﻿394 I'rof. Milne — Across Europe and Asia. 



my visit these mines have yielded a little more than 609 ponds 

 (21,924 lbs.) of gold from the stamping of 47,639,874 ponds of ore. 

 This gives an average of 4f|- zol (zol=iVoz.) of gold for 100 ponds 

 of ore (1 poud=361bs.). Some of the veins have yielded as much 

 as an ounce to the ton, and some of the alluvium 12oz. to 1^ tons. 

 As an average analysis, out of 96 parts of gold, about 90 will be 

 pure gold, whilst the remaining six parts will be silver, copper, 

 and iron. 



The only excursion which I made in the neighbourhood of 

 Ekaterinburg besides that to Beresovsk was to Nijni Tagil, one 

 of the great centres of the Ural mining operations. This lies about 

 156 versts in a north-west direction from Ekaterinburg. Not- 

 withstanding the roughness of the roads, the snow, rain, frost, 

 and general hardship of the journey, — which was of necessity per- 

 formed " pereclodnoi," that is, in post carriages or carts, from which 

 you and your baggage change at every station, — I never regret the 

 undertaking, on account of the great interest and information I 

 derived. On a greater part of the road, away upon our left, we 

 could see the low, black-looking hills of the Urals, which in places 

 rose in peaks and hummocks. The outlines were smooth, and there 

 was nothing very striking in the scenery. About half way we 

 passed a small gold-mine upon the left side of the road, where they 

 were winding auriferous gravel from a pit. In some places, instead 

 of sinking shafts to the auriferous bed, it has been thought just 

 as economical, and more satisfactory, to remove the whole of the 

 superincumbent strata. This was carried out to a great extent at 

 the Tabalour mine, which lies about seventy versts north from 

 Beresovsk, where the overlying strata, seventy feet in thickness, 

 were removed in a series of parallel step-like benches. 



By some miners it is said that gold never occurs on the European 

 or western side of the Urals. Such a rule, although I believe it has 

 a few exceptions, at once suggests that it is towards the mountains 

 of Central Asia that we must look for the origin of the auriferous 

 gravels which cover so many of the Siberian plains and valleys. 



Another miner's rule, when prospecting for gold upon the flanks 

 of the Qrals, is to look upon all such slopes as probably auriferous 

 excepting those facing the north-east. Although it is difficult to 

 give a satisfactory explanation of such phenomena, we should by 

 no means be justified in doubting their truth without first thoroughly 

 examining the evidence upon which they are based. After leaving 

 Ekaterinburg, we had twenty-four hours of continuous travelling 

 before we entered Nijni Tagil. The town is situated in a hollow 

 along the banks of a shallow sharp-running stream. Looking down 

 upon this sheltered spot are the round knobbed hills and ridges of 

 the Urals. The very life of Tagil is in its mining and metallurgical 

 works. The chief of these are iron, copper, and gold. Many 

 English travellers have visited this place, including Murchison, 

 who, from his researches in this and neighbouring districts, gave 

 the first impetus to the study of Eussian geology. Since his time, 

 however, many changes have taken place. This is especially 



