Personal Narrative Of Travels To The Equinoctial Regions Of America During The Years 1799-1804 - Volume 1 - By Alexander Von Humboldt And Aime Bonpland.
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In These Eastern Mountains Of Venezuela, The Gneiss
Passes Into The State Of Talc.
It contains, as at Salzburg, lodes
of auriferous quartz.
The works anciently begun in those mines have
often been abandoned and resumed.
The mines of Caracas were forgotten during more than a hundred
years. But at a period comparatively recent, about the end of the
last century, an Intendant of Venezuela, Don Jose Avalo, again fell
into the illusions which had flattered the cupidity of the
Conquistadores. He fancied that all the mountains near the capital
contained great metallic riches. Some Mexican miners were engaged,
and their operations were directed to the ravine of Tipe, and the
ancient mines of Baruta to the south of Caracas, where the Indians
gather even now some little gold-washings. But the zeal which had
prompted the enterprise soon diminished, and after much useless
expense, the working of the mines of Caracas was totally abandoned.
A small quantity of auriferous pyrites, sulphuretted silver, and a
little native gold, were found; but these were only feeble
indications; and in a country where labour is extremely dear, there
was no inducement to pursue works so little productive.
We visited the ravine of Tipe, situated in that part of the valley
which opens in the direction of Cabo Blanco. Proceeding from
Caracas, we traverse, in the direction of the great barracks of San
Carlos, a barren and rocky soil. Only a very few plants of Argemone
mexicana are to be found. The gneiss appears everywhere above
ground.
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