31 



Handa. — Silver mine, provi ice Iwashiro. "Wooden stamp-mill, Freiberg 

 barrel-amalgamation. This is the only establishment, which by Japanese 

 alone has been furnished with European machinery; The production is 

 insignificant. 



Takashima. — (Joal mine, province Ilizen. Now together with Make the most 

 productive mine in Japan. lias 12 English engineers and overseers. 

 Besides, the coal-fields in Yesso are now being opened by American engineers, 



iu the employ of the Kaitakushi. 



The following tables will help to fill up the outlines of the picture now 



drawn of Japanese mining. The material for the production-tables has been 



taken from recently published reports from the Kobusho. 



NOTES TO THE FOLLOWING TABLES. 



The weight of gold and silver is given in ounces Troy, of copper, lead and 

 iron in lbs. English and that of coal in English tons. 



The value of an ounce of gold was taken at j r en 20.7 



» » ,. „ silver „ „ 1.27 



„ „ a lb. of copper „ „ ;0.17 



„ „ » „ „ lead „ „ 0.048 



„ „ „ „ „ iron „ „ 0.01 



„ „ a ton coal (lumps, dust and coke) from private mines. 4.50 



,, ,, ,, ,, from government mines 3.50 



The prices have of course varied according to time and place ; those quoted 

 above, which correspond pretty closely with the actual state of the metal-and 

 coal-market, are rather too low tban too high, considering that since the time, to 

 which the tables refer, most of the above-mentioned articles have fallen in price. 

 The expenditure, as stated iu the tables, comprises both first outlay and the 

 working expenses. The decimals have been left out. 



Notes to Table I. Table I shows the produce from the mines at Sado, 

 Ikuno and Miike since the time, when modern methods were there being intro- 

 duced ; the expenses therefore cover all the new constructions, machinery &c., 

 and as a matter of course the production could only be on a small scale as long 

 as the works were uuder construction. 



The mines at Ani and Iunai were only recently taken over by the govern- 

 ment, and the purchase price of the mines is included in the expenditure of yen 

 609,725 and yen 253,405 respectively. 



The production of copper from government-mines has hitherto been very 



small, as the government, until it b >ught Ani, had no real copper-mines at all. 



Iron has not yet been worked by the government ; large iron-works, on which 



