MI SERA LOGY. 9 



Mr. Fedden saw people wasliinj;- tlie snnds of tlie Salween for f^nld above the Ta-cau 

 feny, and lieard that it was ('(juiul near Baiizoe, in the Myet-s^wo valley, and Dr. 

 Oklhara wrote that in many of tlio streams in the upper part of tlie Irrawaddy gold 

 is washed." The following is a list of the princijial gold localities worked iu 

 Burma according to Dr. Mason : — 



Near the town of Tenasserim. Salween, above Ta-can ferrj'. 



Eastern tributaries of the Tenasserim. Near Dauzee, valley of Myet-gwe. 



Western tributaries, with Tin. Kibiung on the Irrawaddy, and its tribu- 



Upper part of the Tavoy river. fary streams. 



Ilenzai river. Near ThingadLau. 



Shwegyen. Kyen-dwen. 



Iloyan, near the Salween. Near Bhamo. 



Of the Shwegyen gold forwarded to Calcutta by Major Berdmore, Dr. Oldham 

 wrote, " The specimens of gold forwarded consist of varieties ranging from dust 

 of the finest kind that could be mechanically separated, to small ' nuggets.' These 

 (nuggets) very well illustrate the mode of occurrence of the gold in its native 

 state imbedded in quartz, while the other specimens show that the general form in 

 which it is found in these washings is in small rounded flakes, or flattened plates 

 of various sizes. This gold is of considerable jiurity, one specimen was examined 

 with some care, and yielded in 100 parts 92 of gold and 8 of silver. This is 

 sufficient to show that the Shwegyeng gold is fully equal iu value to the average 

 quality of Australian g(jld." 



5Ir. O'Riley also declares that a sample of Tavoy gidd examined in Calcutta 

 by the Assay Master of the j\lint, yielded S8 parts nearly of gold, and 9 of silver, 

 60 that Burmese gold would seem to be alloyed with 8 or 9 per cent, of silver. 



Plaknum. 



riatina (writes Dr. Mason) is found in the neighbourhood of Ava, but we 

 know nothing of it beyond what Col. I'urney wrote a quarter of a century ago. 

 The locality given by Burney is the Kyendween Kiver, and its western tributaries 

 near the town of ' Kanuee.' The Burmese call platina ' Sheen than,' and accordinp- 

 to Burney it is associated with gold, in the small tributaries of the Irrawaddy in 

 the direction of Bhamo. In confirmation of the occurrence of the metal in Burma, 

 Mr. Johnstone, writing to Dr. Mason in April, 1872, says, "I have also heard 

 something of platina, it is found at the place yon mention, also at the Piiver Moo, 

 and at a place on the Upper Irrawaddy, nearly opposite Mogoung. It is found 

 along with the gold by the gold washers, I cannot say in what quantity, as I 

 don't think they look specially for it, neither do I find that they make any use 

 of it." It does not, however, appear that any specimens of platinum have ever 

 been received, and its actual existence therefore rests on a single analysis of a 

 platina ' button ' from Ava, which is certainly remarkable, given by J. Priusep, iu 

 vol. iii. Gleanings of Science, which is as follows : — • 



Platina 35 



Gold 6 



Iridium ) ,_ 



r. ■ \ 40 



Osmium 



} 



Ar.senic ■ ^„ 



Lead ; --" 



100 



Specimens of the metallic substances associated with the gold of the Irrawaddy 

 would be valuable contributions to the Museum in Calcutta, and give certainty 

 to our present vague knowledge of the subject. 



