estimating by the eye the value of the montones exposed for sale, in such a manner as not to make a disadvantageous bargain. In this science they attained great perfection; for more fortunes were made in Guănăjūātŏ by Amalgamation works, than by the miners themselves; while the extent to which the system was carried afforded to the successful adventurer the means of realizing instantly to almost any amount. During the great Bonanza of the Valenciana mine, sales were effected to the amount of eighty thousand dollars in one day; and it is to this facility in obtaining supplies, that the rapid progress of the works in that mine, after its first discovery, may be ascribed. Had it been necessary to erect private amalgamation works, in order to turn his new-born riches to account, many years must have elapsed before the first Count Valenciana could have derived any advantage from his labours; for when fortune began to smile upon them, the man, who was destined in a few years to rank as one of the richest individuals in the world, did not possess a single dollar.
The system of "Rescatadores" still exists at Guănăjūātŏ, but upon a very small scale; most of the capitals formerly employed in this way having been lost, or withdrawn, during the Revolution. The sales at the mines, in 1826, seldom exceeded 1,500, or 2,000 dollars in the week. The Foreign Companies wish to unite the profits of the amalgamator with those of the miner, and have consequently
