ART. 15. Mechanics, who at the time of founding a new town, present themselves to settle in it, shall have the right of receiving one lot apiece, without any other cost than the necessary stamp paper for issuing the title, and the light tax of one dollar annually, for the construction of the church. ART. 16. The lots spoken of in the preceding article, shall be distributed by lot, with the exception of the empresario, who shall be entitled to any two lots he may select.

ART. 17. The other lots shall be valued by appraisers according to their situation, and sold to the other colonists at their appraised value. In case there should be a number of applicants for the same lot, owing to its situation or other circumstances which may excite competition, it shall be decided by lot as prescribed in the preceding article, the product of said lots shall be appropriated to the building of a church in said town.

ART. 18. He shall, in union with the empresario, promote the settlement of each town by the inhabitants belonging to its jurisdiction, who take lots in it, and cause them to construct houses on said lots within a limited time, under the penalty of forfeiting them.

ART. 19. He shall form a manuscript book of each new town, in which shall be written the titles of the lots which are given as a donation, or sold, specifying the boundaries and other necessary circumstances, a certified copy of each one of which on the corresponding stamp shall be delivered to the interested person as his title.

ART. 20. He shall form a topographical plan of each town that may be founded, and transmit it to the government, keeping a copy of it in the said register book of the colony.

ART. 21. He shall see that at the crossing of each of the rivers on the public roads where a town is founded, a ferry is established at the cost of the inhabitants of said town, a molerate rate of ferriage shall be established to pay the salary of the ferryman and the cost of the necessary boats, and the balance shall be applied to the public funds of the towns.

ART. 22. In places where there are no towns, and where ferries are necessary, the colonists who may be settled there, shall be charged with the establishment of the ferry, collecting a moderate ferriage until such ferries are rented out for the use of the state. Any colonist who wishes to establish a ferry on the terms above indicated, shall form an exact and certified account of the costs which he may be at for the building of boats, and also an account of the produce of the ferry, in order that when said ferry is rented out for the use of the state, he shall have a right to receive the amount of said expenses which had not already been covered by the produce of the ferry, which for the present he will collect.

ART. 23. He shall preside at the popular elections mentioned in the 40th article of the colonization law, for the appointment of the Ayuntamiento, and shall put the elected in possession of their offices.

ART. 24. He shall take special care that the portions of land granted to the colonists by article 14, 15, and 16, shall be measured by the surveyors with accuracy, and not permit any one to include more land than is designated by law, under the penalty of being personally responsible.

ART. 25. Should any colonist solicit, in conformity with the 17th article of the law, an augmentation of land beyond that designated in the preceding articles on account of the size of his family, industry, or capital, he shall present his petition in writing to the commissioner, stating all the reasons on which he founds his petition, who shall transmit it to the Governor of the State, together with his opinion; for which opinion he shall be responsible in the most rigid manner, in order that the Governor may decide on the subject.

ART. 26. All the public instruments, titles, or other documents, issued by the commissioner, shall be written in Spanish, the memorials, decrees, and reports of the colonists or empressarios on any subject whatever, shall be written in the same language, whether they are to be transmitted to government, or preserved in the archives of the colony.

ART. 27. All public instruments or titles of possession, and the copies signed by the Commissioner, shall be attested by two assistant witnesses.

ART. 28. The Commissioner shall be personally responsible for all acts cr measures performed by him, contrary to the colonization law or these instructions.

A Copy.-Saltillo, September 4th, 1827.

TIJERINA, Secretaries of
ARCINIEGA, the Legislature.

A Copy, JUAN ATONIO PADILLA, Secretary of State.

GLOSSARY.

GIVING THE SIGNIFICATION OF SOME OBSCURE TERMS, USED IN THE MINING ORDINANCES OF NEW SPAIN.

A

Abras (clefts or fissures). Are fissures in the hills, demonstrating the force of some subterraneous expansion, which has torn them asunder. They are indications of veins, as is the spar generally found about their en

trance.

Achicar (to diminish). A mining term, referring to the lowering of the water in any work or level. The workmen employed for this purpose are called Achicadores.

Achichinques. Workmen employed to collect the water from the lower springs in the mines, in buckets of ox hide, and to empty it into the cisterns, or into the sump of the pit.

Ademes. Coverings or linings of timber, by means of which the pits, pillars of support, and works generally, are secured and strengthened. The workman employed in this business is called an Ademador. Afinacion (refining). Is the separating from the plates or ingots of silver, the dross always combined with them after smelting.

Alcribis or Tovera (twer or tuyere). A kind of funnel, into which the nozzle of the bellows of smelting furnaces is fitted, to conduct the blast. Aparejo (tackel). A machine for raising the timber linings of the pits, when they give way or become loose; also for raising certain large beams called llaves, on which the whims rest.

Aperos (implements). All the requisites for keeping in working order the pits and draw wells, for erecting sheds, and for other matters relating to the underground works of the mines. The person who has all such articles under his care, and who distributes them when called for, is called the Aperado..

A pique (downwards). To work à pique is to work by sinking perpendic ularly downwards, in the perpendicular veins.

Apuradores (gleaners.) Men or women who seek for particles of metal in the refuse of the amalgamation works.

Atacador (rammer.) A smooth cylindrical tool, more slender than a borer (barrena,) for ramming in the cartridge with which the rock is blasted.

No part of it should consist of steel, lest it should strike fire too soon. Atajador (interceptor.) A boy who brings the mules or horses for the grinding mills and draining, when relieved.

Atecas. Workmen who bale the water from the lower levels of the mine

into the skins, in order to be raised by the pit.

Atierres. (rubbish.) Ground which interferes with the work, and which should be removed to the rubbish heaps.

Azogueria (from azogue, quicksilver.) Used to express the reduction of gold and silver by quicksilver, and the establishments where it is effected.

B

Bancos (banks.) Strong rock, which throws up and contracts the vein, or alters its direction.

Barra (crow.) An iron tool tipped with steel. Also one of the twelve or twenty-four shares into which mines are divided.

Barrena (borer.) A cylindrical iron tool, of the diameter of a two real piece; the lower end shaped like a chisel, or with four edges placed crosswise; the head and point tipped with steel, and two thirds or three fourths (of a vara) in length; it is used for boring the rock, preparatory to blasting. Barreno (hole bored.) Is the hole bored in the rock for the insertion of

the cartridge. Barreno is also used to express a communication between two mines, which are said to barrenarse when they communicate underground.

Barretero. A working miner who uses a crow bar (barra,) wedge (cuña,) or pick (pico.)

Boca (mouth.) Is the first opening made on the vein.

Boca mejora (mouth, improved.) Pit or mouth made to communicate with the fixed stake or principal pit, in order to facilitate the underground working of the mines.

Bochorno (glow.) Excessive heat, which extinguishes the lights within the mines, arising from a want of ventilation, and from working without driving cross-cuts to promote a due circulation of the air. It is increased by the effluvia thrown off from the bodies of the workmen during their labour, and extinguishes the lights. When this is the case, some of the workmen ought immediately to leave the spot, upon which the flame usually revives.

Bonanza (fair weather.) Is generally applied to a work when in rich

ore.

Borrasca (foul weather.) Vide emborrascarse.

Botas (buckets.) Are made of the entire hide of an ox, for drawing off the water by the pit.

Buscones (searchers.) Persons who search for ore in abandoned mines, either with the view to carry it off, or to give information of the discovery, for the sake of a reward.

C

Calentadura (from calentar, to heat.) The first ingot reduced in a smelting furnace.

Camino (road or way.) Besides its usual sense, is applied in some places to the bags or sacks of ore.

Cañones (levels.) Narrow underground passages or galleries, by means of which the mine is worked.

Capellina (hood.) A vessel consisting of two pieces, employed in separating the quicksilver from the silver.

Cata (taste or trial.) A mine of small depth.

Caballo (borse.) A mass of firm and hard rock met with in working a mine, or sinking a pit.

Cebar (to feed.) A mode of reducing rich ore in a refining furnace. Also said, when the furnace will not contain all the ingots, in which case fresh ingots are supplied, as the metal goes off.

Cendrada. The bottom of the smelting or refining furnace, which is made. of fine earth, or of the ashes of plants.

Cendradilla or galeme. A small test or refining furnace for rich ores. Charqueo interior. To clear off the water from the cisterns or pools by channels, so as to guide it into the pit.

Chiflon. To work à chiflon is to extend the works, at the same time, both in length and depth.

Cielo (sky.) Working de cielo is when the workmen, either on foot or on his knees, works at the vault or roof of the work.

Cohetazo (blast.) A mode of breaking the rock, by wrapping up gunpowder in paper tied together with palm leaf, or any other flexible vegetable, and secured with sifted white' earth. A small reed is left. projecting out, for the purpose of applying the match, to ignite it. Colores (colours.) Colours with which the surface of the earth is tinged, shewing a vermillion or yellow appearance in the sun; which is an indication of ore.

Comerse los pilares (to consume the pillars.) To break down, pare away or weaken the supports or pillars of the mine. Consumido. See Lis.

Contramina. A work of communication between two or more mines, by means of which they may be cleared, and the rubbish and ore got out. The adits also, made to communicate with the pits, are called contraminas. An adit is driven from the side of the hill. from the surface.

A pit is sunk