ated, is carried off through a channel, with the water; the silver remaining at the bottom. Llaves (keys). Supports of oak, with notches and circular joints, which extend to the four corners of the pit, and support the lining or timber covering. Also the two timbers which support the shed for draining. Lazadores (persons who use a lazo or noose). Persons employed to collect

hands for working the mines, in case of a scarcity of workmen; so called from their remarkable dexterity in throwing a lazo.

Leñador (woodman) Workman employed in carrying or supplying wood for the smelting furnaces.

Limadura (filings.). A film with which the metal becomes coated in the

small assays made for the purpose of ascertaining the state of the monton, and what additions of quicksilver or other ingredients it may require.

Lis. The silver is said to form lis, when the quicksilver is resolved into almost imperceptible particles, which occasions the loss and consumption in washing and stirring the montons of ore, in the course of the reduction by amalgamation.

Lumbreras (sky-lights). Communication between two works, for the sake of ventilation, and to make the lights burn.

M

Malacate (whim). A machine moved by mules or horses. It consists of a wheel, a cage or drum, and an axle (exe). It is used for winding, the ropes, so as to raise and let down the bags of ore or skins of water by the pit.

Mantas (blankets). Sacks made of the thread of the aloe, and filled with ore or rubbish.

Mantos (cloaks). Veins of ore spreading horizontally through the mountain, but of no depth.

Marca (mark). The royal arms, stamped on a piece of assayed silver, as a token of its having paid the duties to the crown.

Mecha (match). A twist of cotton and grease, ma le by the workman called cohetero or golpeador, usually from his drawers or shirt, and used for firing the cartridge.

Medidas de mina (dimensions or boundaries of a mine). As to silver mines, they form a parallelogram of 160 varas in length and 80 in width, in the discoverer's, and 120 and 60 in an ordinary mine. As to gold mines, the discoverer's is 100 varas in length, and 50 in width; and an ordinary mine, 80 in length, and 40 in width. The internal dimensions should correspond with the external ones.

Metal de ayuda (assistant ore). What the words denote, that is to say, ore used to assist the smelting of other ore, and to temper it. Metal de cebo. Very rich ore, which is smelted in refining tests.

Metal pepena. Rich picked gold or silver ore; the common ore is called ordinario.

Mina (mine). The descubridora is the first mine discovered on the vein, or on a new vein in the same hill; all others are called ordinary mines. Mogrollo. The same as metal de cebo, being very rich. It is not smelted in a furnace, being safer in the hollow of a test.

Molonque. A piece of ore, of uniform richness, containing more silver than extraneous matter, or at any rate, equal parts.

N

Natas or escorias (scum or scoria).

Dross thrown off in the smelting fur

nace; in which case the furnace is said to texear well.

Р

Panino. A person is said to know the panino, when he possesses experience and skill in judging from the appearance of the ground, the colour or shade of the orc, and other signs, whether there be metal.

Parcionero (partner). Part-owners of mines.

Partido (share). The division of the ore amongst partners in their respective shares. Also, the division made by the barmen, of the ore they raise-over and above the tequio, or quantity they have to contribute at stated hours. Also a payment made by the miners to the owner of an adit, or general work of draining, for getting out the rubbish and ore, and for the draining.

Pepe (short for Joseph). Boy who lights each barman at his work, and assists him in it at certain hours.

Pepena. See metal pepena.

Pico (pick). A kind of iron hammer, tipped with steel at both ends, of 8, 10 or 12 pounds in weight, and longer or shorter, according to the fancy of cach barman.

Piedras de mano (stone carried by hand). Ore of good quality, which the miners usually set apart for various pious purposes, which is called, giv‐ ing a piedra de mano.

Pilar (pillar). Part of the substance of the hill, left between the excavations made cross-wise upon the vein; in other words, a support for the roof or back of the work, being the intermediate ground left between the winzes, cross-cuts and levels. It ought to be lined with timber, and should not be worked into or weakened.

Pileta (cistern). In which the waters within the mine are collected, to prevent them from pouring down and inundating the lower works. In a smelting furnace, the breast pan or vessel into which the melted metal flows down from the bottom stone.

Pina (pine apple,) or Pella (mass.) The amalgum of silver and quick

silver, before the latter is driven off.

Pinta (spot or mark.) An indication of this or that ore, by which its degree of richness is estimated, according to the colour, grain, weight or lightness. Amongst the good indications are the gallos, or threads of gold and silver in the ore; the ores called polvorilla, jaboncillos, ayemado, apericado, cardenillo, arenillas; copper and lead. And amongst the bad ones, are mundic and antimony. But it is always necessary to prove the ore by an assay, as these indications are sometimes fallacious.

Plan. (floor.) To work de plan, is to work either perpendicularly downwards, or a chiflon, that is to say, extending both forward and downwards.

Planes. The floor or deepest part of the mine.

Planchera. A place or float made of white earth, connected with the smelting furnace, and in which the ingots are formed.

Plomillos. Particles charged with lead, which the scum or scoria of the metal carries off with it. See Natas.

Pueble (peopling.) The actual working of a mine by labourers, for its improvement, as regulated by the ordinance, whether in ore or dead work.

Puertas (gates.) Very firm rock concealing the vein. When this is got through by blasting, the vein is generally discovered again, in a richer state than previously.

Quemazon. (effect of heat.) Light metallic dross, vesicular and scorched, which is one of the indications of a vein.

Quita-pepena. He who attends to the entrance of the mine and the getting out the ore, to guard against theft.

R

Rebolturon or Reboltura (from revolver, to mix.) A mixture of ground ore with assistant ore, litharge, impregnated cupels, plomillos and slag, preparatory to smelting.

Rebotalleros. Persons who search for ore amongst the heaps of refuse or rubbish, which generally contain a little ore. It would be much better if these persons would work, being generally idle.

Recogedores. See Lazadores.

Registro (registry.) A description of the mine and its situation, and an exhibition of the ore before the justice; which, after the depth of three estados has been sunk, possession judicially given, and the boundaries defined, serves as an evidence of title. Upon every change of ownership, and upon the making of a new pit or contramina, there should be a new registry.

Repasar (to stir.) To stir the montons of ore, in which magistral and

quicksilver are mixed, from time to time, in the process of reduction.

Reposadero (from reposar, to rest. A black, soft and vesicular (hoyoso)

stone, placed at the bottom of the smelting furnace.

Rescatadores (purchasers.) Persons who purchase ore from the mine-own

ers, or who buy the partido or share of ore alloted to the workmen. Riscos. A substance partly crystalline (though not transparent) and partly granular, like a cauliflower; the colour being yellow or white.

S

Saca (sack; also, a substance raised or extracted.) Is a sack of ore; and it is also said that the mine gives a good saca, when the vein being soft, or of great width, plenty of ore is raised.

Socabon (adit.) One or more narrow subterraneous passages driven from the skirt of a hill, and communicating with the pit; its use being to drain the mine, and for getting out ore, barren ground and rubbish. It ought therefore, to be driven from a point situated lower than the bottom of the workings of the mine.

T

Tanates. Baskets made of hide, or of the thread of the aloe (called Mecate,) in which the ore and rubbish is carried out by the workmen called Tanateros.

Tanda. (turn.) Is a cessation of working on certain days.
Tapextle. A small wooden platform for working upwards, in the back of

the work. Likewise the timber lining with which the roof is propped up, to prevent its giving way, and resembling the centering of an arch, or a palisading. Most commonly a landing place, made where there is no pillar of support, both to make the ladders more secure, and to give the labourers an opportunity of taking breath. Temescuitate. The earthy part of the ground ore. Tentadura (from tentar, to try.) An assay of the mixture of quicksilver and ore, made in a cup, for the purpose of ascertaining what addition the monton may require to bring it to the proper point. It is performed by washing a small portion of the ore, by which means the earthy parts being removed, the sediment, which contains the quicksilver and silver, is examined.

Tepetate. All the ground in the mine which is destitute of ore.
Tequio (duty). A certain portion of ore, which the barman, according to

the hardness or softness of the ground, has to deliver to his employer in
working hours. The remainder of what the barman raises is divided
between him and his employer, and is called partido.

Terrero (rubbish heap). The place where the earth, barren ground and

rubbish is thrown out.

Texear bien el horno. dross or scoriæ.

Tiro (pit).

Is said when the furnace throws off fine and brittle.

A perpendicular shaft of three varas, more or less, in diame ter, either square, octagonal or hexagonal. Its use is to raise the ore in bags and the water in buckets, by means of whims. A perpendicular pit, is one which descends vertically. An inclined pit, has an underlay, and the bags and skins are therefore dragged along the side in removing them.

Trompa (trumpet) of the smelting furnace. Applied when the blast from the bellows makes no noise, and does not disperse the cinders. It is said to entromparse, because the ore collects into the form of a trumpet, at the orifice of the twer, through which the blast enters.

V

Vapor (vapor). Rather worse than bochorno; for besides putting out the lights, it is noxious. It proceeds from something in the nature of the ground, combined with the want of ventilation in the cavities of the mine.

Vena (vein.) Is applied to the branches or small veins, of three, two, or

one finger in breadth, or not wider than the back of a knife.

Veta (lode or vein). A vein of metallic ore intersecting the ground. It is called a manto (bed), when it spreads horizontally through the hill; clavadar (perpendicular), when it proceeds perpendicularly downwards; echada (underlying or inclined), when it extends sideways in length and depth; obliqua (oblique), when it crosses the hill; serpenteada (tortuous), when it winds; socia (combined) when it unites with another; rama (branch), when it branches off from the primary lode. Vuelta (turn). The silver in the refining furnaces is said to dar vuelta (turn over), when, after all the dross is driven off, the ingot remains of a red color.

X

Xacal. A hut, either covered with straw, or roofed with shingles or squares of deal, in which the tools are kept, and likewise the ore, until removed to the amalgamation or smelting works. The places where the ore is kept are also called galeras or despansas.

A xacal, that is to say, a

hut or covering, is also erected over the pits, to keep off the rain and to shelter the workmen.