CHAP. IV.

Some account cf the origin of Metals, with various opinions concerning their formation in the earth.

The old Creolian Spaniards, and some others imagine that this plenty of gold in Chili was occasiond by Noah’s flood, which threw down the mountains, and broke up the mines, and washd away the gold into the lower grounds where it now continues. But, besides the great probability that that deluge was only upon the land of Palestine, Moses’s history on which this fancy is founded, rather contradicts it; and tells us that the deluge made very little alteration in the surface of the earth. Besides, by all the late discoveries in America, we are convinced that the mountains yield more gold than the rivers. Common rains may send the gold to the lower parts: for in Chili the showers that fall from May to September, are daily making new gutters upon the hills, which bring down the golden grains with them.

Without doubt earthquakes have made great alterations in this part of the world; some of which, according to several historians, have changd the scituation of mountains, and turnd rivers into lakes: and some authors have supposed that these subversions have proceded from an inward fermentation, which has burst open the hills, and forced the minerals, before they were duly formd, into the water chanels where they are so often found. Tho’ this does not at all answer how metals are formd, yet great commotions have often happend in the bowels of the earth, and put many things out of their natural position; particularly shells, which in most countries have been found, sometimes in heaps, and far enough from the sea where they were first formd.

The native Indians believe that gold and silver breed in the earth without any original vein; because after certain years the mines and washing-places have afforded a perfect new supply; several instances of which I have before mentiond. And it is undeniable, that in Chili these lavaderos are common in the low grounds, where infinite treasure lies conceald for want of labourers: for the Spaniards apply chiefly where the profit is most obvious; and when any new mine is sprung, they all flock thither.

I have been informd at Lima, that several Frenchmen, whose effects were confiscated by his Spanish majesty’s order for carrying on an interloping trade between France and Chili, have thought it better to stay in the country at any rate than return home: and so made shift to purchase a Nigro or two, whom they imployd to fish for gold in some of these washing places, which turnd to so good a profit that they were inabled to settle in Chili. I spoke with two of them at Conception. They told me they had but little trouble in doing of it; that they us’d to watch for the showers, and then carry only a few sieves to refine the earth. These places were chiefly at the small cataracts and water-falls, where they told me they had often taken up considerable grains of gold with their hands: but the corregidors always take care they shall not grow too rich.

As for metals being formd by the sun; ’tis a weak notion and sufficiently exploded. About forty years ago a violent lighting fell on the Illimanni mountain, which is between Chili and Peru. Great pieces and splinters thereof were found scatterd about the country, and they were all plentifully veind with gold, tho’ the mountain is ever known to be coverd with snow. Therefore that heat which is not strong enough to thaw the snow, can never be able to generate and form gold in the mountain under it.

But as those opinions are most rational, which are grounded on real discoveries, one may find out a better way to account for this thing, than any before mentiond: and from what has been said, fairly conclude, that all metals are made and formd by subterraneous fires, which burn as it were in a kiln, conveying their heat far and near through all the passages of the earth, as well as the solid mass itself.

These fires are known to be in all the mine countries of America; and may well be supposed to dwell in other parts yet unknown. This intestine heat gives motion to the salts and sulphurs, being the chief principles of metals. And tho’ their operation is incomprehensibly different from all that we know or practise, yet may we form a notion, that these spirituous vapours are forced by fire into the pores of stone; where being condensed they insinuate themselves like veins, extend and grow upwards to the surface.

I shall now collect some authorities to confirm the opinion that there are a race of men in the world calld giants.

Don Pedro Molina governer of Chiloe and several other eye-witnesses have affirmd that in the country behind the Cordileer mountains, there is a nation of Indians calld Caucahues, of an uncommon size, being near four varas or Spanish yards high; which is ten foot English. These are the people antient travelers speak of calld Patagonians, who live on the eastern side, about 50 degrees south latitude. I know this has been taken as a fable, because many ships going down that way, have not chanced to see them; the men who appear on the Patagonian coast and in Magellan straits being generally of the common stature: and this is what deceived Froger in his account of Degennes voyage; for some ships have seen both sorts at once.

In 1704, captain Harrington’s men belonging to a ship of St. Malo, saw seven of these giants in Gregory’s bay. The crew of the St. Peter, a ship of Marseiles saw six of the same; among whom there was one distinguisht from the rest by a net-work cap that he wore made of birds entrails stuck round with feathers. Their garments were skins with the hair inwards; and they all had bows with cases of arrows: they helpd the sailors with their boat ashore, and gave them some of their darts: the men offerd them bread, brandy and wine; but they refused them all. The next day 200 of them appeard in a body. These men they believed were more sensible of the cold, tho’ larger than others: for the ordinary size people along that coast had only a single skin thrown over their shoulders, whereas the others were cloathed.

The following are Mr. Frezier’s words translated.

“What I here deliver on the testimony of creditable persons, is so agreeable to what I read in many good voyages; that ’tis my opinion there is much truth in it: and a man may believe there is a nation of people in the southermost part of America, much exceding the common proportion, without being thought fanciful: the time, place and circumstances all agreeing, seem to carry a truth sufficient to overcome the general opinion to the contrary. Perhaps the strangeness of the sight may have caused their size to be somewhat magnifyd: but if we consider the height of these men not actually measured, but only ghest at, we shall find that travelers differ very little from each other. To strengthen what I have advanced, the reader will excuse me if I collect what I find in various authors upon this article.

“Leonardo Argensola in the first chapter of his history of the Molucca islands, says that the same Magellan, in the straits that bears his name, took some men who were fifteen spans, that is eleven foot high: but they soon pined away and died. In the third chapter he says that Sarmiento’s men fought with some of these people, who were above three Spanish yards high, that is above eight foot. They repulsed the Spaniards once: but being attackt the second time, they took to their heels and run at so great a rate, that according to the Spanish saying, a bullet would not overtake them.

“There is something like this in Sibald Dewert’s voyage 1559, who being at anchor in the Green-Bay in Magellan straits with five ships, saw seven Indian imbarkations full of giants; who they ghest were ten or eleven foot high. The Dutchmen fired at them and drove them ashore, but they were so terrifyd at the fire arms, that they tore up the trees to shelter themselves from the musket balls.

“Oliver North, who came there a few months after Dewert, tells us that he saw giants ten or twelve foot high: tho’ he had seen other men of the common size.

“Spilbergen, as he enterd Magellan straits in 1615, saw on Terra del fogo a man of surprizing height got upon a rising ground to see the ships go by.

“Shouten in the same year being in Port Desire, his men went ashore and found heaps of stones laid in such a form that they had a mind to see what was under them: and they found bones of a human body between ten and eleven foot long, that is nine or ten English measure; to which measure North’s account and Dewert’s must be reduced.

“Other authorities as well living as dead might be brought to justify this relation: and tho’ some people have doubted it, yet the several testimonies aforementiond, joind with the account of giants which we have in holy scripture, should incline us to receive it for truth.”

Frezier has a notion that the Almighty framed at first three different colors of men; white, black and the dark copper, which last is the hue of all the Indians in America: and tho’ the holy scripture is silent as to the origin of these, yet he doubts not that the Nigros or Blacks are children of Cush Noah’s grandson, which is an African word and signifies black. But however piously affected he and others may be to that divine history, it is impossible this way to account for the originals of people; or even conjecture how this great extended continent was first planted: and without admitting Preadamites we shall meet with endless absurdities. Grotius, who was hardly inferior to any man in wit and learning, rather than disallow mankind’s beginning with Adam, would have it that America was peopled from Norway. The Norwegians planted Iceland; from thence came the Greenlanders, who overspread the north-west islands; and so at last all America came to be peopled. But when one comes to consider, that the Americans are no more like the Norwegians than the Nigros are like the Indians; and that in all respects the natives of this new world are quite different from the other, that reasoning of Grotius is weak and insufficient: and had he lived to see the Danish account of the Greenlanders with other north discoveries, it would have confounded him; Moreover ’tis certain that the Chilians never lived in a social manner like other nations, but in single families only; nor have they any ideas of God or religion in any kind, or the being of a soul, all which they make a jest of. And tho’ it is said, that at the conquest of these countries the Spaniards found golden and other images in Peru, which the Indians used to worship; yet it’s probable they were made only to represent some of their kings, whose memory they held in great veneration. But as this subject requires a separate treatise rather than a place in this book, I shall procede in my other design. And I am persuaded that there must be some more divine influence than the example and arguments of the priesthood, to produce among the Indians so good as an effect a true belief of the Gospel.