﻿246 PICTORIAL MISCELLANY. 



When the gold is thus amalgamated with the quicksil /er, a full 

 stream of water is let into the vessel, which carries with it the 

 lighter matters, earth, &c., and leaves at the bottom the heavy metal: 

 the amalgam, thus cleansed, is squeezed in a cloth ; and much of 

 the quicksilver being forced out, the remainder is driven off by fire, 

 which leaves the gold pure. 



When the miners suspect gold to be in the bed of a river, they 

 turn the stream away from those spots in which they conceive it 

 may lie. Then they loosen the bottom of the river, by digging ; 

 and in this loosened state the soil is easily washed off by the current, 

 which is let in suddenly for the purpose ; and a stiff earth remains, 

 in which the gold is concealed. The waters are again turned off, 

 and the workmen dig up this earth, which they carry away to the 

 lavaderos, or washing places. Here it is kept continually stirred 

 with iron hooks and rakes, while water, rushing in, carries away 

 the earthy matter ; and the gold, from its weight, falls to the bottom. 

 Still it is mingled with a black heavy sand, which hides the gold, 

 unless there be a few lumps larger than the general size ; and, to 

 get rid of this sand, it is put in successive portions into a shallow 

 dish, deepest in the middle, and filled up with water. With their 

 spread fingers the workmen then whirl the whole round and round; 

 so that the water and sand may pass over the edges of the dish, and 

 the pure grains of gold remain in the central hollow. This gold is 

 obtained without the aid of quicksilver or fire. 



Brazil is, perhaps, one of the two richest gold countries in the 

 world. The discovery of her gold mines was made by a party of 

 soldiers, who were sent into the inland provinces to quell an insur- 

 rection, and found among the natives son>e fishhooks made of gold. 

 On inquiry they were informed that the gold was brought down 

 from the mountains by the floods, when the torrents came rushing 

 into the valleys. This was enough to instigate a diligent search. 

 It is true, only a few veins of gold were discovered, but the quantity 

 of grains found after the flood exceeded belief. This searching for 

 gold is now the employment of negroes, who have this privilege, 

 that if any one brings the quantity required of him, his master can- 

 not demand of him any more. Should he find more, it becomes his 

 own property; and, if he can save enough of it, he may purchase 

 his freedom. 



