Every pound of ore is brought out of the shafts on men's shoulders. The mines are drained of the water accumulating in them, in the same manner, by means of water-tight bags. Dr. Tschudi describes the process employed for the amalgamation of the quicksilver with the silver ore. It is done by causing them to be trodden together by horses', or human feet. Not only is this method attended with incredible waste of material, and therefore very expensive, but it soon kills the horses employed in it, while the men contract the most fearful, and, generally, incurable diseases! (_Op. cit._, p. 331-334.)--H. [68] A. von Humboldt, _Examen critique de l'Histoire et de la Géographie du N. C._, vol. ii. p. 129-130. The same opinion is expressed by Mr. Humboldt in his _Personal Narrative_. London, 1852, vol. i. p. 296.--H. [69] Speaking of the habit of tattooing among the South Sea Islanders, Mr. Darwin says that even girls who had been brought up in missionaries' houses, could not be dissuaded from this practice, though in everything else, they seemed to have forgotten the savage instincts of their race. "The wives of the missionaries tried to prevent them, but a famous operator having arrived from the South, they said: 'We really must have just a few lines on our lips, else, when we grow old, we shall be so ugly.'"--_Journal of a Naturalist_, vol. ii. p. 208.--H. [70] For the latest details, see Mr. Gustave d'Alaux's articles in the _Revue des Deux Mondes_, 1853. [71] The subjoined comparison of the exports of Haytien staple products may not be uninteresting to many of our readers, while it serves to confirm the author's assertion. I extract it from a statistical table in Mackenzie's report to the British government, upon the condition of the then republic (now empire). Mr. Mackenzie resided there as special _envoyé_ several years, for the purpose of collecting authentic information for his government, and his statements may therefore be relied upon. (_Notes on Hayti_, vol. ii. note FF. London, 1830.) SUGAR. COTTON. COFFEE. lbs. lbs. lbs. 1789 141,089,831 7,004,274 76,835,219 1826 32,864 620,972 32,189,784 It will be perceived, from these figures, that the decrease is greatest in that staple which requires the most laborious cultivation. Thus, sugar requires almost unremitting toil; coffee, comparatively little. All branches of industry have fearfully decreased; some of them have ceased entirely; and the small and continually dwindling commerce of that wretched country consists now mainly of articles of spontaneous growth. The statistics of imports are in perfect keeping with those of exports. (_Op. cit._, vol. ii. p. 183.) As might be expected from such a state of things, the annual expenditure in 1827 was estimated at a little more than _double_ the amount of the annual revenue! (_Ibid._, "Finance.")