^he Bijhop of handaff on Orichakum. 



made of Indian copper ; * from which it appears, 

 not only that the Indians were not deRitute of 

 copper, but that they were {kilful nnetallurgifts, 

 lince they knew how to flux it, to form it into 

 veflels of various kinds, and to gild it. Per- 

 haps, this Indian copper, of which the veflfels 

 were made, inftead of being gilr, only refembled 

 gold in colour, and was really a fort of brafs. It 

 is granted that this is but a conjefture, but it is 

 not devoid of probability ; for, not to mention 

 that the author, whoever he was, from whom 

 Strabo extraded this account, might, in a pub- 

 lic exhibition, have eafily miftaken polifhed brafs 

 for gilt copper, nor the little probability, that 

 cauldrons, and kettles, and fuch velTels as were 

 in conft^nt^ ufe, would be gilded in any country, 

 we have reafon to believe, from what has been 

 obferved before, that a peculiar kind of veflcls, 

 probably refembling fome of thofe exhibited in 

 the Indian fettivals, had been long in ufe in 

 Ferfiay and that they were made of Indian cop- 

 per without any gilding. We know that there 

 is found in India, not only copper (hidly fo 

 called, but zinc alfo, which being mixed with 

 copper conftitutes brafs, pinchbeck, tombac, 

 fimilor, and all the other metallic mixture? 

 which refemble gold in colour. On the whole, 

 it appears probr.ble to me, that brafs wa? 



* Id. LXXVI, 



ma4e 



