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Kiterary Review...
Rough Noles taken during some rapid Journeys across the Pam-
pas, and among (he Andes. By Captain F. B. Head. 12:0.
pp- 899. London, 1826. J. Murray. 5 2
It has been said that “‘ your easy writing’s damn’d hard read-
ing,” and so we may say, with reference to this volume, that
your Rough Notes are very smooth reading. ; One gallops over
these pages as pleasanily as the author (who seems to us to be
the most inveterate galloper that ever Europe produced, per-
haps that ever Arabia, Tartary, or even South America, fur-
nished,) galloped across the Pampas; and, without feuttig tor-
rents, biscacheros, holes, or casualties of any sort, arrive as
speedily at the end, so that it appears as if we had made no
journey at all.» From an excursion thus agreeable, full of five-
ly pictures of scenery, customs, and manners, our chief task
will be to select only as much as we ought in justice to the
work; forthe temptations are’ strong to plunder it most unmer-
: cifully, as the savage Indians plunder the Guachos, a
The party with whom Captain Head travelled was a very
curious one to be joined with, in traversing a country so diffe-
rent from their own and_ so strange.» He several Cornish
miners with him; men who had lived nearly all their Jives in
narrow shafts and galleries uader ground ; and these men’ were
brought into the broad light of day, shewn a land of immeasu-
vable expanse, and bid to gallop as fast as they could drive,
with herds of wild borses and wild natives about them, at the
rate ofa hundred miles 4 day—at least! Our miners knew what
Yevels were well enough, but such levels as the Pampas must
have astonished them. However, they performed their jour-
neys in high style, tumbling, wondering, and endoring, or ra-
ther enjoying their fatigues, privations and dangers, with the
best possible temper,» Of the mines themselves, Captain Head
(the object of whose travel was, to examine the principa! ones
io Plata,) does not teil.us much in detail, nor could,
expect it from. a gentleman whom confidential consi-
deration withheld from stating that which might affect the pro-
tish capital. It may be as well to quote, in connexion with this
branch of the subject, two or three passages which relate to it.
At the gold mine of El Bronce de Petorca, the author says— _
“] visited this mine accompanied by a very intelligent Chi-
Jian miner, who with several of bis comrades was in a mine o1
‘this lode a hundred tathoms deep, when the great earthquake
‘of the 19th of November, 1822, which almost destroyed Valpa-
raiso, took place. . He told ane that several of his e mrades were
Killed, and that nothing could equal the horror of their situa:
tion. He said that the mountain shook so that he could scarce-
Jy ascend; large pieces of the lode were falling down, and eve~
ry instant they expected the wall of the lode would come toge-
ther, and either crush them, or shut them up io a prison from
which no human power could liberate them. Ie added, thar
when he got to the mouth of the mine the seene was very little
better: there was such a dust that he could not see his hand
before him; large masses of rock were rolling down the side of
the mountain on which he stood, and he heard them coming
and rushing past him without being able to see how to avoid
them ; and he therefore stood his ground, afraid to move. Jn
ulmost all the mines which we visited in Chili we witnessed the
awtul effects of these earthquakes; and it was astodishing to
observe how severely the mountains had been shaken.””
‘The way to the silver imine of San Pedro Nolasco is extreme-
ly difficult and perilous: in crossing one of the fiercest tor.
rents, a mule, the safest of all travellers, was precipitated into it.
On approaching the mine, we are told—“.The valley be-
came narrower, and, as we proceeded, the trees and shrubs
became smaller and more stanted—around us on every side
were the Andes covered with snow. Our path was in many pla-
ces very dangerous, being infinitely more so than any of the
parts we had crossed in coming from Mendoza over the Cordil-
lera. The laderas were literally only a few. inches wide, and
were covered with stones, which were so loose, that every i
stant they rolled from ander the mules’ feet, and fell with an ac-
eclerating violence into the torrent. As.I rode almost the
| Whole of the day by myself, I would willingly have got off but
the mules would never lead ; and besides ghis, when once a pes-
son is on the ladera, on the hack of his mule it is impossible to
5.
“7 dismount, for there is no room to get off, and the attempt to do
so might throw the inale off his balance and precipitate him
into the torrent which was at an extraordinary depth beneath.
In some few places, the path was actually washed away
und the male had oaly to hurry over the inclined surface | the
hest way he could : but the manner in which these patient ani-
mals preserve their footing is quite extraordinary, and toknow
their yalue one must see thei in the Corditiera, After passing
two or three very violent torrents, which rushed from the moun-
tains above us into the river beneath us, we came to one which
* Ife, a Captain of Engineers, was eelectod to hays thd sole management
+ af oneof those Companies formed ia Lundon to work South American
mines, in utter ignorance of the mines, the country,and the inhabitants! !
HNEW=YORK, SATURDAY, DACERIBER 16, 1826.
looked worse than those which we. had with great difficulty
crossed ; however, we had no alternat.ve but to cross ‘it, or
turn to Santiago. “We attempted to drive. the loose’ mules
across, but one had scarcely put his feet/ivro it, when he was
carried away, and in less than twenfy yards, the box which he
had on his back was dashed to pieces, »und its contents were
hurried down the surface of the stream, fn order to get across,
we put a lasso" round our bodies, and then rode through ; but
the holes were so deep, that the water occasionaliy came over
theneck of the mule, and we passed with > great ~difficalty,
These poor creatures are dreadfully afraid of crossing’ these
torrents ; it is only constant spurring that obliges them toat
tempt it, and sometimes, in the middie of the stream, they will
refuse to advance for several acconds, . When the water is very
deep, the arrieros always tie the lasso round their bodies; bat
L never could conceive it was any security, because if the tor-
rent will dash a wooden box to picces, a man’s skull would
surely have a yery bad chance, « I was, therefore always very
glad when! found myself across them, und, as our lives ‘were
insured ia London for a large sam of money, fused -often to
think, that if the insurers could have looked down upon us, the
sight of the laderas aed of these torrents’ would' have given‘a
quickuess to their pulse, a flusito their cheek, and a singing
in their ears, very uniike the symptoms of placid -calculation
Shortly after passing this torrent, we tarned towards the south,
and began to climb the mountain of San Pedro Nolasco, which
I can only describe by saying, that it is the steepest as:
which we ever made in our expeditions among the Andes: ' For
five hours we were continually holding on. by the ears and
neck of our mule, and the path was in some: places so sieep,
top.
that for a considerable time it was quite: impossible to’
We soon passed the limits of vegetation. The path went in ise
zags, although it was scarcely perceptible, and if the mules
above us had tallen, they would eertaialy have rolled down upon
us_and carried us with them.« In mounting, we constantly in-
quired o1 the arriero, if the point above our heads was the sun”
mit, but as soon as we astained it, we found ‘that we:had still
higher to go, On both sides ofus we now came to groups of
little wooden crosses, which were the spois where peop!e for-
merly employed inthe mine had , been’ overtaken by a storm,
and had perished... However, we continued our course, and at
last, gaining the summit, we found ourselves close to the silver
lode of San Pedro Nolasco, which is situated on one of the loi-
tiest pinacles of the Andes, A gmall solitary hut was before us,
and we were accosted by two or three wretched looking miners,
whose pale countenances and exhausted frame seemed to assi-
milate with the scene around them.. The view i
hence on which we stood was magnificeot—it was sublime ;
butit was atthe same time, so terrific, that one could hardly
help shuddering.” Although it was midsummer, the snow
where we stood was, according to the statement made to me by
the ageat ofthe mine, from tweuty to. a -hundred . and twenty
feet deep, but blown by the wind into the most irregular forms,
while insome places the black rock was visible, .. Beneath was
the river and valley of Maypo, fed by. a number of tributary
streams, which we coulil see descending like small silver threuds
down the different ravines. We appeared to have a bird's-eye
view of the great chuin of the Andes, and we looked down up
on a series of pinnacles of indescribable shapes .and forms, ali
covered with an eternal snow, he whole scene around us in
every direction was devoid of vegetation, and was a picture of
desolation, on a seale of magnificence which made it pecaliarly
awful; and the knowledge that this vast mass of snow, so cheer-
less in Appearance, was created for the use, and comfort, and
happiness, and even luxury of man; that it was the inexhausti-
ble reservoir from which the plains wece supplied with wa-
ter,—made us feel that there is no spot in creation which
man should term barren. though, there are
ature never intended: for his residence.'.
i
=
—As it was now in the middle of the summer, I could not help
reflect .g what a dreadful abode this must be in winter, and I
inquired of our guide and of the miners concerning the climate
in that season. They at first silently. pointed to the crosses,
which, in groups of three and two and four, were to be seen’ in
every divection ; and they then told me that although the miue is
altogether inaccessible for seven moths in winter, yet that the
miners used to be kept there all the year, They said that the cold
was intense, but that what the-miners most dreaded were the
merciless temporales, or storms of snow, which came so sud-
denly that many miners had been overtaken by them, and had
perished when not one hundred and fifty yards from the hat.
With these monuments before my eves, it Was reully painful to
consider what the feclings of these wretched creatures must
have been, when,groping about for their habitation, they found
the violence of the storm, unabating and irresistible.” It was
really melancholy to trace, or to tancy 1 could trace, by the
diferent groups or crosses, the fate of the dierent individuals,
Friedds had huddled together, and had thus died on the road }
others had strayed from the path, and. from the scattered
crosses, they had apparently died as they were searching for it,
One group wes really in avery, singular situation; during a
winter particularly severe, the miners’ provisions which consist
of litte else than bang beet, were gradualiy failing, when a party
x. }
wo
volunteered, to save themselves and the rest, that they would!
et over tle snow into the valley of Maypo, and return, if pos: |:
sible with food. They bad scarcely’ left the hut when a sturm
came on, and they perished. ‘The crosses are exactly where
the bodies were found; they were all off the voud: two hiad died ’
close together, one was about ten yards off, and one had climb.
ed to the top of a large loose. fragment of rock, evidently to.
Jools for the hut on the road, | ‘The view from Sun Pedro No--
Jasco, taking it altogether, is certainly the most dreadful scene
which in my life] have ever witnessed ; and it appeared so little ,
adapted or intended for a human residence, that when I com-
menced the inspection of the lode, and of the several mines, T
could not help feeling that Iwas going against nature, and that
no sentiinent but teat of avarice could approve of establishing a
number of fellow-creatures‘in a spot which was a subject of,
astonishment (o me how it was ever discovered. As the snow...
was in mauy places filty feet deep om the Jode, 1 could only -
walk on the surface from one bocca mina to another: but whew:
T had done this, | took off my clothes, and went down the
mine which it was my particular olyject to inspect. All the rest
had long ago been deserted, lwt in this
miners, lately sent there, who were cart ing on the, w
the old system which had been exercised by the Spaniards, and «')
Vo
to which these men have all their lives heen accustomed: At!”
first we descended by an inclined gallery or level,
clambered down the netched sticks which are used in all the «+
mines in South America as ladders, After descending about
two handed and fifty feet, walking occasionally along levels. ;
where the snow and. mud were above our ancles, we came te
the piace where the men were working. It was astonishing to ,
seethe strength With which they plied their weighty hammers, |
and the unremitted exertion. with.which they worked: and.)
strange asit may appear, we all agreed that we had never sen
Englishmen possess such strength. and work so hard. While:
the barreteros, or miners, were working the lode, the apires .
were carrying the ore upon their backs; and after we had made
the necessary observations, and had collected proper speci-
# candle) were nyging us not to stop them. The leading apire
whistled whenever he came to certain spots, and thenthewhole —/
party rested for a few seconds,” It was really very interesting
in looking above and below, e these poor-creatures, each. °
lighted by his candle, and climbing up.the notched stick vith
such a load upon his back, though E occasionally’ was a little {
itfraid Test one of those above me might tumble, in which ease
we should have all preceded him in his fall. We were quite ex. |
svon refreshed ourselves, and I then sent out for one of the ‘
apires with his lod. 1 put it on the ground, and endeavoured
to rise with it, but could not; and when two or three of my
party patiton my shoulders, 1 was barely able to walk under’
it, | The English miner who was with us was one of the strong.
@st men of all the Cornish party, yet he was scarcely able to>
walk with it; and two of our party who attempted to support.
it were altogether unable, and exclaimed, ‘ that it would break °
their backs,’ ' : ie >
The load which we tried was one of specimens which Thad’!
paid the aspire to bring up- for me,‘ and which weighed more’
than usual, but not so much, and he had carried it
and was abave me during the whole of the ascent.—While we’.
were at the end of the hut, drinking brandy and water, seated:
pon our saddles, and lighted by a brown iallow-candle which
was stuck into a bottle, and which was not three yards from a
hide filled with guopowder,—the few miners we had seen at
work bad been relieved by others, who were to work throngh
the night. ‘Theg came into the but, and,'without taking the >
least notice of us, prepared their supper, which was avery
simple oneration. ' The men took their candies out of the clo-
ven sticks, and in the cleft they put a piece of dried beef; this
they warmed for a few seconds, over the embers whic were
burning on the ground, and they then ate it, and afterwards
drank some melted snow-water out of a cow's horn, * ir
meal being over, they then enjoyed the only blessing fortune
had allotted to them, which was rest from their labour, Thee
said nothing to each other; but as they sat upon the sheep-skin
which was the only bed they had, some fixed their eyes upon
the embers, while others seemed to raminate upon other objects
hema what brandy I had, and asked them if they eg”
no spirits, to which they gave me the usual answer, that Mi 0;
are never allowed to have spirits; and with this law they woe
ed to he perfectly satisfied. | When one contrasted their sit
tion with the independent life of the Gaucho, it was surprishes
that they should valuntarily continue a life of such hangs «
From this, an idea may Ls formed of the country in theo
per parts of the Cordileras, and of the mines which insati le
capidity has explored and wrought there, : [tis a frightful ene
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