mitted to the action of the quicksilver; a state to which it is seldom brought by passing once, or even twice, under the Mortero. But then their powers are limited, and would prove of no avail with the hard ores of some districts, where quartz or porphyry predominates, and for which the powerful blow of the mortero is absolutely required.
With regard to the former produce of Angangeo, I found it impossible to procure any exact information, the records being lost, and the mine owners having long been in the habit of remitting their silver, in the first instance, to Tlalpujahua, from which place many of them were furnished, before the Revolution, with the means of continuing their works. It is, however, generally thought that a Company with a small capital might do well there, and the favourable prospects of the Germans seem likely to confirm this supposition.
The road from Ăngăngēŏ to Tlălpŭjāhuă traverses one steep and rugged mountain, with an ascent of nearly two leagues, through a forest of magnificent pines. From the summit to the Hacienda of San Rafael, the descent is gradual, but constant, and the distance about four leagues. I had not the pleasure of seeing this establishment completed, the labours of Messrs. Moro and Enrico having been a little retarded by the rainy season; but the progress which had been made since my first visit was surprising, and, on my arrival at Tlalpujahua, where I again passed some days, I found, both in the town and in
