466 Copper Mines of Pokree, fyc. [No. 138. 



" The Dhobree mine is situated on the south side of the Dhunpoor 

 range, in very nearly the same kind of rock as the 



Dhobree Mine. ...... „ . 



Dhunpoor mine ; but in this mine, most of the veins 

 are horizontal, running along the side of the hill. At the surface 

 they are very small, containing oxide of iron and green stains of cop- 

 per, and occasionally copper pyrites. The present working mine is 

 not extended very far from the outside of the precipice or surface, 

 the ores being much the same near the surface as at a distance from 

 it. When the miners find their passages growing long and tedious, 

 they begin outside on a new vein. There are several old mines west 

 of the Dhobree village; on entering one of them, I found it very 

 extensive, the ores seem to have been most abundant where the hori- 

 zontal vein was crossed by perpendicular ones ; but as far as I went, 

 the whole of the horizontal vein had been taken away, and often 

 crawling to a considerable length, I was obliged to return for want of 

 torches. I got a small specimen of ore from one of the perpendicular 

 veins, of which there were two or three running south-east and north- 

 west. The western one of these veins is said to have been very rich, 

 but it fell in about the time* the Ghoorkhas entered the province, and 

 has not been opened since. The ores of these mines are principally 

 copper pyrites, worth about 25 per cent, of copper. 



" There is water for machinery about a mile and a half below the 

 mine, and wood for all purposes near that place. There is another 

 mine on this range at Molghirree; it is rented at 25 Rs. per annum, 

 and said to be in the same rock as the Dhobree mine. There are 

 other mines of both copper and iron in Dhunpoor, but none of them 

 are worked, nor have I seen them." 



From the following memorandum, it will be seen that the ex- 

 Results of Pokree periment conducted by Mr. Wilkin has entirely 

 Experiment. failed, as far as a profitable return for the capital 

 expended is concerned. 



Memorandum of expenditure on account of the Government experi- 

 ment at Pokree : — 



Paid to Mr. Wilkin from the Almorah Trea- 

 sury, Rs. 3215 



* 1790. 



