1853.] and Seesee rivers in Upper Assam, 513 



Proceeding up this stream I found it had in many places cut for 

 itself little ravines showing sections of hills formed of deposits of 

 grey and red coarse sand of sufficient consistency to form upright 

 cliffs, though crumbling when handled, with beds of gravel inter- 

 vening, which also occur in tolerably consistent masses approaching 

 to a conglomerate ; these lay in strata inclined at an angle of forty- 

 five or thereabouts. I obtained washings from them all, and found 

 gold dust in the red sand and gravel strata always, but not always 

 in the blue sand which owed its colour to a mixture of blue clay 

 slate silt. 



It follows from the above that gold is not confined to the bed of 

 the stream, it is disseminated throughout the tract through which 

 the stream flows, and the only question is whether it is found in 

 sufficient quantities to render washing for it a profitable speculation. 



The mere surface experiments as yet made are not a sufficient test ; 

 the deposit should be thoroughly examined to its base before its 

 value can be determined. 



Of the comparative richness of the Jugloo tract, so far as it has 

 been examined I can only judge from the quantity of gold dust 

 obtained in my own desultory operations. 



I made a rough estimate of the quantity of rubble washed, and on 

 comparing it with the gold obtained, it gave about 18 grains to the ton 

 and about 8 grains as the out-turn of one man's labour for the day. 



Subsequently I had an opportunity of more accurately testing 

 the produce of a gold-washer's daily work in a different field. 



After I had left the Jugloo, Major Hannay proceeded with the 

 examination of the auriferous deposits in that vicinity and about 

 Jaipore, and, as will be seen from his paper on the subject, has satis- 

 factorily established, that it is of great extent, flanking the whole of 

 the Naga range of hills from the Noa Dihing to the Dhunsiri river. 

 "We subsequently proceeded together to examine the gold-producing 

 sands of the Seesee river on the North bank of the Brahmapooter ; 

 we took gold-washers with us and found a party of the Seesee ryots 

 at work just under the hill. 



"Within an easy march of their own villages, they annually find 

 here lucrative occupation for the months of the year when an excur- 

 sion of the kind is most enjoyable, and when they have most leisure 



3 t 2 



