CHAP. II. 



PERSIA AND INDIA. 39 



which it had existed in the ore was all left, 

 whilst the silver had been taken, and only small 

 particles suffered to remain mingled with the 

 scoriae *. 



The silver and gold collected as tribute in the Persia and 

 capital of the Persian empire, if hoarded there, as 

 seems probable, will serve to account for the vast 

 store found by Alexander in that city and in the 

 surrounding countries. The tribute oflndiaalone 

 would in a few years be almost sufficient to fur- 

 nish a stock of gold, which, when dispersed, would 

 have an effect on the whole of the then known 

 world. We have but few notices of the places 

 from which the gold and silver of India were ob- 

 tained. They are mentioned by Pliny, but not 

 in a way to communicate any precise information 

 of the quantity of their produce ; and the names 

 given to the places in which those metals were 

 found are such as make their situation doubtful. 

 " The Dardaneans," he says, " inhabit a country 

 the richest of all India in gold mines, and the 

 Selians have the most abundant mines of sil- 

 ver 2 ." " In the country of the Naraeans, on 

 the other side the mountain Capitalia, there are 

 a very great number of mines both of gold and 

 silver, in which the Indians work very exten- 

 sively 3 ." "Just without the mouth of the river 



1 Gmelin, vol. 3. p. 300 and 304. 



2 Pliny, b. vi. cap. 19. 



3 Idem, b. vi. cap. 20. 



