Greetings SWR (and everyone reading this of course, but this message is for SWR, with the hope that Lamar will also take note.)
SWR wrote
You are comparing silver and copper as the same? You say picking up loose copper-balls in the 1700s...but, still haven't validated it as historically correct. If it wasn't allowed...what would the possibilities of Father Och putting it in his journals be.
In the eyes of the law, metals are locatable minerals and are indeed "the same" for legal purposes, with rare exceptions in MODERN times. Since you still do not accept this surface picking of metals by Jesuits as placer mining as defined in the time period (1700's) I suggest you research the whole matter of the Planchas de Plata, which has already been posted but more details are available and since this remains questionable to YOU (it is not questioned by myself) the burden of researching this matter remains with you.
SWR also wrote
I'll be the bigger man and not respond to the childish personal attacks
My statements were not intended as a personal attack, merely an observation on your posting habits, which are of a pattern which is negative in nature. This apparent stance on your part is not helpful to your finding treasures. It is helpful to treasure hunters to "weed out" false information, but you go far beyond this and cast doubts and aspersions on every source posted, which is in support of the historical reality of lost treasures and/or mines. If you think this is being helpful to your fellow treasure hunters, I must respectfully disagree.
As for your standards of excellence in source materials, I again point out that we are treasure hunters on a family oriented site, not a scholarly forum dedicated to finding out whether the people living in a tent-city portion of a ghost town used grommets in their canvas (yes I was a part of just such a study; interesting but not helpful in any way to finding any treasures) and we do not have the standards of the Encyclopedia Brittanica, which I have also pointed out has been found to have errors. Our standards are of a different nature, perhaps not high enough to suit you personally, but consider that most newspapers require only that a report have a second source to provide "proof" that the report is in fact true, and we have provided a number of sources. They include:
Jesuit historian Father Polzer, highly respected as an expert in the history of Arizona, cited for his recording of Jesuit rules and precepts against mining and business for profit, as well as openly admitting of two instances where Jesuit priests were caught mining and punished for it.
The Royal Geographic Society, respected worldwide for their expertise
The Arizona Bureau of Mines,
Two Governors of Arizona Territory
Jesuit Father Och, and I would point out to you that he was perfectly SAFE when he was writing his memoirs, as he was then in Europe not Sonora
Jesuit Father Nentvig, whose Rudo Ensayo is one of the very few sources we have with good and fairly accurate descriptions of the settlements, mines and geography of the region as it was in the 1760's
Catholic Bishop Palafox, whose letters of complaint against the Jesuits were largely supported by Pope Innocent
The US Superintendant of Mining Statistics
The official history of the City of Guanajuato, Mexico
The internet version history of the city of Pozos, Mexico
Jesuit Father Keller's letter to Father Stiger, reporting on his hiding church valuables
Father Hernando de Cabrero, Visitor on keeping certain communications secret
Photos of various Jesuit churches in the Americas, showing beautiful and rich ornamentation, including one with seven tons of gold
The King of Spain's order expelling the Jesuits
Father Provincial Francisco de Arteaga repeating the rule against Jesuits mining
Father Provincial Andres Javier Garcia repeating the rule against Jesuits mining
Father Alonso de Arrivillaga instructing Jesuits to burn incriminating letters and documents
Thomas Edward Farish, Arizona historian
The public internet site for the city of Cananea, Mexico
A photo of huge furnaces for smelting of silver in Mexico built by Jesuits
Author Robert Cooper West
The internet page on Jesuits in the city of San Luis de la Paz, Mexico
The US Bureau of Statistics, Treasury Department
Mining magazine: devoted to mines, mining operations, metallurgy & c, Volume 8, 1857
Official report upon the mines, mining, metallurgy and mining laws, &c., &c ...
By Henry Davis Hoskold, Argentina. Dirección General MINING AND CIVIL ENGINEER CHIEF OF THE NATIONAL OFFICES OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, reported on many Jesuit mines and included a direct translation of a Jesuit-owned mining claim document.
A report written by a pirate who actually served with Captain Morgan telling of the church riches, The Buccaneers of America, in the original English translation of 1684, by John Esquemeling
Father Alonso de Arrivillaga & Father Provincial Joseph de Arjo
CMK Paulison, Arizona promoter and historian
Auguste Carayon, S. J. Paris <Jesuit Relations, letter from Jesuit on delightful profits they are making which are in direct opposition to the rule against their trade in furs>
Jesuit Father Gravier reporting on his prospecting for mines
Lieutenant Sylvester Mowry, West Point grad and US Boundary Commissioner, a highly respected source I will point out
Ex-jesuit Paul Hoensbroech (Graf von), for his letter of Bishop Palafox and for Jesuit wealth discovered on their arrests and expulsions in Europe
Memoirs of Saint-Simon
Journal of the American Geographical Society of New York
Johannes Janssen, German historian
Jesuit Ernest J. Burrus, editor of Ducrue's account of the Jesuits expulsion from CA
Jesuit Father Baegert, for his reporting that the Jesuits were indeed accused of mining
The Jesuit Relation for 1659 Sent to Reverend Father Claude Boucher, Provincial of the Province of France. reporting on the discovery of a gold vein which the Jesuits kept their lay workmen from by pretending it was "brass" which would not occur in nature that way
Harper's Magazine, highly respected for their Civil War coverage
The resources of Arizona: its mineral, farming, and grazing lands, towns ...
By Patrick Hamilton, Arizona. Legislative Assembly 1881
The New York Times
Frank S. Ingalls Report to Congress of 1906
Reports from the consuls of the United States, Issues 81-84
By United States. Bureau of Foreign Commerce, 1887
Bishop Antonio de los Reyes <ornaments in the missions as you found them after Jesuit expulsion>
The hand-book to Arizona: its resources, history, towns, mines, ruins and ...
By Richard Josiah Hinton 1878
New Mexico, her natural resources and attractions: By Elias Brevoort, 1874, self-published but with excellent sources listed in his preface
The US Forest Service for their definition of mining
Papal Bull Dominus ac Redemptor signed by Pope Clement XIV
The National Park Service (holds many interesting Jesuit and Spanish colonial documents)
New Advent.org a Catholic run website, historical data on Jesuit punishments for Indians
Codelco Chile Corporation (a mining company which owns a former Jesuit mine in Chile)
Martin Hunter, former official of the Hudson Bay Company
A candid history of the Jesuits By Joseph McCabe
History of the north Mexican states, Volume 1 By Hubert Howe Bancroft, Henry Lebbeus Oak, Joseph Joshua Peatfield, William Nemos
Right Reverend Father Ignacio Maria de Retana,Right Reverend Father Guardian Fray, Francisco Villegas Garsina y Orosco, Royal Vicar-General of the Royal and Distinguished Jesuit Order of Saint Ignacio of Tayopa, and Jesuit of the Great Faculty of the Province of Sonora and Biscalla
The history of California By Franklin Tuthill, SAN FRANCISCO HH BANCROFT & COMPANY 1866
Ecuador: its ancient and modern history, topography and natural resources ... By Charles Reginald Enock,NEW YORK 1914
History of the Jesuits: from the foundation of their society to ..., Volume 1 By Andrew Steinmetz, pp 421 PHILADELPHIA LEA AND BLANCHARD 1848
"Jesuit Saints and Blesseds" a website OF the Society of Jesus
Mindat.org, an internet database of mines around the world
COUNTY RESOURCE SERIES No 1 SEPT 26 1916 SANTA CRUZ COUNTY ARIZONA THE OLDEST MINING REGION OF RECORD ON THE PACIFIC OF THE UNITED STATES By Allen T Bird University of Arizona
Mission Guevavi excavation by William J. Robinson, published in the KIVA, vol 42, No. 2. 1976
Luz de Tierra Incognita by Spanish Captain Juan Mateo Manje, who accompanied Father Kino on some of his explorations
Jesuit Father and now Saint Eusebio Kino
The Bankers' magazine, and statistical register, Volume 32 Arizona and Silver Mining, George R Gibson April 1878
Reverend Victor B. Stoner's 1937 Thesis, titled "THE SPANISH MISSIONS OF THE SANTA CRUZ VALLEY."
New Handy Atlas By McNally and Co Rand, Rand McNally and Company, Chigaco and New York, 1892
Statistics of Mines and Mining in the States and Territories West of the LETTER from THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY by United States Dept of the Treasury, Rossiter Worthington Raymond, United States Commissioner of Mining Statistics, GEO S BOUTWELL Secretary of the Treasury 1871
Terry's Mexico: handbook for travellers, SONORA NEWS COMPANY Callé de las Estaciones 12 Mexico City Mexico T. Philip Terry, 1911
A letter from Captain Juan Bautista de Anza to Bishop Benito Crespo, January 7, 1737
Modern History being a continuation of the Universal History Volume 39
By George Sale, George Psalmanazar, Archibald Bower, George Shelvocke, John Campbell, John Swinton, London 1763
In response to the various information posted to try to settle this whole matter,
you have repeatedly denounced all of it as,
Speculative, Self-interpreted, Bizarre, Made-up, Nothing, assumptions, 5000 words of speculation repeated over and over, not helpful, something somebody interpretated of what might have been thinking, conspiracy theories, ya got nothing, no historical facts, legends and folklore, proof reading and fact checking went out the window when this little ditty went to print, No, you haven't provided any references or sources validating your theory, these conspiracy theories, Only rumor/hearsay/speculation
...these comments interspersed with sarcasms as...
"yeppers, here ya go, OK times up, conspiracy theorists such as yourself,Jesuit Treasures...are they real? Nope. Has anyone ever found any Jesuit Treasures? Nope,Using gollum's flawed logic....those who believe are simply showing their ignorance drink the kool-aid kinda gimmicks, That's kind of a stretch, ain't it? cheap shots, That's how conspiracy theorists create something out of thin air. You just made that up, every conspiracy theorists dream. Roy...you seem to do a lot of copy/pasting off the internet without checking the credentials, You just now made that up STOP making stuff up, You seem to accept anything written...without question or examination, as evidence."
."
& similar rather as if you are baiting for some kind of flame war.
As for your expectation and demand to see Jesuit documents which will prove this whole case beyond a shadow of a doubt, I will point out to you
"Rule 21 orders that Ours will not communicate to laymen anything that redounds to the discredit of Our Missionaries" so it will be a rare document indeed.
Now I and most of us here have made every attempt to be respectful and civil in our responses, but your constant denials and dismissals studded with sarcasm could test the patience of Job himself. You will likely see this whole post as some kind of a personal attack, which it is not intended to be - I am trying to show you how much you have denounced as sources and how your posts are coming across. You are not satisfied with the case as presented, well that is no skin off my nose whether you agree that Jesuit treasures and mines are real or not. If you had a real interest in the subject you would do some of your own research instead of just belittling and dismissing the source material (and yes conclusions reached) posted by other members of our little community.
You will likely find fault in the fact that I have again re-posted the sources we have cited in our posts, and I have skipped some in that list - it is included for the sake of pointing up just how much you are dismissing, and I would add that there is MUCH more than what has been posted - you would learn this if you did any research into this whole matter.
If anything I have said is offensive to you (or anyone) my apologies are now offered, for none of it is intended to be offensive. I do hope you and yours (and everyone reading our public debate) will have a very happy and prosperous new year, and that you will find the treasures that you seek.
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Roy ~ Oroblanco