542 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 
BurmManH.—tThe following facts are taken from a paper by Dr. 
Oldham, entitled “ Notes on Specimens of Gold and Gold dust 
procured near Shue Gween, in the province of Martaban, 
Burmah,’* 
“‘ Gold-bearing sands and nuggets were forwarded from Shue Gween 
to Dr. Oldham who obtained from the former, amounting to about the 
fifth of a cubic foot in bulk, -75 of a grain of gold by washing and 0-20 
by the aid of mercury=‘95. The sand consisted of particles of meta- 
morphic rocks. The gold on assay proved to consist of 92 per cent. of 
pure gold and 8 per cent. of silver.” 
The natives washed in the Shue Gween river from time immemorial, 
and under the Burmese Government there was a Farmer General who 
paid a certain sum to the royal treasury and sub-let the privilege of 
washing to numbers of persons.” 
Mr. Theobald, of the Geological Survey, writes as follows 
regarding gold in the Irrawadi:—f 
“‘ Gold uccurs in the bed of the Irrawadi, but in such fine dust and so 
sparingly that few engage in the task of washing for it. I am told that 
it is occasionally washed before Prome, but the only spot where I have 
witnessed the process is at Shuaygyeing (Gold scratching), not to be con- 
founded with Shuay Gyeen on the Sittoung, just above Monyo, where a 
little gold is obtained. The gold is found in a coarse gravel bank, left 
dry by the river when it subsides after the rains.” 
“This coarse gravel is dug out and laid on a sort of hurdle, which 
permits the fine sand to pass through, the coarse pebbles and boulders 
being rejected. This sand is washed on an inclined board ; the lighter 
portion being gradually swept down the incline by a stream of water 
directed over it, whilst the heavy auriferous sand remains, and is from 
time to time collected. This sand is lastly washed in the common 
wooden hand dish, of circular form, and the gold it contains collected by 
amalgamation. The profits of this pursuit are small, and the labour 
great ; the men not netting more than two or three annas a day profit, 
which must be regarded as a miserable remuneration, where the ordinary 
hire for a Cooly is eight annas, or twice that at the rice ports during 
the shipping season.” 
In another paper on the “ Metalliferous resources of British 
Burmah,” Mr. Theobald says :—* 
“Though of slight economic importance, gold occurs in most parts of 
Burmah, but is very little worked within British territory, which I 
attribute to the higher and more certain remuneration there obtainable 
for agricultural or other labour ; and gold working is therefore pursued 
mainly in bad seasons, or as an exceptional means of industry taken up 
merely now and again.” 
* “Mem. Geological Survey of India,” Vol. I., p. 94. 
+ Ibidem, Vol. X., p. 343. 
t “ Records Geol. Survey of India,” Vol. VI., p. 95. 
