GENERAL PAUNERO.

Wenceslaus Paunero, Argentine Minister at Rio, is a native of Montevideo, and began his military career in 1826 in the campaign against Brazil. In the civil wars of 1828-36, he sided against Rosas and was forced to take refuge in Bolivia, where he made a living as shop-assistant, and afterwards started a newspaper. The Montevidean Government named him Chargé d'Affaires in Bolivia, and during his residence there he married the sister of General Ballivian (afterwards President). In 1851 he returned to the River Plate, to assist in the war against Rosas, and was present at the battle of Caseros, 1852. He served against the Indians till 1858, and was General Mitre's Chief-of-Staff both at Cepeda and Pavon, being made a Major-General on the latter field. He has since seen much service in the civil war with the Chacho, the Paraguayan campaign, the San Juan revolution, &c. He was candidate for Vice-President at the late election, but was defeated by D. Adolfo Alsina. One of the first acts of President Sarmiento was to confide to him the important mission that he now holds.

DON NORBERTO RIESTRA.

Norberto de la Riestra was born in this city in 1825, of Spanish parentage, and when young sent to England for education. He was first employed in a commercial house in Liverpool, and afterwards sent out to take charge of the branch-house in his native city. His eminent financial talents soon shewed themselves, and he was chosen for the delicate task of arranging the Buenos Ayrean debt in London. This business he concluded so satisfactorily that the Bonds at once rose to an unprecedented figure, and he merited the thanks no less of the Bond-holders than of his own Government and countrymen. In 1860 he became Finance Minister for the Province of Buenos Ayres, and on the incorporation of this state with the Confederation was chosen for the same office in the Cabinet of Paraná. But the rupture which soon took place with Buenos Ayres induced him to resign the portfolio and return to this city, where the victory of Pavon found him in his old post, and as confidential adviser of President Mitre he is known to have steadfastly advocated the non-repudiation policy in all, matters of public debt, the adoption of which has established our National Credit on a firm basis. Having resigned his seat in the Cabinet, he was soon elected Senator in the Provincial Legislature, and distinguished himself by his labors for the Great Southern Railway, and a scheme for the redemption of paper-money. On the formation of the London and River Plate Bank, the Board secured his influence and advice by naming

PUBLIC MEN.

131 . him Resident Director. Mr. Riestra may be in many respects almost considered an Englishman, and his sympathies and regard for everything English are well-known. We need not add that he is a strenuous friend of immigration, and of all Anglo-Argentine enterprises. In May 1865, cn the occasion of the Paraguayan war, he was sent to London to negotiate a loan voted by Congress, for two and a-half millions sterling this he concluded at 72 per cent. although the Home Bonds of the Republic were quoted at the time, at forty-four, in Buenos Ayres. Failing health prevented his presenting his credentials as Plenipotentiary near the Court of St. James.

DON MARIANO BALCARCE.

This gentleman is accredited Argentine Minister near the courts of Paris, London, and Madrid, but he resides within a few miles of Paris. He is married to the daughter of the famous General San Martin, of the epoch of Independence. He belongs to a wealthy family of Buenos Ayres, and is said to be very hospitable to friends or residents coming from the River Plate. His last official business was in connection with the Argentine stall at the Paris Exhibition.

SR. POSADAS, POSTMASTER-GENERAL.

Gervacio A. Posadas is son of the late Supreme Director, Juan Antonio Posadas. In his youth he spent some years in England, where he became acquainted with many leading men, including Sir Rowland Hill and others. He speaks English and French fluently, and has introduced many postal improvements, but, the revenue at his disposal is much too limited, and the premises are wholly unsuitable. No other department shows so much. increase as the 'Correo,' the number of letters and papers regularly doubling every two years.

MR. O'GORMAN CHIEF OF POLICE.

Enrique O'Gorman is descended of an old and respectable French family whose ancestors were, of course, Irish, as the name indicates. He is an active and intelligent official, but the present police department is a relic of the old Spanish system, quite inadequate to the necessities of the time.

221

CHAP. XII.

MINING IN THE CUYO PROVINCES.

SAN JUAN.

To the indomitable energy and untiring perseverance of the actual President of the Republic, H.E. Dr. Don Domingo F. Sarmiento (during his Governorship of San Juan), is due, in a great measure, the rapid development of the mining industry in this province. In the year 1862 he had the mining districts examined by Major F. I. Rickard, F.G.S., &c. (engaged in Chile for that purpose), and in sight of his various reports, and impartial statements, a Limited Liability Company was established in San Juan, with the small capital of $110,000 s., destined to be the pioneer undertaking in developing the hidden riches of Tontal, distant some thirty leagues S.S.W. from the city.

Although the mines of La Huerta, fifty leagues to the N.E., had been some time previously in operation, and a crude system of smelting had been essayed by the owners of Santo Domingo, the political disturbances and constant changes in the administration precluded the possibility of their being worked to advantage. The ores were rich in silver, and of a plumbiferous nature, with a tolerably fusible gangue; but, with such appliances as existed at that establishment for the extraction of the precious metals, and the want of knowledge and practice on the part of the owners or managers, large deficits resulted instead of gain. The smelting works were consequently abandoned, and the mines only kept partially worked, awaiting brighter times.

Meanwhile, a Frenchman, who had been employed in the works as smelter, erected a small blast furnace a short distance from the mines, on the site now occupied by the Messrs. Klappenbach, who purchased his miserable attempt at a metallurgical establishment, in a good round sum. They have, however, completely remodelled it, and now possess workssmall, it is true, but still sufficiently perfect for the object for which they are intended. The system employed is similar to the old method adopted in former years at Pontgibaud, Puy-de-Dôme, France, but now obsolete and replaced by another far superior, by the Anglo-French Company.

As no official statistics can be obtained, it is very difficult to estimate correctly the annual produce of silver from the La Huerta mines; all of which, however, passes through the Messrs. Klappenbach's hands. Since the year 1863, the mining industry in the district has been gradually improving, and is still advancing. Santo Domingo has lately had some splendid «<alcances» or bunches of rich ore, with native silver visible, and silver glance in fair abundance. The general impulse given by the Messrs. Klappenbach is now bearing fruit, and numerous old mines are being resuscitated and worked with profit. The annual produce of silver from the Messrs. Klappenbach's works may be set down at about 7,000 marks Spanish, or about 51,800 oz. Troy, whose value in Buenos Ayres may be taken in round numbers at $70,000 s..

The Tontal district, rich in «dry» non-plumbiferous silver ores, is much more abundant than La Huerta, but the nature of the accompanying gangue, which is invariably silicious, presents many difficulties to the metallurgist, in the course of operations necessary for the extraction of the silver. But, in order to counterbalance, as it were, this mistake of nature, another new district, a little to the north, was discovered in 1864, yielding abundant supplies of galenas (sulphides of lead), as also carbonates and sulphates, together with other combinations, all more or less plumbiferous, and highly necessary as a flux or medium by which to extract the precious metals from the refractory dry ores of Tontal. This new district is Castaño, about twenty-five leagues from Tontal, in a north-westerly direction towards the Cordillera, and some fifty leagues N.W. from San Juan.

The beginning of 1864, saw the commencement of the metallurgical establishment at Hilario, belonging to the already mentioned limited company, distant some seven leagues from Tontal and twenty from Castaño, agreeably situated on the border of the San Juan River called at this point Los Patos. This spot was selected by Major Rickard, the manager, as being best suited for the works, owing to the facility of obtaining water power for the machinery, the abundance of firewood necessary for the furnaces, and

above all as being the only fertile and inhabited valley in the whole district where pasture for animals and the necessaries of life are obtainable.

A great drawback, however, existed, namely, its isolation from all the highways of traffic, and entire absence of anything like transitable roads. Heavy machinery for crushing and amalgamating the ores was necessary, and those pieces which could not be made sufficiently light for transport on mules, had necessarily to be taken up on carts. Here lay the difficulty— Hilario is separated from San Juan by three lofty ranges of mountains; that of Tontal, on the actual mule track, being at an elevation of 12,147 feet above the sea. Narrow defiles and impassable gorges traversed by mountain torrents, intercept the route at various points, and make the idea of forming a cart road there, the wildest dream of impossibility. This insurmountable difficulty was however overcome by taking a very circuitous route to the north; and, by traversing some fifty leagues of extra march, a road was made, partly by the Government and partly by the Company, which, if not macadamized and level, was sufficiently transitable for lightly laden carts. But alas, the freight on machinery from San Juan to Hilario almost exceeded the amount paid on it from Liverpool to San Juan.

In April 1864 the limited Company got short of funds, and it was found that the capital was too small. Major Rickard then came forward and offered to purchase all the shares at par and continue the works for his own account, with the ulterior view of forming an extensive company in London. His offer was accepted, and towards the close of 1865 the. Hilario works began to extract silver and silver lead in large quantities. During about ten months of active operations some 250 tons of lead and 9,000 marks of silver were produced and remitted to Europe for realization.

In addition to over 200 employés at the works, including wood-cutters, charcoal-burners, muleteers, and peones, upwards of 500 were employed in the mines of Tontal and Castaño, and solely in those belonging to Major Rickard.

At the same time, large numbers of miners worked mines on their own account, and in all over 100 were at one time in active exploration. Hundreds of tons of ore were produced, and lay at the mines' mouths, ready for transmission to the works; but, unfortunately, the means of transport were fearfully inadequate to the production of ore, or even the requirements of Hilario. The furnaces alone were capable of smelting six tons per day, and the amalgamation machinery of passing through four tons more; yet the daily deliveries of ore only reached about three tons on the