1832.] Account of the Salt Mines of the Panjdb. 147 



]\fode of working. 



There were upwards of an hundred persons, men, women, and children, 

 at work in the mine, and their little dim burning lamps on the sides of 

 the cavern and its recesses shone with reflected lustre from the ruby crys- 

 tals of the rock. The cavity has been excavated from the roof downwards. 

 The salt is hard and brittle, so that it splinters when struck with the 

 sledge-hammer and pick-axe. The rock is never blasted with gun-pow- 

 der, from fear of the roof falling in ; and accidents of this kind sometimes 

 happen in the present simple mode of excavation. The mines are not 

 worked for two months during the rains for the same reason. The 

 miners live in villages among the hills. They have a most unhealthy 

 complexion, but do not appear to be subject to any particular disease. 

 They receive a rupee for every 20 maunds of salt brought to the surface ; 

 a task which may be performed by a man, his wife, and child, in two 

 days. In those mines, where the mineral is near the surface, it is hewn 

 into blocks of four maunds, two of which load a camel, but it is usually 

 broken in small pieces. This salt holds a high reputation throughout 

 India with native practitioners, from its medical virtues. It is not 

 pure, having a considerable mixture of some substance (probably mag- 

 nesia), which renders it unfit for curing meat. The natives of the 

 Panjab ascribe the prevalance of nazla to its effects. That disease is 

 said to consist of a running at the nostrils, which wastes the brain and 

 stamina of the body ; with what truth I know not. 



Sup-ply. 



As the salt range contains a supply which is inexhaustible, the mines 

 yield any quantity that may be desired. Two thousand five hundred 

 maunds of Lahore, one of which is equal to one hundred pounds Eng- 

 lish, are extracted daily, which gives about eight lacs of maunds for the 

 year. A few years since this salt was sold at the mine for a half and 

 even a quarter of a rupee per maund, but its price has been now raised to 

 two rupees per maund, exclusive of duties. It is closely monopolized 

 by the Panjab Government, and Runjit Sinh hopes to derive an annual 

 revenue of sixteen lacs of rupees, with 2^- additional for the duties. A 

 lac and a half of rupees however is expended in working the mineral. 

 The profits amount to about 1100 percent, though the salt is sold for 

 one-third the price of that of Bengal, which averages 5 Rupees per 

 maund of 80 lbs.* The Punjab salt is exported by the Jclum to Mut- 

 ton and Bhazsalpur, where it meets that of the Sdmar lake. It finds its 

 way to the banks of the Jumna and to Kashmir, but it is not exported 



* Vide Mr. Ramsay's Evidence before the Committee of the Lords. 



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