29!? Di'fcnption of the Ijlaml of CelchtS, 



no pafTage for the water, they mull bale it out till they arrjve 

 at the ftones. Thcfe they wafli clean, and build them up re- 

 gularly around the fidts of the pit, but without lime or mor- 

 tar, to prevent the earth from falling in. When the pit is 

 carried to a verv great depth, they fecure thcfe ftones by means- 

 of boards and beams of wood. Thefe poor miners find fome- 

 times Itoncs of from three to four and five hundred weight, 

 which they are obliged to raife and remove from the pit with- 

 out any other machines than a common wooden lever. 



When all the earth, clav, dirt, and Hones have been 

 thrown from the pit, and a kind of black fand begins to 

 appear, they are then fu re that they fliall find gold. This 

 fand they take up in a kind of fmall Ihovels made for the 

 purpofe; and, having placed thcmfelves in the water, they 

 put one handful of the fand after another on fmall round 

 \\ooden diflies named dulangs. Thefe duliuigs are about 

 eighteen inches in diameter and fomcwhat hollow, and 

 have a fmall cavity in the middle which can be clofcd with 

 a wooden cover. When all the fond has been waflied from 

 the dulang by bciitg continually ftirred round with, the hand, 

 the gold, which is much heavier, remains in the above- 

 mentioned cavity. When it can receive no more, they take 

 the o-old which has been collefted, and hokl it over the fire 

 in a coco-nut fliell till it is dry ; after which they blow away 

 the remaining fand as well as they can, and prefer\'e the pare 



goltl. 



When thev diiif a hill or mountain which is fitnated clofe 

 to a river, thev employ another method to obtain the gold. 

 In this cafe thev make a pit at the edge of the river, conduit 

 into it as much water as they have occafion for, throw into 

 it the earth they have dug up, and wafli it till nothing re- 

 mains but the bkck fand mixed with gold ; after which they 

 wafli it in their du longs, as already dcfcrlbed. This is the 

 eafieft method of procuring gold, provided it can be employed. 

 Thev have, liowever, a third method; but it can be ufedonly 

 in mines newly difcovered. They go into tlie river with 3 

 bafket on their back, and a piece of iron refembling a thick 

 chifcl, which has a wooden handle, and fearch the fiflures- 

 and crevices oi' the rocks, where they fometimes find lumps- 



5 



of 



