4000003871

Royal Commentaries.

BooK

Vllí.

Qgick-íilver; the

Jndians

call it

Tchma;

t~at which

~ cofta

calls

Llimp'.

is of a Pur-–

ple-colour, and exrraét:ed from other Mm~s _; for m chofe C~mnrr~es rhey_have

Earth of ali colours which ferve us for Pamrmg : But as to th1s cunous Cnmfon

wich which che

JnJan1

are fo much affeét:ed, it is alfo forbidden

be extraéted

wichout licence, leíl che p~ople vencuring themfelves far inco the Caverns of the

Earth in che fearch of it, ilioulsl prejudice their healths, and endanger their lives

and cherefore the uíe of it is forbidden to the common -people, and onely permit–

ted to Ladies of the Royal Bloud ; Men never ufe it, n9r

ornen in years, bue

fuch onely as are young and handfome; who do not lay it Qpon their Cheeks, as

our

omen do in

Spain,

but onely draw it in ítreaks about tne breadch ofa íl:raw,

from the corners of their Eyes to their Temples; and in this manner it feemed

very becoming. Other

FHc1U,

or Painting, than this

withTchma,

the

PallM

or great

Ladies did'not ufe, nor was it their adomment of every days dre~, but onely then,

when they would appear fine and well dreffed upon the days ofthe principal Feaíls,.

when they always wafhed their Faces very clean, as alfo did all the common ¡:ieo–

ple. But the truth is, thofü

ornen who did much avail thernfelves of theit

beauty, and cleamefs of their skin, would for confervation thereof, lay a fort of

white íl:uff like Milk upon it, ( of what they made it, for my pare

cannot tell;)

bue

there chey lec it íl:ick, and remain for che fpace of nine days, at che end of

which being well dried, like a fcurf on the skin, they would then cake it

off,

and

the complexion would remain much more bright and clear than befare : Bue as to

the

Tchma,

che Prohibition that was made againíl: extraéting of it, caufed ic

fcarce, and of little ufe. And whereas a cerrain Authour fays, tbat the

Indiam

díd ufüally paint their faces in che

ars, :md at their Feíl:ivals, it is a grofs mi–

fiake, chough perhaps forne Nations might doe it, which were efteemed the mofi

falvage and barbarous.

•

And now we are to declaré how they melted their Silver, before they

found

the uíe of Qgjck-ftlver: the manner was this. Near

tbe Mountain

Potocchi,

Potoc/i,

(

which is ali one) there is another Mountain

the fame

fonn

and íbape,

but not fo great, nor

high, called

the

Jndian1 HHayna Potocfi,

or the

Potocfi

che

Junior, as if they were Father arttd Soi;ii The Silver, for che moíl: part, is extraded

from

Hatun Potocfi,

or che Elder

Potocft;

in melting of which, they at firíl: found

great difficulty, for not being able to make it run, it burnt away, or evaporated in

finoak ; o(which che

11,diam

could not per\etrate the caufe, nor difcover a remedy.

Bue as necellity and covetoufoefs make Men ing_enious and contriving ,

parti–

cularly the

l ndians

wete infinitely indufüious to find out fome way to Melt their

Gold and Silver ; at lengch, after many experiments, they happened

try the

rnel–

ting of a bafer fort of Metal, which the ldfer

Potocji

produced, conlifüng, for the

rnoíl: part, of Lead mixed

ith Silver; the which yielding more eafily, melced,

and run; and this being put into the Melting-pots, together wich che fine Silver

and Gold, would immediately caufe them to melt and diífolve ; for which reafon

the

Indians

gave it the Name of

Cl1rHchec,

which fignifies any ching chat diífolves.

che melring of which Metals, they obferved a certain proportion of chis cour–

fer forc, for to

much Silver they put fuch a quantity of this

Crmtehec,

according

as time and experience had informed their judgmencs; for all forts of Silver were

not ofche fame fineneís, chough digged and extraét:ed from che fame vein ;·

that

according to the quality and richnefs of che Metal, the quamity of

Curuchec

was

be applied. The Silver being thus mixed wich morefulible Metal, they melred ic

down in Earthen or Clay-pots, or Cryfobles, which they carried from place

place .: Bue in regare! they had no

u[e

of Bellows to make che heac of cheir

fire

more inten[e, nor yet ufed Copper Pipes, which we have formerly memioned,

wherewith

blow the fire; it afeen happened, that chey could not pollibly cau[e

their Silver to melt; of which che

Indians

noc being able to comprehend the rea–

fon, did at length conclude, chat it muíl: be a natural blaíl: of \i'Vind which

muíl:

<loe chis work: But then if che Wmd were too íl:rong, it would blowaway ihe

Coles, and cool che Metal, fo chata temperare and ealie gale was requifire:

procure which, their' cuíl:ome was to go upon che Hills by nighc, obferving how '

che Winds fate, ,and there placed rheir Melcing-pocs ac füch

heighr, higher or

lower, according as they perceived che force of the Wind. It was

pleafant fighc

chofe days to fee eight, ten, twelve ,or fifteen choufand of chefe Fires burning al1

the fame time, upon the 11des of thefe Mouncains ranged

order one by che o–

cher. The

firft

M~lting of che Ore was made in

rhis

manner on che Moumains;