arrive at a result, deficient certainlyin accuracy and depending on probability only,that the mines of the whole of Columbia yieldedin the twenty years in question of gold and silvertogether to the amount of six million nine hun-dred and eighty-seven thousand five hundred andfifty-four pounds sterling, or at the rate of threehundred and forty-six thousand seven hundredand fifty-nine pounds annually.

We have given no importance to the attempts

1 An anonymous work published by Murray in 1827, byan English officer in the Columbian service, says, page 304,“ The quint or fifth of the gold yielded to the governmentthis year (1826) thirty-two thousand seven hundred and forty-seven dollars, but the minister anticipates for the present yearan improvement in this branch of the revenue which will raiseit to fifty thousand.” If this be a correct statement, the esti-mate here made of the recent produce of Columbia must befar too high.