1865.) On the Boksas of Bijnour. 161 
upper end can be tilted. Water is then poured on the sand from the 
mouth and lateral hole of a handled téimré (pumpkin), the operator 
stirring the sand with his left hand while he sits alongsidg the cradle, 
which is raised a foot or two from the ground. 
The sand having been washed through, the gravel left on the screen 
is tossed off, but the screen itself is left on, so as to soften and equalize 
the fall of the water from the pumpkin passing through it on to the 
sand, which the left hand keeps stirring about, and raking backwards 
toward the upper end of the cradle. After all the lightest of the sand 
has thus been washed out, small quantities of the remainder are placed 
on around, slightly hollowed plate of toon (phari) which is dexterously 
twirled and made to oscillate on the fingers of the left hand, while 
the washing is very gently continued. When as little as possible, and 
that consisting mostly of dark particles apparently of hornblende,— 
except gold, is left, mercury is rubbed with it by hand, to take up 
the gold, and the mercury is afterwards-dissipated from the amalgam by 
heat. This finishes the process, which agrees almost entirely with that 
followed on the Bias, as described by Col. Abbott (J. A. 8. March, 
1847), the chief difference being, the trough used by the Boksas is consi- 
derably smaller. 
The mercury is supplied to the Boksas at two annas a manswré 
puisa weight by the same bunyas who purchase the gold from them, 
sometimes giving them advances on the possible future production, at 
sixteen rupees atola. Several of the tribe, who could have had no 
possible collusion, stated that a gang of three or four people will 
_ average two annas worth of gold a day, and one man, of fair intelli- 
. gence, said that into his village of under one hundred people, old and 
_ young, from one to two hundred rupees a year might come from gold- 
~ washing. 
_ The gold is here invariably in minute particles, and the Boksas 
cannot conceive of the metal as ever being found in large pieces or 
‘imbedded in solid rocks; and a theory I have heard of the manner 
‘of its production has the quality of being as simple as are the peo- 
ple who credit it. Thus, it is said that the sdl leaves which are 
burned by the forest-fires, act on any iron or copper which the 
soil or sand contains, so as to turn it into gold! 
22 

