he whole mass being now poured
out into troughs, the scoria was washed off from the amalgam, which was
gathered and put into a stout leathern bag with a cloth bottom, and the
unabsorbed mercury drained out. The amalgam, resembling lead in
appearance, being now cut up into cakes, and placed under an immense
retort, fire was applied; the mercury, in form of vapor, was driven
through a hole in the bottom of the platform into water, where it was
condensed, while the silver remained pure in the retort. This is called
the barrel process, and is used for certain kinds of ore.

I had come self-introduced to the Real del Monte, but that had not
prevented my receiving the accustomed hospitality of the establishment.
A groom and two of their best horses were at my service during my stay.
As the weather was fine, and the roads of the first class of English
carriage-ways, I heartily enjoyed the ride down the mountain gorge
until it opened upon the broad plain where the second refining
establishment, that of Vincente, is situated. Except that the iron
floors of their blast ovens were made to revolve while in a state of
red heat, all was substantially the same as at the last place.
Following the meanderings of the stream, I had been gradually
descending from the sharp air of early spring to the more appropriate
temperature of the tropics, as I had occasion to notice in looking into
the fine garden of the English director, which exhibited both the
fertilizing effects of irrigation upon English flowers, and the
advantages of tropical heat upon native varieties.

[72] A very rich portion of a vein is called a _bonanza_.

[73] Mr. Thomas Auld, the director of the company, furnished me
very accurate data in relation to affairs, but these are with my
other losses at New Orleans.

[74] Before leaving California, a young man in my office, who had
been using some of my money which he could not replace, proposed
to repay me in a certificate printed in red ink, which
certificate declared that I had paid $2000 toward the capital
stock of ---- Mining Company; Capital Stock, $250,000; signed
Col. ----, President, a gentleman a little in arrears at his
boarding-house, and my defaulting young man was secretary. Rather
an unpromising show that, as the property consisted of a tavern,
built of canvas upon Colonel Fremont's Maraposa grant, on the
principle of squatter