or **PIGNE**, in commerce, is a term used in Peru and Chili, for a kind of light, porous masses, or lumps, formed of a mixture of mercury and silver-dust from the mines. The ore, or mineral, of silver, when dug out of the veins of the mine, is first broken and then ground in mills for the purpose, driven by water with iron pestles, each of 200 pounds weight. The mineral, when thus pulverized, is next sifted, and then worked up with water into a paste; which, when half dry, is cut into pieces, called cuerpos, a foot long, weighing each about 250 pounds.
Each piece or cuerpo is again kneaded up with faeces, which, dissolving, incorporates with it. They then add mercury, from 10 to 20 pounds for each cuerpo, kneading the paste afresh until the mercury be incorporated therewith. This office, which is exceedingly dangerous on account of the noxious qualities of the mercury, is always made the lot of the poor Indians. This amalgamation is continued for eight or nine days; and some add lime, lead, or tin ore, &c., to forward it; and, in some mines, they are obliged to use fire. To try whether or no the mixture and amalgamation be sufficient, they wash a piece in water; and if the mercury be white, it is a proof that it has had its effect; if black, it must be still farther worked.
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(b) This Midas is a very different personage from his long-eared majesty of Phrygia, whose decision in favour of Pan had given such offence to Apollo; as is manifest, indeed, from his having been cotemporary with Pindar.
(c) The most extraordinary part of this musician's performance that can be gathered from the scholiast upon Pindar, was his finishing the solo, without a reed or mouth-piece, which broke accidentally while he was playing. The legendary account given by the poet in this ode, of the occasion upon which the flute was invented by Minerva, is diverting: "It was (says he) to imitate the howling of the Gorgons, and the hissing of their snakes, which the goddess had heard when the head of Medusa (one of these three anti-graces) was cut off by Perseus." ed. When finished, it is sent to the lavatories, which are large basins that empty successively into one another. The paste, &c., being laid in the uppermost of these, the earth is then washed from it into the rest by a rivulet turned upon it; an Indian, all the while, stirring it with his feet, and two other Indians doing the like in the other basins. When the water runs quite clear out of the basins, the mercury and silver are found at bottom incorporated. This matter they call pella, and of this they form the pinas, by expressing as much of the mercury as they can; first, by putting it in woollen bags, and pressing and beating it strongly; then, by stamping it in a kind of wooden mould, of an octagonal form, at bottom whereof is a brass plate pierced full of little holes. The matter, when taken out of the mould, is laid on a trivet, under which is a large vessel full of water; and the whole being covered with an earthen head, a fire is made round it.
The mercury still remains in the mass, and is thus reduced into fumes, and, at length, condensing, it is precipitated into the water, leaving behind it a mass of silver grains of different figures, which, only joining or touching at the extremes, render the matter very porous and light. This, therefore, is the pinea, or pigne, which the workmen endeavour to sell secretly to vessels trading to the South sea; and from which those who have ventured to engage in so dangerous a commerce, have made such vast gains. Indeed the traders herein must be very careful; for the Spanish miners are arrant knaves, and to make the pignes weigh the more, they often fill the middle with sand or iron.