1864.] 



The Mines of Khetree in Bajpootana. 



525 



ducecl however, not above 200 lbs. per month in any particular mine. 

 It is merely pounded fine, and exported, and finds its way all over 

 India. It is largely used in enamelling, forming the beautiful blue 

 enamels which native proficients in this art produce. Its price at 

 Khetree itself is Us. 50 per Jeypore maund of 53 lbs. the Raj share 

 being one-fifth or 10 Rs. per Jeypore maund. 



The above is a short description of the rude processes employed in 

 smelting the rich copper ores found in Khetree. The miners are 

 wretchedly poor and ignorant : the mines are choked with rubbish, 

 and worked without system, so that the more valuable ores are not 

 reached : the ore only passes through the furnace once. The metal 

 then separated is the only part kept, but the layer next above the 

 regulus, which is also rich in metal, is thrown away : of this, vast heaps 

 or rather hills exist, both at Khetree and Singhana, and the present 

 furnaces are on these mounds, from which a little enterprize and know- 

 ledge would extract a large produce. 



There is no means of knowing what the produce of the copper mines 

 would be, if worked on European principles, or whether the fuel 

 which suffices for the insignificant native works would not soon be 

 exhausted. The fuel is charcoal from the <phog' plant. It grows* 

 freely all over the neighbouring sandy deserts. The ' phog,' on which 

 camels feed freely, is a low succulent plant about a foot and a half high, 

 but the roots of which swell out to a large size and make excellent fuel 

 for all purposes. 



Besides the copper mines at Khetree, the alum mines are deserving 

 of attention. They occur indiscriminately with the former, but the 

 workings are not usually so deep. When the alum and copper ore are 

 in the same mine, the alum and the resultant sulphate of copper, are 

 contracted for, separately from the regular copper ores. The miners 

 who work in the alum mines are Hindoos, whilst those in the copper 

 mines are Mussulmans. Seventy -two houses are employed in the 

 twenty alum works, which are in full operation at Khetree ; about 

 double the number are in work at Singhana. In each establishment 

 about six men are employed, on wages varying from Rs. 2 to Rs. 4 

 a month ; the latter being for able bodied men, who can work from 

 9 o'clock in the morning till a couple of hours after sunset. 



Two men go in the morning to the pits, and bring about seven 

 maunds of shale during the course of the day, whilst a couple of others 



