371 / 1070
BooK
VIII.
,
Royal Commentaries.
bue then the fecond time they founded
it
again in their Houfes, blowiog the fire,
as we have faid, wich che Pipes of Copper, when they made feparacion of their
Lead from cheir Silver. For in regard che
lndiam
had not th~ knowledge of ali
thofe inventions, which the
Spaniards
have attained in che Art of feparating Gold,
and Silve::, and Lead, perforrned by
Aqua
fortü,
and-other Ingrediems; their way
was by otten Melcing,
to
bum out che Lead, and fo refine : By·which we may
obferve, that che
Jndians
had forne knowledge of refining the Silver of
Potofi,
be–
fare che difcovery of Q!ick-filver·; and íl:ill coníerve chat Are~chough noc
fo
com-
monly or frequemly known arnongíl: therp as formerly.
-
The Maíl:ers and Owners of che Mines, perceiving that by chis way of Melcing
by natural Wiods, their Goods and Riches were divided, and much embézelled ,
by being difperfed into feveral hands; wherefore ro
rerné4'
chis inconvenience,
rhey employed Day-labourers, who were
Jndians,
to dig and excraét th_e Metal;
and then the
Spaniards
themfelves melted clown cheir own Silver ; whereas before
the
Jndians
having extraél:ed the Ore, for every hundred weight thereofagreed and
füpulated wich cheir Maíl:ers to return chem fucb a quancicy of Silver. By chis good
husbandry, and by the hl)provements chey had made
in
che Art of Melting, chey
made great Bellows, which being placed at a diílance, would blow cheir fires in–
tó an excremity of flame.
Bue chis neither proving a ready way, they made an
- Engine wfth Wheels, carried about wich Sails like a Wind-mill, or turned by
Horfes; which fanned and blowed che fire with great violence. Nor did this nei- ·
ther doe the work,
fo
chac che
Spaniards
defpairing of che fuccefs oftheir inventions,
made ufe of chofe.which che
Indians
had frame4 and contrived ; and
fo
things
continued for
u
years, untill che year
1567,
wlien by tbe wic and iríduíl:ry of a
certain
Portugal,
namt¿l
Henrique G.arces,
a great plenty ofQ!iick-ftlver was difcovered
in
che Province of
Huanca,
furnamed
Pillea,
which íignifies Greatnefs,or Eminence
~
I know not for what reafon, unlefs it be for che greac abundance of Qgick-ftlver
which that Countrey yielded ; which is
fo
neceílá~y in the founding of Metals~
that withouc it tbere is great waíl:e-and confumption; and which hath been
[q
ufe-
. full, tbat eight thoufand Qgjntals of it have every year been fpent in che fervíce'
of bis Majefiy; and yet nocwithíl:anding this great plenty of Quick-filver which
was difcovered,' the
Spaniards
were for fome time ignorant of the ufe which.mighc
be
made thereof in the more eafie extraéting of their Silver ; nor had they far
the [pace of four years after any good Aífay-Mafier, untill che year
1'S71,
when a
certain
Spaniard
named
Fernande,:,
de
"f/elafco,
who had lived ac
Mexico,
and learned
tbe manner of extraél:ing the Silver wich Qgick-filver, carne
to
Peru,
and taughc
the ufe of it to them chere. As
Acofta
more largely and curiouíly relates, to.whom.
I refer the Reader, who delires to be informed of rnany rarities and rnatters of
chis nature worthy to be known.
BOOK
347