vein is 4 feet wide, running $18 gold per ton, the ore containing. lead. The fourth zone is called Tablon and is composed of the veins San Expedito, Santo Tomas, San Juan, Santa Alicia, Todos los Santos, and El Nance. The richest is Todos los Santos, which contains free gold, not very wide, and troublesome on account of water. El Nance has not been thoroughly explored, but a good quality of ore has been already discovered.. At the present time, 600 tons of ore are treated monthly by the cyanide process. One hundred and fifty men are employed, all natives. The capacity of the plant is 40 tons per diem. The Loma Larga properties had been abandoned for many years until the sons of General Gonzalez, aided by English capital, installed new machinery and began to develop the property. Los Encuentros.-This mine is situated in the plantation of Entre Rios and belongs to Felipe Macay. The property consists of about 1,000 acres, highly mineralized. The principal veins are Mina Grande, Mina Nueva, Guanacaste, Quebracho, Guapinol, Dolores, and Virginia. There is a reservoir which has a capacity of 1,000 horsepower during the rainy season (between May and December) and 60 horsepower in the dry season. It is formed by a stone dam, 150 meters (492 feet) long, across the Gotera River, the water being carried through a ditch 2 meters (6.5 feet) deep, 2 meters (6.5 feet) wide, and 1,500 meters (4,920 feet) long, with a fall of 18 feet over a turbine wheel at the mill site. The vein Mina Grande runs nearly parallel with the Guapinol near the surface, and joins it at a certain depth, forming a vein about 12 meters (39.3 feet) wide, which yields. about $3 gold in silver and in some parts up to 12 ounces in gold. This vein has been worked almost continually during the last one hundred and fifty years, and yet it is estimated that 100 men could work it for a long time to come. No water invades it and no pumps are required. The Quebracho, Mina Nueva, and Guanacaste veins. are almost as good, and run into each other as depth is attained. The Virginia vein was discovered in the latter part of the eighteenth century by Domingo Espino, who retired to Spain after making a fortune from it. A French company tried to start work on this vein in 1857 and 1858, but had to desist on account of water. Felipe Macay partially succeeded in draining this vein and took out $50,000 in a few months, but was forced to discontinue the work because of the heavy influx of water encountered. The Encuentros property has now a cyanide plant installed to work over the old dumps, with a capacity of 40 tons per day. There are thousands of tons on the dumps, running nearly an ounce of gold to the ton. The formation. is volcanic. This may be said of all the mines in this section of the Republic. The ore is a soft quartz-sulphides near the surface, oxides in depth. About 300 men are working, nearly all natives, with 6 foreigners, who do the assaying and run the cyanide plant. The Corazal, Barillas, Guarumel, Flamenco, and Monte Mayor are gold and silver mines and are owned by the heirs of Felipe Macay. The property consists of 7,500 acres of land, containing some seventy-five veins and claims, many of which were developed twenty years or more ago, to the extent of from 500 to 2,500 feet of shafts and drifts. The region is highly mineralized. The property commences near what is understood to be the western extremity of the mineral belt of this region. The neighboring mines of Honduras are supposedly in the same ledge. The greatest depth is about 200 feet; annual production, about $12,000 in gold and silver; character of ore, sulphides and oxides. The country rock is greenstone and porphyry-volcanic formation. Ten natives and three foreigners are now employed. DEPARTMENT OF LA UNION. El Tabanco. This mine consists of thirteen veins, gold and silver, the principal ones being Ana Maria, Esquipulas, Rosalia, El Portillo, El Pochote, Paz Vieja, and Paz Nueva. The main shaft is 80 meters (262 feet) deep; drifts, 700 meters (2,296 feet) long. There are two reservoirs for power and drainage, and it has a capacity to crush 30 tons of ore per day during six months of the year; proprietor, Felipe Macay. Salamanca mines.--Vein formation is fissure, enriched by second deposit through hot mineral solutions; depth of workings, 225 feet. The annual production can not be stated, as the property is not yet in producing condition. The ore is free milling and quartz, matrix, one-fourth of 1 per cent sulphides. The rock is of volcanic formation, greenstone and porphyry. Sixty natives and three foreigners are employed. The property is owned by the San Bartolo Gold Mining Company of New York, capitalized at $2,500,000 gold. San Sebastian. The depth of working is 500 feet; annual production, £80,000 ($389, 320); oxide on surface and sulphide in depth. The nature of country rock is rhyolite. Seven hundred natives and twenty foreigners are employed. This property is owned and worked by the Butters Salvador Mines, Limited, an English company capitalized at £150,000 ($729,975). The ore contains gold only and is extremely rebellious. The cyanide process is used. SAN SALVADOR, November 6, 1902. JOHN JENKINS, Consul-General, URUGUAY. Consul A. W. Swalm, of Montevideo, quotes a report on gold mining in Uruguay, published earlier in the year: Statistics have been forwarded to this office by the Department of the Interior of Uruguay in relation to the mining of gold for the past three years. The work has been carried on almost wholly by a French company, and the results are: The mines in Rivera produced 5,119 tons in 1899, yielding in gold 61.336 kilograms (139.2 pounds), the total value being $7,500.26. In 1900, 7,345 tons of mineral quartz were worked, producing 71.234 kilograms (157.04 pounds) of gold. In 1901, 6,183 tons were worked, yielding 71.946 kilograms (158.6 pounds) gold. The cyanide process is now adopted, and better results are obtained than before. The mines are all small-mostly surface work-and assays made from twelve workings range from 6.75 grams (104.15 grains) to 30.79 grams (475 grains) per ton. During 1901, 25 new applications for mining privileges were filed, all in other departments (Cerro Largo, Minas, Maldonado, Canelones, and Florida). Lack of water is complained of. The Government gets a percentage on all gold produced. The concessionnaires hope in time to strike a quartz of marvelous richness. French appliances are used exclusively. All French companies in South America deal only with France. Silver and copper mining, adds Mr. Swalm, are not known in any commercial way. URUGUAYAN COMMERCE WITH CUBA. The commerce of Uruguay with Cuba is of ancient date. The island for more than one hundred years has taken tasajo, or “jerked beef," and sent in exchange caña, sugar, molasses, tobacco, cigars, and other products. For the past three years the value of caña imported has been as follows: 1899..... 1900.. 1901.. $74,355 93, 127 74,651 The Cuban grade of caña is deemed the best that enters the River Plata market. The following is the value of cigars and leaf tobacco imported during the same period: The total imports from, and exports to, Cuba for the years named The exports to Cuba are made up almost exclusively of slaughterhouse products. Tasajo, or jerked beef, to an annual average of 8,500,000 pounds, is the main article of export, and shipments for 1902 show a marked increase, caused, it is said, by advanced prices. The steamship Arabistan is now making a direct voyage to Habana, taking 7,000 bales of tasajo, averaging 56 kilograms (123 pounds) each the first time that such a heavy consignment has gone by steam direct. It is usually carried in small sailing vessels. The jerked-beef industry is the chief outlet for the cattle product of this Republic, and the average annual output of tasajo is 55,000. tons, with a value of $5,000,000, nearly all of which is for export. ALBERT W. SWALM, MONTEVIDEO, December 18, 1902. Consul. SUGAR CROP IN SANTA CLARA, CUBA. The sugar-cane-grinding season commenced about a month ago, and, deeming it of interest to commerce to have information as to the sugar crop in the Province of Santa Clara, I submit the following statement: All the ingenios" (sugar estates) in this province are now grinding, and a good crop is anticipated by the planters, who are much elated, as the production will be larger than last year, and the price for sugar is already considerably higher. This province produced last year 279,659 tons, and it is estimated that this year's production will exceed the last by 35,629 tons; in fact, some of the ingenios have now more cane standing in their fields than they will be able to grind, as the grinding has to be stopped in the latter part of May, when the rainy season sets in. There have come into Cienfuegos 101,887 bags, and about 55,000 of these were sold at 2.5 cents per pound, the rest having been stored to await better prices, which are not expected until the reciprocity treaty has been ratified. The treaty is the sole hope of the planters. MAX J. BAEHR, CIENFUEGOS, January 23, 1903. Consul. BRAZILIAN REVENUE BILL FOR 1903. By a law of December 29, 1902, the President is authorized to effect the following operations: I. To issue up to 25,000 contos (about $580,000) in treasury bills, to be redeemed before the close of the fiscal year. II. To receive and repay moneys received from deceased and absent persons, unclaimed lottery tickets, as also from savings banks, etc. Any surplus which may result shall be applied to the amortization of internal loans and any deficit be charged to expenditure of the financial year. III. To adopt a differential tariff in favor of one or more imported articles, in compensation for concessions to Brazilian produce, on most-favored-nation treatment, and vice versa. V. To recover from ships using ports in which improvements are in course of execution, for account of the Union, a due of 1 to 5 reis (about 0.24 cent to 1.2 cents) per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of merchandise loaded or discharged, according to its value, destination, or origin. The proceeds of the due, which shall be proportionate to the requirements of the service, shall constitute a special fund for each port, destined exclusively to the respective improvements. (a) On petition of State or municipal government, all material imported for employment on waterworks and metallic material for construction of sewerage works or electric lighting. (b) On petition to the custom inspectors, all apparatus, lamps, stoves, flatirons, and engines in which alcohol is used for motive, heating, or lighting purposes, as also all benzol imported by manufacturers of alcohol for carburetting purposes. Exemption from duties will be granted apparatus intended for exhibitions to popularize the application of alcohol to industries. (c) Agricultural implements and machinery directly imported by farmers or farming associations, on payment of "expediente" due, as stipulated in the current tariff. In this class is included machinery for dairies and the machinery and metallic structure for sugar refineries, distilleries of alcohol from cane, as also barbed wire for fencing. A dispatch permitting this will be given by the Minister of Finance on presentation of a list specifying the objects to be imported and proof of employment in their respective industries. (d) All animals imported for zoological gardens or for zoological and scientific exhibitions. VIII. To lease to the highest bidder the right to work monazite sands located on lands within the jurisdiction of the Union, and to renew the contract dated December 31, 1901, on the most convenient terms, with fines in case of infraction, or to enter into agreements with the governments of the States of Bahia and Esperito Santo to settle on some common plan for working monazite sands in their territory. XI. To liquidate accounts with Messrs. Flint & Co., of New York, by means of counter entries, and to open the necessary credits for registry of the same at the treasury. |