petroleum, is highly inflammable, throwing off a bright, strong flame, emitting a decided coal-oil flavor. A proper exploitation on these beds by systematic boring would doubtless tap, at a moderate depth, a petroleum flow. Several large, bold flows of salt springs burst out at the Seven Sierras, in the northern part of the department, which have been operated for years, and yield an extra quality of salt, from which the population of the eastern departments mainly draw their supplies, and if worked to their full capacity could be easily made to supply all Central America with their product alone. In the department of Izabal, on the alluvial lands of the Motagua and Polochic, in the vicinity of Libertad and Quebradas, exist extensive beds of gold placers, which have been worked for years in a primitive way, until several foreign companies have commenced operating them with the best modern appliances, and they are reaping favorable results. These gravel beds cover a large area of ground, are of good average thickness and well defined, and under proper management should yield fair dividends. These two rivers and their tributaries drain an extensive mountain country, and have in time cut and dragged down their golden sands from existing quartz veins on their course, which circumstance would give reasonable grounds to believe a quartz El Dorado of the "yellow wealth" may some near day be uncovered somewhere along the upper line of their flow. In the foothills a few leagues west of Livingston have been discovered several coal veins, which are said to be of good anthracite variety; but no development has yet been done on them. The department of Chiquimula abounds in numerous meritorious mineral prospects. As far as discovered, the principal localities are the districts of Concepcion, Alotepeque, and Lemones. The natives of these places have in a crude, desultory way taken out considerable quantities of silver, copper, iron, and antimony. The ancient mineral of Alotepeque lies in a mountain of the same name, and was at one time operated very successfully, producing large quantities of silver, when a disastrous cave occurred in the mine, burying the underground works so effectually that the owners, having amassed comfortable fortunes, never attempted to reopen the works, and the mine has ever since remained abandoned, save what little work the Gambusinos have done in their loose mining style, culling out and robbing the ores from most accessible points of the old works for years afterward, then extracting considerable quantities of silver from the mine. There exist in the ancient archives reliable data of a rich silver mine near the pueblo of Guanagazapa, in the department of Escuintla, that was successfully operated in the colonial days, but all traces of it have been lost. In another place, known as the "Salts," there has been recently discovered a silver mine that gives satisfactory average assays in silver; but for want of enterprise and means has never yet been explored. There were also several gold and silver mines worked at the same date, and, as the canonical archives indicate, yielded profitable returns. Its identity has been entirely lost, and there has never been enterprise enough among her easy-going agricultural population to explore for their rediscovery. At Metascuintla, in the department of Santa Rosa, is located the Rosario silver mine, the only quartz-silver mining enterprise in active operation in the Republic. The property is owned by Messrs. Catarrus & Co., and has been recently placed under the management of Mr. G. F. Thomson, a highly competent American metallurgist and engineer, who is giving the most satisfactory results to the stockholders. The mine is equipped with a good 10-stamp mill, with all the modern ore treatment and mining appliances of a well-appointed silver plant, and yields an output of from $30,000 to $35,000 worth of high-grade silver bullion per month. The ores are dry sulphides, sulphurets, and chlorides, with a frequent combination of zinc blende, that insidious “thief of metals,” that so often gets away with the precious metals unless closely watched by the skillful operator; but under the present process and superior skill of the present administration the ores are worked up to a high percentage of their value, giving probably a net profit of over 100 per cent on the capital invested. For the past two years the treatment of the ores has been quite defective. Their refractory nature has baffled the efforts of the metallurgist, and has inflicted heavy losses on the owners, who, nothing daunted by these temporary failures to manipulate the ores, and regardless of cost, prudently procured from the United States the services of the present highly accomplished and competent manager, who soon set matters right, and has under his short régime practically demonstrated the great value of this mining property. The veins are strong, welldefined in the primitive formation, and from the splendid reserves of high-grade ores now systematically opened up and in sight in the underground works assure the lucky owners a "bonanza" for years to come. In the different mineral belts of the Republic without doubt there are other such opportunities as the above lying around loose, awaiting only intelligent and practical methods to be put in operation. On reference to the old archives of the colonial days we find that between the dates of 1627 and 1820, 1,322 mines of gold, silver, lead, copper, iron, tin, and one of mercury were opened and worked, and were a source of great revenue to both the church and state. Taking this important data into consideration and the presence of these minerals, as now known and recognized to exist over a considerable extent of her territory by subsequent and recent observation and exploration, the question naturally arises, why are these valuable resources neglected? In answer to this question let us take a brief glance at the political and industrial situation from the first date to the present. The mining industry between these dates was entirely under the auspices of the religious orders; no encouragement was given to home investment, and the enterprise of mining was circumscribed. The skill and processes of that day were a patent sacredly held by a few chosen ones of the order, and when they were expelled from the country at the beginning of this century the mines were abandoned and all spirit of mining enterprises disappeared. In the decades of civil revolution that followed all the financial resources of the country favored only the agricultural and pastoral industries in order merely to keep soul and body together. Thus reduced to this sad condition her people could take no risks in mining explorations, and, as capital is decidedly averse to bullets and blood, no foreign investors would venture to take any chances under the existent unsettled condition of things in that unhappy The mines being generally remote from the centers of population, even all vestiges of their locality were lost. Thus the country struggled on until J. Rufino Barrios took control of the Government and began to foment a spirit of progress. Until recently Guatemala was to all intents and purposes an insular country, reached only by the sea. The business centers, being all in the interior, were accessible only by difficult bridle-path roads. Its modes of business we those of a country apart from the rest of the world. The interior valleys and table-lands, possessing a rich soil and a superior climate, are capable of every variety of the most valuable productions of the globe. era. were Under these conditions, emerging from her lethargy and exclusiveness, the agricultural interest first naturally claimed the attention of her people, and what foreign enterprise, capital, and outside commercial pursuits that found their way into the country were, too, employed in developing this more conservative interest. Her people lived mainly to themselves and cared but little for the outside world, and the outside world cared but little for them. But the progressive spirit of President Barrios began to infuse broader ideas of intercourse and commerce among her people, and then she began to assert a continental positionpolitically and geographically and to realize the favorable location she occupied between the two great oceans. Her plucky and enterprising ruler caused good roads to be built to every town and hamlet within her borders. He prospected and built two lines of railroad from the Pacific side to the interior, and at the time of his death was engaged in the groundwork of extending one of the lines to connect with the Atlantic port of Santo Tomas. Thus he left Guatemala to some extent enabled to hold out her hands and invite trade and commerce with the outside world. Fortunately the public spirit has been taken up and fostered by his worthy successor, President M. L. Barillas, whose ambition seems to be alone for progress and prosperity for his people, especial good will and amity to foreigners. His wise and provident course has stimulated business at home and given faith and credit abroad, and under these advantageous conditions capital can afford to enter and test the merits of the mining interests. Relying on the first recent favorable test that has already been made, and taking into consideration the reliable mining traditions of the past and the known presence of the precious and useful metals spread over such an extensive area of her territory, favorable results may well be expected, and a new field for legitimate mining will here open up in the near future that will tempt and attract the practical miner from abroad. The enlightened policy of the Government offers every reasonable encouragement to, and throws every solid guaranty around, this particular interest. There need be no misgivings on the part of the foreign miner as to the security and full enjoyment of his rights under the liberal laws enacted to protect the mining industry. The mining operations, the character and availability of labor, the costs of freight, and all the other items that bear directly upon the value of mining properties must be closely studied and considered. The mining and reduction of ores in Guatemala, as in all new interior regions, are accompanied by conditions and difficulties that at first are rarely appreciated by foreign operators. When they are properly understood those difficulties can be satisfactorily overcome. They must learn the character of the native labor and the defective transportation service incident to all mountainous countries, how to convert the crude material and rude appliances at hand to the immediate wants of the situation, and also the importance of keeping a good mining stock ahead on hand. The American especially must learn to curb his lightning business modes that he is accustomed to at home, and not to be too forward in attempting to force new ways from the start, and above all things to leave off his practical motto that "time is money," and be ever ready to make a reasonable compromise on every mañana proposition that annoyingly may meet him at every turn, and he will soon be able to overcome the trouble and difficulties that beset all new enterprises in a new country. The following is a translation of some of the special provisions of the mining laws of Guatemala concerning concessions: ART. 443. Auriferous sands, iron deposits, either transported or alluvial, and other minerals in river beds or placers, on whatever land they may be found, are free to all persons desirous to work them, without any special permits previously obtained from the authorities. Should it be intended to erect mills or other permanent structures to work the auriferous sands and other substances referred to in the present article, the interested parties shall be required to apply for a patent of mining property to establish their claims to the same. |