188 ON GOLD IN WESTERN AFRICA. 



washeth down great quantities of earth, which carry the gold with it. 

 The third is on the sea shore, near the mouths of rivulets, and the 

 favourite time for washing is after violent night rains. The negro 

 women are furnished with large and small troughs or trays, which they 

 first fill full of earth and sand, which they wash with repeated fresh 

 water till they have cleansed it from all its earth ; and if there be any 

 gold its ponderosity forces it to the bottom of the trough, which, if they 

 find it, is thrown into the small tray, and so they go on washing it 

 again, which operation generally holds them till noon ; some of them 

 not getting above the value ol sixpence ; some of them pieces of six or 

 seven shillings, though not frequently ; and often they entirely lose 

 their labour." 



The gold thus dug is of two kinds, dust gold and mountain gold. 

 The former is " fine as flour," and the more esteemed because there is 

 no loss in melting. The latter, corresponding with our modern " nug- 

 get," varies in weight from a farthing to 200 guineas ; it touches better 

 than gold dust, but it is a loss from the stones adhering to the stone. 



The natives, in Bosnian's day — and to the present time — were " very 

 subtle artists in the sophisticating of gold." The first sort was the 

 Fetish before alluded to. They also cast pieces so artificially, that 

 whilst outside there was pure gold thick as a knife, the interior was 

 copper, and perhaps iron — then a new trick — and the most dangerous, 

 because difficult to detect. The common " false mountain gold " was a 

 mixture of the precious metal with silver and copper, extremely high 

 coloured, and unless each piece was touched, the fraud passed undetected. 

 Auother kind was an artificially cast and tinged powder of coral mixed 

 with copper filings : it became tarnished, however, in a month or two. 



With respect to the annual export from the Gold Coast, Bosman 

 reckons it in peaceful times, when trade is prosperous, to be " 23 tun." 

 The 7,000 marks are disposed of as below.* Mr. M'Queen estimates 

 the exportation at 3,406,275Z. The English trade has now fallen to 

 360,000?. to 400,000Z. per annuin.t 



* The Dutch West India Company yearly exported, Marks 1,500 



The English African Company .... 

 The Zealand interlopers as much as the Dutch, viz. 

 The English interlopers about 1,000, usually, which 



they have doubled 



The Brandenburghers and Danes together, in times 



of peace 



The Portuguese and French together 



1,200 

 1,500 



1,000 



Which makes 7,000 

 For several years before Bosman's time, the Dutch export had been reduced by 

 one-half (750 marks). 



t Dr. Clarke ("Remarks, &c), gives 100,000 ounces. This was the calcula- 

 tion of Mr. Swanzy before a parliamentary committee in 1816. Of course it is 

 impossible to arrive at any clear estimate. Allowing the African Stsam Ship 



