VIII. been made in both colonies, and filver mines BOOK which they THE exuberant profufion with which the Riches mountains of the New World poured forth their yield. treasures aftonished mankind, who had been accustomed hitherto to receive a penurious fupply of the precious metals, from the more fcanty ftores contained in the mines of the ancient hemisphere. According to principles of computation, which appear to be extremely moderate, the quantity of gold and filver that has been regularly entered in the ports of Spain, is equal in value to four millions fterling annually, reckoning from the year 1492, in which America was discovered, to the prefent time. This, 1 VIII. BOOK in two hundred and eighty-three years, amounts to eleven hundred and thirty-two millions. Immenfe as this fum is, the Spanish writers contend, that as much more ought to be added to it, in confideration of treasure which has been extracted from the mines, and imported fraudulently into Spain, without paying duty to the king. By this account, Spain has drawn from the New World a fupply of wealth, amounting at least to two thousand millions of pounds fterling *. Spirit to which this THE mines, which have yielded this amazing gives rife. quantity of treafure, are not worked at the expence of the crown, or of the public. In order to encourage private adventurers, the person who discovers and works a new vein, is entitled to the property of it. Upon laying his claim to fuch a discovery before the governor of the province, a certain extent of land is measured off, and a certain number of Indians allotted him, under the obligation of his opening the mine within a limited time, and of his paying the customary duty to the king, for what it fhall produce. Invited by the facility with which fuch grants are obtained, and encouraged by fome striking examples of fuccefs in this line of adventure; not only the fanguine and the * Uztariz Theor. y Pract. de Commercia, c. 3. Her rera, dec. viii. lib. xi. c. 15. See NOTE XXII. bold, VIH. bold, but the timid and diffident, enter upon it BOOK with astonishing ardour. With vast objects always in view, fed continually with hope, and expecting every moment that fortune will unveil her secret stores, and give up the wealth which they contain to their wishes, they deem every other occupation infipid and uninteresting. The charms of this purfuit, like the rage for deep play, are fo bewitching, and take fuch full poffeffion of the mind, as even to give a new bent to the natural temper. Under its influence the cautious become enterprifing, and the covetous profufe. Powerful as this charm naturally is, its force is augmented by the arts of an order of men known in Peru by the cant name of Searchers. These are commonly persons of defperate fortune, who, availing themselves of fome skill in mineralogy, accompanied with the infinuating manner and confident pretenfions peculiar to projectors, addrefs the wealthy and the credulous. By plaufible defcriptions of the appearances which they have discovered of rich veins hitherto unexplored; by producing, when requifite, fpecimens of promifing ore; by affirming, with an impofing affurance, that fuccefs is certain, and that the expence must be trifling, they feldom fail to perfuade. An affociation is formed ; a small fum is advanced by each copartner; the mine is opened; the fearcher is entrusted VOL. IV. F VIII. BOOK entrusted with the fole direction of every operation; unforeseen difficulties occur; new demands of money are made; but, amidst a succession of disappointments and delays, hope is never extinguished, and the ardour of expectation hardly abates. For it is obferved, that if any perfon once enter this feducing path, it is almost impoffible to return; his ideas alter, he feems to be poffeffed with another fpirit; vifions of imaginary wealth are continually before his eyes, and he thinks, and fpeaks, and dreams of nothing elfe'. Fatal effects of it. SUCH is the spirit that must be formed, whereever the active exertions of any fociety are chiefly employed in working mines of gold and filver. No spirit is more adverse to fuch improvements in agriculture and commerce, as render a nation. really opulent. If the fyftem of administration in the Spanish colonies had been founded upon principles of found policy, the power and ingenuity of the legislature would have been exerted with as much ardour, in reftraining its fubjects from fuch pernicious industry, as is now employed in alluring them towards it. "Projects "of mining" (fays a good judge of the political conduct of nations)," instead of replacing the ૯૮ ઃઃ VIII. capital employed in them, together with the BOOK ordinary profit of ftock, commonly abforb "both capital and profit. They are the projects, "therefore, to which, of all others, a prudent "lawgiver, who defired to increase the capital "of his nation, would leaft choofe to give any extraordinary encouragement, or to turn "towards them a greater fhare of that capital than would go to them of its own accord. Such, in reality, is the abfurd confidence which all men have in their own good fortune, that "wherever there is the leaft probability of "fuccefs, too great a fhare of it is apt to go to "them of its own accord "." But in the Spanish colonies, government is ftudious to cherish a spirit which it should have laboured to deprefs, and, by the fanction of its approbation, augments that inconfiderate credulity, which has turned the active industry of Mexico and Peru into fuch an improper channel. To this may be imputed the flender progrefs which Spanish America has made, during two centuries and a half, either in useful manufactures, or in those lucrative branches of cultivation, which furnish the colonies of other nations with their staple commodities. In comparison with the precious metals every bounty of nature is fo much defpifed, |