K65 



GOLD. 



GOLD. 



1066 



powder. Moreover the pyrites give off sulphur when strongly heated, 

 while gold melts without any such odour. 



Native Gold is to a large extent obtained from alluvial washings. 

 It is also found disseminated through certain rocks, especially quartz 

 and talcose rocks, and it is often contained in pyrites, constituting 

 the auriferous pyrites ; the detritus affording gold-dust has proceeded 

 from some gold-bearing rocks. 



Gold is widely distributed over the globe. It occurs in Brazil 

 (where formerly a great part of that used was obtained), along the chain 

 of mountains which runs nearly parallel with the coast, especially 

 near Villa Rica, and in the province of Minas Geraes ; in New Granada, 

 at Antioquia, Choco, and Orion ; in Chili ; sparingly in Peru and 

 Mexico ; in the southern of the United States. In Europe it is most 

 abundant, in Hungary, at Kb'nigsberg, Schemnitz, and Felsobanya, 

 and in Transylvania, at Kapnik, Vorospatak, and Offenbanya; it 

 occurs also in the sands of the Rhine, the Reuss, and the Aar ; on the 

 southern slope of the Pennine Alps, from the Simplon and Monte 

 Rosa to the valley of Aosta ; in Piedmont; in Spain, formerly worked 

 in Asturias ; in the county of Wicklow in Ireland ; and in Sweden at 

 Edelfors. In the Ural Mountains there are valuable mines, also in 

 the Cailles Mountains in Little Tibet. There are mines in Africa at 

 Kordofan, between Dar-fur and Abyssinia ; also south of Sahara, in 

 the western part of Africa from Senegal to Cape Palmas ; also along 

 the coast opposite Madagascar, between 22 and 23 S. lat., supposed 

 to have been the Ophir of the time of Solomon. Other regions in 

 which gold is found are China, Japan, Formosa, Ceylon, Java, 

 Sumatra, and the Philippines. 



Until lately nearly all the gold of commerce came from Asiatic 

 Russia and Mexico, but recent discoveries of gold in California and 

 Australia have opened new and vast sources of supply. 



From 1600 to 1700 the entire supply of gold for Europe was 

 obtained from America, whose mines are estimated in the one hundred 

 years to have produced 337,500,000^. worth of the precious metal. 

 During the 18th century the supply of gold and silver was still 

 mainly derived from the Americas, the great mine of Valenciana, 

 producing 125,000t sterling per annum for 40 years, and the district 

 of Zaccatecas adding largely to the amount, although these were 

 rapidly failing towards the end of the century. A great increase of 

 gold was produced from the mines of Russia, which are still very 

 productive; they are principally alluvial washings, and these washings 

 seldom yield more than 65 grains of gold for 4000 Ibs. of soil, never 

 more than 120 grains. The alluvium is generally most productive, 

 where the loose material is most ferruginous. The mines of 

 Ekaterinburg are in the parent rock a quartz constituting veins in 

 a half-decomposed granite called Beresite, which is connected with 

 talcose and chloritic schists. The shafts are sunk vertically in the 

 beresite, seldom below 25 feet, and thence lateral galleries are run to 

 the veins. These mines afforded between the years 1725 and 1841 

 679 poods of gold, or about 30,000 Ibs. troy. The whole of the 

 Russian mines yielded in 1842, 970 poods of gold, or 42,000 Ibs. 

 troy, half of which was from Siberia, east of the Urals. In 1843 the 

 yield was nearly 60,000 Ibs. troy; in 1845, 62,000 Ibs. troy; and in 

 1846, 75,353 Ibs. 



In the five following years to 1851 nearly 296,932 Ibs. troy weight 

 of gold have been raised in Russia. 



At the Transylvania mines the gold is obtained by mining, and 

 these mines have been worked since the time of the Romans. The 

 annual yield of Europe exclusive of Russia is not above 250,OOOJ. 

 The sands of the Rhone, Rhine, and Danube contain gold in small 

 quantities. The sands of the richest quality contain only about 56 

 parts of gold in 100,000,000. Sands containing less than half this 

 proportion are worked. Africa yields annually at least 4500 Ibs. troy, 

 and Southern Africa 1250 Ibs. The mines of the United States have 

 lately produced about 1,000,000 dollars a year. 



In South America the gold region of California extends aloug the 

 valley of the Sacramento and the valley of San Joaquin, immediately 

 south. The gold occurs in flattened grains, or scales, and occasionally 

 in lumps of large size. The yield is enormous. The amount 

 received at the mint in the United States in 1851 was at the rate 

 of 32,000,000 dollars a year. The aggregate production of gold in 

 South America does not appear to have increased within the last five 

 years. The rate of produce in the Australian mines is as follows : 

 The Sydney district produced from 29th May 1851 to 31st October 

 1851, 67,152 oz. gold, value 214,886^., or to November 1851, 79,340 ox. 

 gold, value at 257,855/. 7., and to December 31, 142,975 oz. gold, 

 value 464,668/. 15. In the Victoria district to the end of December 

 1851, Ballarat produced 25,108 oz., value 75,3242. ; Mount Alexander, 

 30,007 oz., value 96,02U. In December there was shipped from 

 Victoria 145,11 oz , on the 8th January, 75,188 oz. Only about two- 

 fifths of the gold realised is sent by the Government escort, hence 

 there is much difficulty in arriving at the actual amount. But the 

 imports to this country may be safely relied on as representing the 

 maximum produce of our colonial gold-fields, and the auriferous 

 districts of America. 



From November 1850 to June 1851 the IJank of England issued 

 9,500,000 sovereign*, being at the rate of 18,000,000 a year, and so 

 great is the increasing demand for gold coins, that the rate of 

 production can scarcely keep pace with it. 



It may be interesting to know that from the account kept at the 

 Bank when the light coin was called in, in 1842, that 12,000,0002. 

 were received light, and 36,000,0002. still circulated of full weight ; 

 40,000,0002. may therefore be regarded as the quantity of gold coin 

 in circulation, allowing from 3 to 4 per cent, for the natural wear of 

 the coin. The following table gives over an extended period the 



Coinage of Great Britain. 



Total coinage of 32 years ending 1847 : Gold, 90,029,3832. ; Silver. 

 13,390,000. ; Copper, 248,2102. 



A large quantity of gold is consumed every year in arts and manu- 

 factures, and thus regularly removed from the stock of our circulating 

 wealth. In Birmingham not less than 1000 oz. of fine gold are used 

 every week, and the weekly consumption of gold leaf is as follows : 



Ounces. 



London 400 



Edinburgh 35 



Birmingham 70 



Manchester 40 



Dublin 12 



Liverpool . . . . ' . . . . 15 



Leeds 6 



Glasgow 6 



Total 584 weekly, 



of which not one-tenth can be recovered. For gilding metals by the 

 electrotype and the water-gilding processes not less than 10,000 oz. 

 of gold are required annually. One establishment in the Potteries 

 employs 35002. worth of gold per annum, and nearly 20001. worth 

 is used by another. The consumption of gold in the Potteries of 

 Staffordshire for gilding porcelain and making crimson and rose-colour 

 varies from 7000 to 10,000 oz. per annum. 



The Indus and the Euphrates were the earliest spots whence man 

 obtained the precious metal gold Nubia and Ethiopia on the south, 

 and Siberia on the north next opened out their auriferous treasure to 

 gratify human necessity and to indulge human luxury. Europe then 

 began to unfold her golden stores, and Illyria and the Pyrenees, 

 together with the laud of the Hungarians and many parts of Ger- 

 many to the Rhine, were sought successfully for gold. Our islands 

 yielded something to the store, and then the New World of the 

 Americans opened by Columbus a source from which the Old World 

 was to supply its golden waste. On and on still westward rolled the 

 golden ball, until at length it rested in California ; Europe and Asia 

 rush equally to that new El Dorado, and the man of China is found 

 at the side of the English gold streamer. Then, as if to double the 

 girdle, the islands of the Pacific and our own Australia open their 

 exceeding stores. (Hunt.) 



Australia is undoubtedly the most important gold-bearing district 

 in relation to Great Britain. Her shores are now being crowded with 

 emigrants from the mother country seeking the precious metal, and 

 in proportion to her population she is now undoubtedly, in this point 

 of view, the richest country of the world. For the purpose of guid- 

 ing those who are seeking Australia on account of its gold, the 

 professors of Natural Science, in the Museum of Practical Geology, 

 delivered a course of lectures in the summer of 1852. These lectures 

 were as follows : - 



1. ' The Geology of Australia, with Especial Reference to the Gold 

 Regions,' by J. Beete Jukes, M.A. F.G.S., Local Director of the Geolo- 

 gical Survey of Ireland ; author of ' Sketch of the Physical Structure 

 of Australia.' 



2. ' On our Knowledge of Australian Rocks as derived from their 

 Organic Remains,' by Edward Forbes, F.R.S. 



8. ' The Chemical Properties of Gold, and the Mode of Distinguish- 

 ing it from other Substances resembling it,' by Lyon Playfair, C.B. 

 F.H.S. 



4. ' The Dressing or Mechanical Preparation of Gold Ores," by 

 W. W. Smith, M.A. F.G.S. 



5. ' The Metallurgical Treatment and Assaying of Gold Ores,' by 

 John Percy, M.D. F.R.S. 



6. 'The History and Statistics of Gold,' by Robert Hunt, keeper of 

 Mining Records. 



