13 



A further drawback, which is irreconcilable with a rational working of the 

 mines, lies in leaving the productive work to contractors. As shown above, it 

 is in the interest of these people to extract the more easily procured or richer 

 ores, but to leave behind the harder or poorer ones, although these by a proper 

 treatment might still yield a profit. After the stoppings have proceeded on their 

 onward march, these ores become mostly irrevocably lost for the mine. A 

 thorough change could not be effected, unless the administration hired the work 

 out to the workmen direct, aud itself kept a strict control over the latter, while 

 it sent the contractors about their business. I certainly know from personal 

 experience, that this is not so easily effected, nor can it be done by a stroke of 

 the wand ; but if the system were once declared doomed, it might be possible 

 gradually to get out of the old ways and into new ones. 



It is scarcely necessary to mention, that in certain instances, especially where 

 levels of considerable extent are to be driven, or deep shafts to be sunk, or 

 where the thickness of the ore-deposit is considerable, machine-rock-drills aud 

 generally dynamite would be used with advantage instead of gunpowder. 



Besides, masonry might in many instances be advantageously substituted 

 for timbering, as clay for brick-making is nearly everywhere to be had. 



DRESSING-. 



The dressing is almost exclusively done by women and children, and without 

 the aid of machinery. The output is in the first place subjected to hand-picking; 

 those pieces, which are already sufficient rich for metallurgical treatment, are 

 put aside, and the remainder — either with an ordinary hammer or with a tilt- 

 hammer, similar to that used for shelling rice, and like that put in motion with 

 the foot — pounded to a grit of a maximum size of 5 mm- This granulated ore is 

 then put into shallow willow — or bamboo — baskets, (" Dsaruage"), where it is 

 subjected to a kind of jigging operation. "With this object the laborer fills the 

 basket with about olbs. of stuff, seizes it with both hands, one opposite the other, 

 and gives it in a basin, filled with water, alternately a shaking and a rotatory 

 movement. When after the lapse of a few minutes, the coarse sands have nearly 

 grouped themselves according to their specific weight, then the upper layer of 

 refuse is withdrawn, the next one is put aside for a second similar treatment, 

 while the nethermost generally yields good ore ; if not, it has to be treated 

 anew in the same manner. During this operation, the finer particles of the ore 

 have escaped through the meshes of the basket and been caught in the basin. 

 "When these sands have accumulated in sufficient quantity, they are repeatedly 

 passed through an oblong buddle, and the residue is further concentrated by 

 being placed once or more on a slightly concave board (" yuri ita"), which is 



