1864.] 



The Mines of Khetree in Bajpootana, 



527 



gurrahs. It is now of a thick dirty bluish green colour, and is taken 

 to the boiling house, Plate VIII., where it is boiled in common 

 gurrahs over a fire in choolas, something like those used in kitchen 

 ranges. When the liquor is sufficiently concentrated to string, it is left 

 to cool, and thin sticks being introduced, the sulphate of copper at once 

 separates and crystallizes on them. The mother liquor is then drained 

 off into other gurrahs, as it still contains in solution, a considerable 

 quantity of the sulphate of copper as well as of alumina : it is again 

 boiled down, and treated with nitrate of potash, which causes alum to 

 crystallize at the bottom of the vessel. 



The residual liquor still contains a quantity of both sulphates, and 

 is allowed to evaporate in broken gurrahs in the sun, when a con- 

 siderable quantity of impure and imperfectly crystallized sulphate of 

 copper and alum is left, taking the shape of the bottom of the vessel. 



Both the sulphate of copper and the alum require another crystallizing 

 to purify them. The pure sulphate of copper sells at Khetree for Us. 14 

 per Khetree maund, the impure for Re. 1. The alum sells for Us. 4 

 per maund. Each maund of ore is said to yield J of a seer of pure 

 sulphate of copper, lj seers of impure ditto and J of a seer of alum. 



The results of the expenditure and profit of one establishment were 

 as follows. 



Seven to eight maunds of shale, to which an equal quantity of the 

 crust from the heap had been added, produced four large gurrahs of 

 good liquor, each weighing 40 to 45 seers. Each gurrah gave 

 2 seers of sulphates in about equal proportions, and 5 seers of impure 

 residue. 



Four seers sulphate copper at 14 Rs. per maund, Rs. 1 6 5 



Four seers alum at 4 Rs. per ditto, . . ^ 6 5 



Twenty seers impure sulphates at 1 Re. per ditto, ... 8 



Total, 



2 4 10 



Or per month Rs. 69-1, which would be for eight working months 

 Rs. 552-8. From this however, must be deducted the Raj's due, 

 which is i of the gross produce, or Rs. 92-1-4, leaving Rs. 460-6-8 

 per annum to the Bunya. 



