CHAP. XXV.

MINES IN PERU.

253

small quantity of silver is now produced. Themines of Huantajaya have lately been purchasedby an English merchant, who has proceeded toEngland for the purpose of engaging a companyto work them. The disadvantage of these minesis the want of fresh water.

Silver abounds in this department. The famous intendancy,mine of Layacota is now the property of an En- men^of” 1 "glish merchant. The principal obstacle to its Pun °'working is the great lodgment of water in theshaft, which, it is said, can be drained off by an oldadit.

It will be seen by these extracts that the chiefhope of restoring the mines of Peru to a state oftolerable productiveness depended on the expecta-tion that the various companies in England formed,or about to be formed in 1825, would furnish thecapital required for their restoration. The fate ofthose companies is now too well known to affordany expectation that they have supplied any effectiveaid since 1826. We therefore conclude, that themines which had been abandoned at that time havecontinued in the same dismantled and unproduc-tive state.

For the purpose of completing the plan hereadopted, it is necessary to have recourse to someassumption, and we shall take as the ground ofthat assumption the highest estimate that is to befound in any accounts we have been able to col-lect. This, written in 1826, expresses an expecta-