262 Johdle and its former Dependencies of [May, 



The Panghiild of Gominchi first levied a tenth on the produce of 

 these mines, but in consequence of large quantities of gold dust being 

 secretly carried off, before the tenth had been levied, he substituted a 

 sort of poll tax, amounting to a maiam of gold per annum, from each 

 person working at the mines. 



The Panghahi of Joh6le is in the habit of sending five or six buffaloes 

 a year to the mines, receiving for every head of cattle two taels of gold. 



These heavy drawbacks have caused the mines to become unpro- 

 fitable to the speculators, and almost deserted. The former of these 

 imposts, I believe, could readily be endured ; but the latter ad libitum 

 sort of exaction destroys all hope of reasonable profit. 



The following is an estimnte of the various degrees of purity of 



gold dust, produce of the peninsula. It will be necessary to premise, 



that mixta, is a term denoting the degrees of fineness for gold, of 



which there are 10, as fixed by the native assayers. Gold of 10 mutd 



is equal therefore to gold of 24 carats : gold not reaching eight mutd 



is called mas mdda, or young gold; and gold from eight to 10 mutd, mas 



tdah, or old gold. 



Gold of Reccan, 9§ mutu 



Mount Ophir 9i „ 



Ch imendros and! QI 



Taon, J y2 " 



Pahang, ~\ 



Jellye, I „ r 



Tringdnu, f * " 



Calantan, J 



From Calantan gold of 10 mdtd is sometimes obtained. 



The assayers of gold are generally Chuliahs or Klings, who acquire 

 by constant practice the power of determining to the fraction of a 

 mdtd the purity of any specimen of gold dust brought from the east- 

 ward*. As they would be perhaps liable to imposition were this the 

 only trial they subjected the metal to, they have recourse to the 

 Battu uji or touchstone. This is a roughish black stone, apparently 

 basalt, brought from continental India, and generally set in a small 

 frame of bronze or brass. 



The assaying needles are generally from 20 to 24 in number, ranged 

 on a string, and alloyed in known proportions of copper and silver, 

 marked on the surface, from three to 9 J mdtd. The needle and gold 

 to be assayed are rubbed on the touchstone in parallel streaks, in the 

 usual manner ; a lump of the adhesive wax called Lilin kaldldt is then 

 applied to the surface of the touch-stone, which brings off the two thin 

 lamina of gold. 



* Tlie natives are, I believe, totally ignorant of the assay by cupellation and 

 acids. 



