Real Del Monte Mining Company, Subscription on Four Shares, 1840, to John Saunders Esq., printed by Arthur Taylor, 3 Coleman Street and numbered 10541-10544.

* The silver mines surrounding Real del Monte were the source of more than half the silver produced during the 300 years that Spain rule Mexico (1521–1821). By 1824, however, they were in bad condition and were bought by a group of English investors. To get the mines working again, the investors formed the Company of the Gentlemen Adventurers in the Mines of Real del Monte, and recruited more than 130 miners and engineers from Cornwall. When they arrived a year later in Veracruz, some never got any further, falling victim to an outbreak of yellow fever. It took the others more than a year to reach Real del Monte, hauling their Cornish steam engines through marshes and rainforests with the help of donkeys. The famous engines were used to drain the water in the Cornish mines and would do the same job in Mexico. The mines in Pachuca and Real del Monte (officially Mineral del Monte since 1869) had long been flooded and badly needed modernising. These Cornish technicians and their machines were able to fulfill both requirements. The first wave of Cornish miners and engineers were followed by many others. In the 1830's and 1840's, up to 350 were working in the surrounding mines. They were recruited through family networks with most coming from the towns of Camborne, Redruth and Gwennap. While some eventually returned to England, others chose to remain in Mexico.

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