28'i TRAVELS IN BRAZIL. 



the mountain, near the house, in a high wall, 

 which would be sufficient to employ the greatest 

 smelting house for several years. The gold is of a 

 proper gold-yellow colour, and occurs between the 

 iron mica-slate, in fine grains, which show many 

 single planes of crystallisation, and are sometimes so 

 grown together, that they form long, thin, reed-like 

 rows, touching one another, several inches long. 

 In the stratified iron-stone, and in the quartz, gold 

 is likewise met with, but still more on the rifts of 

 the massive ironglance. In the rainy season, an 

 impetuous stream falls from the upper part of the 

 mountain, into the hindermost ravine, which forms 

 the bed of the iron mica-slate, brings with it the 

 particles of gold separated fi'om the stratified iron- 

 stone on the top of the mountain, and likewise 

 washes the deposit of the crumbling iron mica-slate. 

 Part of it is conducted into a pond below the 

 fazenda, and the precious metal washed out with 

 the bowl. The gold here acquires a very bright 

 yellow colour in smelting, probably from the con- 

 siderable mixture of manganese, arsenic, and anti- 

 mony, perliaps, too, of a little platina ; at least, 

 our host affirmed that he had already obtained this 

 metal.* 



After we had attended a solemn mass, in the 

 beautiful private chapel of the worthy Sebastian- 

 ista, in the company of liis neighbours, he sent a 



* See Note 2. page 292. 



