1835.] Note on the Gold Washings of the Gdmti River. 279 



V. — Note on the Gold Washings of the Gumti River. By Lieut. 



Cautley, Beng. Art. 



In the 18th volume of the Asiatic Researches (Physical Class), the 

 occurrence of gold in the line of mountains skirting the foot of the 

 Himalayas has been brought to notice by Captain Herbert, and as in 

 his specification of the points where it has been found, he has drawn 

 our attention chiefly to the Ramgunga, and its tributaries east-ward of 

 the Ganges, and has not noticed the tract of mountains upon which the 

 town of Nahun stands : and as in the system adopted by the natives 

 in washing the sand, as described in the paper alluded to, there is 

 some difference from that of the Nahun washers ; it will be perhaps 

 interesting, not only to bring forward this new locality, but also to 

 shew the simple means adopted in procuring the mineral. 



The late grand discoveries of organic remains in the hills under 

 Nahun, and the consequent desire of prosecuting the inquiry as far as 

 means would allow, have like many other searches led to the discovery 

 of an object of a totally different nature from that in pursuit ; nor may 

 we be far wrong in agreeing with Captain Herbert, that the ultimate 

 discovery of gold in abundance in these regions will eventually either 

 benefit some fortunate individual, or else come at once under the eye 

 of the ruling power of the district. 



I will however enter upon the subject of this note, previous to dis- 

 cussing the probabilities of discovering the ore in situ. 



The rivers from the beds of which the sand containing the ore is 

 procured derive their sources solely from this lower tract of mountains, 

 and are not in any way connected with the Himalayas ! There does 

 not appear to be any river free from the ore, although many of them 

 are considered by the washers as more abundant than others, and con- 

 sequently more worthy of their labor : that to which I shall particularly 

 refer is named the Gumti river, which leaves the mountains at the 

 village of Churan ; Gumti being the name of two villages on the 

 right and left of the stream, about three miles in the interior, at which 

 there is a main junction of tributaries ; the river opens into the 

 plains opposite to the town of Sidoura, to the westward, and parallel 

 to the Choura Pani and Markunda river, which carry off the greatest 

 portion of the drainage from the hills directly under the town of 

 Nahun. 



The gold- washers are by no means numerous, and are of the poorest 

 class, depending entirely on their trade for support. The Raja of Nahun 

 levies a tax of a masha per annum on each trough : but although there 

 is no restriction to the number of people employed, as long as this 



