Note 123 — Chapter XVIII · AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL PRODUCTS
Reading edition
"I feel it a duty which I owe to the Association shortly to state that, having ridden 6,000 miles in South America—having thrown myself on the feeble resources of the country—having been to the bottom of every mine which has been inspected—having made all the observations I was capable of making—having lived in deserts, and almost in solitude, nearly a year, with no other subject on my mind than the interests of the Association—I deliberately declare upon my honour and upon my character, that it is my humble, but decided opinion— "1st. That the working of the mines in the provinces of Rio de la Plate, by an English Association, is politically unsafe; and— "2nd. That if there were no such risk, the expense would far exceed the returns." (Head, "Reports," pp. 51-2.) [123]