[Footnote 2:  These islands of Miranda appear to have been the Marquebes, between the latitudes of 8 deg. 45’ and 10 deg. 25’ N. and long. 139 deg.  W. The Solomon islands, or New Georgia, are between 5 deg. and 10 deg.  N. and long. 200 deg. to 205 deg.  W. 63-1/2 degrees of longitude farther to the westwards.—­E.]

Sec. 5. SOME ACCOUNT OF THE MINES OF PERU AND CHILI.

As the riches of Peru consist chiefly in mines of silver, I shall endeavour to give some account of them, from the best information I could procure.  There are two sorts of silver-mines, in one of which the silver is found scattered about in small quantities, or detached masses, while, in the other kind of mine, it runs in a vein between two rocks, one of which is excessively hard, and the other much softer.  These certainly best deserve the name of silver-mines, and are accordingly so denominated.  This precious metal, which in other countries is the standard or measure of riches, is the actual riches of Peru, or its chief natural commodity; as, throughout the whole of that vast country, silver-mines are almost every where to be met with, of more or less value, according as the ore produces more or less silver, or can be wrought at a greater or less expence.  Some of these mines are to the north of Lima, but not a great many, but to the south they are very numerous.  On the back, or eastern side of the Andes, there is a nation of Indians called Los Platerors, or the Plate, or Silver men, from their possessing vast quantities of silver,[1] but with them the Spaniards have very little communication.  The best of the mine countries are to the south of Cusco, from thence to Potosi and the frontiers of Chili, where, for the space of 800 miles, there is a continued succession of mines, some being discovered and others abandoned almost every day.

[Footnote 1:  This tribe still holds its place in modern geography, in the vast plain to the E. of the Maranors or Amazons, where there cannot be any silver-mines, at least that they can explore.  They are so named because of wearing silver ear-rings, which they must, almost certainly, procure in barter from the tribes in the mountains, far to the west.—­E.]

It is common, both here and elsewhere, for people to complain of the times, commending the past, as if there had been infinitely greater quantities of silver dug from the mines formerly than at present.  This certainly may be the case with particular mines; but, on the whole, the quantities of silver now annually obtained from the mines in Spanish America, abundantly exceeds what used formerly to be procured.  Those mines which are at present [1720] most remarkable in Peru are, Loxa, Camora, Cuenca, Puerto-veio, and St Juan del Oro.  Those of Oruro and Titiri are neglected; and those of Porco and Plata are filled up.  At Potosi there are a vast number of mines; and those of Tomina, Chocaia, Atacuna, Xuxui, Calchaques, Guasco,