1847.] Gold from the Sand of the River Bey ass. 271 



The higher sands are very remote from the spot. The ascent to them 

 is scarcly perceptible, and at the foot of those heights are valleys and 

 ravines which would have caught and detained any debris washed 

 down from their sides or summits. 



The gold itself is of almost virgin purity. A small quantity of 

 silver alloys it. It lies in granules, precisely similar to those formed 

 by pouring upon water molten lead ; and immediately suggests the idea 

 of having been cast molten upon the hard stratum on which it is found. 

 The strata however, hereabouts have no volcanic character, and it is 

 evident that the gold has been cast in its present position, since the 

 deposit of the clay on which it rests ; its own great specific gravity 

 otherwise giving it a lower rest. 



When the gold has been worked it is laid up in heaps, which are 

 transmitted to St. Peterburgh. The average size of the grain is that 

 of a barleycorn : but masses of the size of pistol and gun bullets are 

 not uncommon, and much larger masses are occasionally found. The 

 appearance of all will be familiar to any one who has thrown fused 

 lead upon water. When the late Emperor Alexander visited these 

 mines he turned up a spadeful of the earth by way of example. We 

 had scarcely quitted the spot, when an immense mass of gold, larger 

 than a man's foot was found beneath the imperial footprint. The 

 very genuineness of such a natural mass in such a position becomes 

 doubtful. 



Several of these gold mines are the property of or farmed by indi- 

 viduals who sometimes make immense fortunes upon the profits. 



Col. Anosoff spoke confidently of the uniform succession of the 

 strata on which gold is found, and as gold occurs in many and distant 

 portions of the Oorahl chain, this circumstance is very remarkable, 

 there being no imaginable connection between the gold itself and any 

 of the substrata. 



The supply does not seem to cease with the Oorahl mountains, for 

 at the north-west foot of the Altai range it is gathered in consider- 

 able quantities. There however it is found in quartz, which is pulverized 

 for its extrication. If I recollect right a few of the masses of gold of 

 these washings was found adhering to fragments of quartz. 



After examining these works we proceeded with fresh horses to Mias, 

 uhere there are other gold mines. Platinum was here shown me in 



2 o 2 



