1834.] Gold, by the dry process. 623 



the requisite degree of thinness, and treated in the following manner : 

 — The refiner having selected from some ancient ruined building the 

 oldest bricks he can find, and pounding them into fine dust, proceeds to 

 make up his masala or flux, which is of two kinds : in both the old 

 brick dust predominates, and is considered indispensable to the 

 effiacy of the process. One of the mixtures consists merely of brick- 

 dust two parts, of common salt one part, intimately mixed up and 

 pnunded together : the other and best one is composed of brick- 

 dust two parts, muriate of soda (salt) one part, borax 3th part. 

 The plates of gold being previously smeared over with mustard- 

 seed oil, are piled upon one another to the number of 80 or more, 

 between each pair a thin layer of the above cement being placed. Thus 

 treated, the pile of plates is laid on a smooth and hard earthen floor, 

 and covered with a heap of dry cow-dung (gobarj, which being set fire 

 to, is allowed to burn slowly to ashes, care being taken that but a 

 limited supply of air has access to the fire ; to insure this necessary 

 measure, the process is always carried on in a close room — by which 

 means the fire is so slow and weak, so that fusion of the metal cannot 

 possibly take place. The usual time occupied by the burning of the 

 heap of cow-dung is about 20 minutes, after which, when cold, the 

 plates are removed, and examined. The colour, softness, and shade of 

 yellow left on the touchstone being the guides to their degree of purity. 

 The process is generally repeated three or four times only, when 

 the ore operated on is tolerably pure, or where only inferior gold is 

 wanted ; but is repeated as often as 20 times, when the dust has been 

 of the white* or worst kind, or where good dust is under operation, 

 and the purest gold called kundun is required. The plates puri- 

 fied as above described are melted, and cast into small bars, in which 

 form the metal is bought for making ornaments, &c. The dealers 

 have acquired a wonderful degree of correctness in estimating the 

 value of gold through the tests resorted to by them for this purpose. 

 The touch-stonef is the chief one employed, but they rely mainly on 

 the appearance and weight of the metal. They do not use scales, but 

 by merely taking a bar in the hand, experience enables them to give 

 from its weight, a wonderfully correct estimate of its value ; and he 

 who would expect from using a hydrostatic balance to outwit the 

 native dealer, will find himself fairly and equally matched by the 

 trained fingers and experienced ken of the Katmandu merchant. 



* Most probably having a considerable portion of Tellurium (silver ?) in 

 combination with the gold. 



f The sacred Saligram is the one most used here ; they are very common, 

 which may account for their being employed for profane purposes. 



