1864.] 



The Mines of Khetree in Bajpootana. 



523 



cemented with clay in a most primitive manner PI. III. ; and the nozzles 

 of the bellows are built up in it. The nozzles are earthen tubes which 

 are thickest at the furnace end, and at the top of the thick part is a 

 small air hole, usually closed with a piece of wet rag, but opened 

 now and then to clear the tubes. The other end of the tube is fixed 

 to the bellows bag. The bellows valve is formed by two sticks at the 

 mouth, which are opened when the bag is raised for the admission of 

 air, and closed when the bellows are pressed down with force by the 

 bellows men, who use both hands for the purpose. The upper part of 

 the furnace is formed with rings of fire clay, about 10 inches deep. 

 The bellows are worked on three sides, while on the fourth is the 

 opening to the furnace, in which a plate of fire clay is placed, at the 

 lower part of which is a hole for stirring the molten metal and allowing 

 it to flow out. PL IV. 



The furnace is prepared daily, each smelting occupying about 12 to 14 

 hours. After the furnace has been lit and well heated, the roasted ore 

 is gradually introduced, alternately with charcoal and the flux which is 

 called " Reet." This is the refuse from old iron furnaces, of which 

 hills of debris still remain, the iron having been worked for ages before 

 the copper ore was discovered. At each operation, five maunds of 

 roasted ore is gradually introduced into the furnace ; this requires an 

 equal amount of the " Reet," and four maunds of charcoal to smelt it. 



The produce of course varies with the description of ore. The 

 poorest kind, which is sold for eight annas a Khetree maund, and the 

 value of which is doubled by the cleaning and crushing, will produce, at 

 the lowest rate, twenty seers of unrefined copper^ which in refining is 

 again reduced one-half, leaving only ten seers. This would make about 

 303 Tukkas in copper pice. 



The expenses may be calculated as follows : — 

 5 maunds ore, 

 Hammer-men, 



4 maunds charcoal at 31 maunds per 12 Us. 



5 maunds flux at 20 maunds per rupee, 

 Koomhars for smelting i£, ... a 

 Refining, 



Raj share J of 9 rupees, 



... Rs. 



5 









5 







1 Us. ... 



1 4 







.V« 



4 







... . . . 



6 









8 







Total, ... 



7 11 

 3 x 2 







