26 



from Nerwar; that this iron-earth was sold at the mines for two 

 pice, or one penny for a bullock-load, and was delivered to the 

 smiths at Baroy, seven miles from the spot, at the rale of two ru- 

 pees and a half for a hundred maunds, or about six shillings for 

 nearly three thousand pounds weight of earth. Each bullock- 

 load of earth, purchased at the mines for two pice, produced on 

 an average twenty-five seers of iron, certainly above twenty 

 pounds English weight. 



This very low price of earth, and the great proportion of metal 



it contains, renders the value of iron extremely cheap; yet not 



so much so, as from these circumstances might be expected: this 



is accounted for from the great scarcity of charcoal, without which 



nothing can be done; none can be procured nearer than twelve 



miles, and there it sells for half a rupee the bullock load. The 



smith whom I first visited conducted me to several other forges; 



the process was the same in all, and the same weight of metal was 



generally extracted from the same quantity of iron earth. He also 



procured a guide to attend us to the mines, as soon as the moon 



arose the next morning. We then set off about two o'clock, and 



leaving the Gwalier road on the left, traversed a cultivated plain 



for three miles, until we reached a village called Naigow, where 



we found a number of smiths working at this early hour. Our 



guide expressing some doubts respecting the road to the mines, 



they readily supplied us with another, who leaving all regular 



paths led us over a wild scene of hills and dales until about five 



miles further we reached the mines just as the day dawned, time 



enough to see several loads of iron earth drawn up by torch light. 



.1 have not language to convey an adequate idea of the scene. 



