GOLD. 239 



It is probable, as Mr. Bakewell justly observes, that gold and silver 

 were, in the earliest ages of civilized society, the only metals used 

 by mankind, as they are the only metals that exist in any consi- 

 derable quantities in a native state, on or near the surface of the 

 earth ; hence originated the tradition of the golden, the silver, and 

 the brazen ages. Gold is characterised by its fine yellow colour, 

 its easy fusibility, and its great specific gravity, which, except 

 platina, exceeds that of all known minerals. It exists only in the 

 native or metallic state, but is commonly more or less alloyed by 

 other metals. It is distributed over almost every part of the 

 known world, either in veins, in primitive, and the older secondary 

 rocks, or disseminated through the sands of rivers in loose grains 

 and detached masses. Next to iron and manganese, it is probably 

 the most generally diffused metal. The greatest part of the gold of 

 commerce, usually called gold-dust, is obtained by washing the 

 sands of rivers in South America and Brazil. Rich mines of gold 

 were formerly wrought in the province of Gallicia, ha Spain ; but 

 the most considerable mines in Europe, at present, are those of 

 Transylvania and Hungary. 



. Sp. 1. Hexahedrai., or Native Gold. Pl. XXXI. fig. 1, 2, 3. 

 — Aurum, Plin. Hist. Nat. cap. iv. p. 593; Gediegen gold, Werner ; 

 Hexaedrisches Gedigen gold, Mohs. ; L'Or natif, jaune d'Or, 

 Brock, ii. p, 89; Hauy, 374 ; Native gold, Jameson, Si/st. iii. 2d ed. 

 p. 8 ; Sow erby, Brit. Min. i. p. 112 t. 52. — Its colour is bright 

 yellow, orange yellow, in some varieties passing into yellowish-grey. 

 It occurs in grains and in small rounded or angular pieces, (tig. 1.) 

 and sometimes in masses weighing several pounds ; it is also 

 found regularly crystalized, in reticular plates, foliated, (fig. 2 

 and 3,) capillary, ramified, and pulverulent. The crystals are 

 octahedrons, tetrahedrons, rhomboidal, dodecahedrons, double 

 eight-sided pyramids, and cubes, variously modified. Some of the 

 most common forms are represented Plate 31 : thus, fig. a, repre- 

 sents the regular octahedron ; fig. b, the same, having the solid 

 angles replaced by square planes, forming the passage into the 

 cube, fig. c. Fig. d, represents the rhomboidal dodecahedron, 

 and fig. e, an octahedron, of which each solid angle is replaced by 

 four triangular planes. As it does not possess a lamellar structure, 



