^he Viffoop of Landaff on Orlchahum. 57 



thing ofity i^£. Geld is not of Jo lively and brilliant 

 a cchur ; 1 be-ieve^ there is jhel mixed wi'.h the gold 

 cn.^ coppe-^-. Me feerns to be in doubt abouc the 

 c ' ution : but very pofitive as to its beauty 

 and high eftimatio 1."* 



T'le firpofition of brafs having been anci- 

 ^ntiv rnadt in india, feems to be rendered im- 

 probuDie by both Pl^}iy and Strubo ; Fliny ex- 

 prefsly ^ayjng, that the Indians had no copper, -|- 

 and wirhouc copper we are cercam that brafs 

 cannot be made ; and Strabo repreieatins; them 

 as \'o ighorant of the art of fluxing metaiSj t that, 

 according to him, if they had been poticfTed of 

 tht- materials, they would not have had the abiliry 

 to ufe them for the compofing of brafs. But 

 thefe wricer^^ it is apprehended, knew very little 

 of India. Strabo, in particular. lan^ients his want 

 of materials to compofe ■' confutenr account of 

 Irau ; and tew of ci^e authors, from whofe works 

 Pliny compiied his natural hiflory, can be fup- 

 pofed to have I' ad any intercourfe with that 

 country. Strabo, moreover, contradifts both 

 Pliny's obfervation, and his own. In defcribing 

 the grrat pomp with which fome of the Indians 

 were accuUomed to celebrate their feftivals, he 

 fpeaks of huge gilt kettles, cups, and tables 



♦ Harmcr's Obf. on Scrip. Vol. II. p. 491. 

 t Hii;. Tsat. L. XXXIV. C. 17. 

 X Geo. L. Xiy.- 



made 



