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LVIIL—ON THE MODE OF OCCURRENCE AND DISTRIBU- 
TION OF GOLD IN INDIA, sy V. BALL, ma., F.G3s., 
GroLocicaL Survey oF Inpia, Hon. Sec., Royan GEroLoGIcAL 
Society oF IRELAND. 
[Read 19th May, 1880.] 
THE first remark which I would make is, that I have somewhat 
modified and generalized the title of this paper, as in the original 
form the reference to “recent discoveries in the Madras Presi- 
dency ” was, perhaps, calculated to mislead. Though there have 
been recent most important researches in connexion with the 
occurrence of gold in Southern India, so far as I know, they 
cannot strictly be described as new discoveries. There is the 
most complete evidence that gold has not only been long known 
to exist, but that it has been worked and sought for in these 
regions from a very distant period. 
The subject of Indian gold is one of vast extent. Not only 
does the precious metal occur under varying circumstances over 
a wide area of country, but the methods of extraction practised 
by the natives seem to have originated long before the Christian 
era, and the out-turn gradually accumulated through long periods 
of time even by such imperfect operations, may not impossibly 
account for the great stores of gold which, according to historians, 
were undoubtedly possessed by the Rajas in some parts of India 
formerly. 
Thus there may be said to be two wholly distinct aspects of the 
question: I. The Geological. II. That which belongs to the pro- 
vince of the Antiquarian, Historian, and Political Economist. It 
will be possible for me to allude only very briefly to the second 
aspect, since not only are many of the necessary works of reference 
inaccessible to me at present, but also because such a topic requires 
the hand of a specialist in that kind of inquiry for its adequate 
treatment. 
The ultimate derivation of the gold throughout India is chiefly 
from the quartz veins which occur in the different series of 
more or less metamorphosed rocks which are recognized as 
existing in that country. I say chiefly because I have reason to 
believe that in some localities gold is contained in certain chloritic 
schists, and possibly, too, in some forms of gneiss. Proximately 
