524 



TJie Nines of Khetree in Rajpootana. 



[No. 5, 



The produce will be ten seers as before stated or 303 Tukkas and 

 deducting Jth, the share of the Raj, &c., 228 Tukkas worth about 

 Es. 9 will be left. If we take from this the expenses Rs. 7-11 the 

 net profit will be Rs. 1-5 per diem, but allowing for extras, roasting 

 not charged, etc. we may reckon it at 1 Rupee per diem, when the ore 

 is poor. 



There is sometimes a loss in the smelting operations, but the 

 Bohrahs take their chance of this, the gain sometimes being very con- 

 siderable. On an average it may be reckoned at about 2 rupees on 

 each smelting. 



After the ore has been smelted, the metal has to be refined, and the 

 sulphur driven off. This is done by passing a very strong current of 

 heated air over the liquid mass, and constantly skimming it. PI. V. 

 To obtain the blast a single bellows is used, which is worked by one 

 man opening and drawing it up, and two others pressing it forcibly 

 down with their feet, placing their whole weight on the bellows, and 

 maintaining their balance by means of ropes fastened to the roof of the 

 building. 



About one maund is refined at a time, which produces about 20 to 

 25 seers of good copper. The refining is contracted for at 8 annas 

 the maund. The process requires about three hours, and the men are 

 paid 1\ annas per diem each. When the pot in which the refining 

 has been conducted is ready, the ore is poured into small earthen 

 troughs prepared on the ground for the purpose, and is then taken to 

 the mint for weighment and duty. 



The measure at the Khetree mint is the Shahjehanee maund, 

 equal to 36§ seers of the Jeypore maund, but only to 30 seers of the 

 Khetree maund. In the Shahjehanee maund are 1,212 Tukkas or 

 2,424 pice. Of this, the Khetree Rajah takes 269 Tukkas as his 

 share. Twenty-two Tukka§ go to the coiners for their trouble in con- 

 verting the copper into pice ;. .nine to the Darogah of the mint ; two to 

 the weighmen, and four to caste charities ; total 306, leaving 906 to 

 the smelter. Twenty-six Tukkas at Khetree sell for the rupee, whereas 

 at Jeypore usually only twenty Tukkas can be procured for the 

 same. The value of . 906 Tukkas at Khetree would be Rs. 34-12 

 nearly. 



In some of the. mines, a sulphuret of cobalt is found in thin layers, 

 between the masses of copper ore. No great quantity of this is pro- 



