148 COGGIN BROWN : MINES Sc MINERAL RESOURCES OF YUNNAN. 



silver in a small tributary of the Heng-chiang. Each year from 



December to April, 2,000 or 3,000 men were employed in the 



workings. These were so far below the bed of the stream that 



1,200 workmen were employed in de-watering operations by means 



of bamboo pumps. 



In 1915 Professor J. A. T. Robertson who holds the chair of 



mining in the Technical College at Cheng- tu passed through Lao- 



wa-tan but he does not mention gold workings as existing there- 



(Mining Magazine, Nov. 1916, p. 271). 



Missionaries informed Joubert that gold and copper mines existed 



at Te-ko-tchang. 7 days' journey to the west of Ta-li Fu, and that 



extremely rich mines were worked near the borders of Yunnan 



and Kuei-chou, 10 stages south of Soui-tcheou Fu. 



It is curious thai, this gold mine which is still producing, is not 



Joubert's account of mentioned in the Tien-nan-hu<nuj-vha>Hj. It, 



thoTVlang T'ing gokl was visited by Joubert in 1867 and as his 

 mines 



account appears to be the only one which 



has ever been published regarding it, and as the mine is the only lode 

 mine in the province proper, I give a translation of his notes below. 

 T'a-lang T'ing is a small city in the south of the province on the 

 main route between P'u-erh Fu and the capital. 



" Towards the north of the town, there is a portion of a moun- 

 tain chain running east and west, slightly more elevated than the 

 rest, on the top of which a village is situated, the population of 

 which is entirely composed of miners exclusively occupied in the 

 extraction of gold and silver. The village is about 1,700 or 1,800 

 metres above sea-level, and about 18 kilometres N 10° E from 

 T'a-lang. 



" At the base and on the flanks of the mountain a reddish sand- 

 stone is met with, very folded, altered and fractured ; towards the 

 top a compact limestone rises, slightly crystalline, traversed and 

 raised by dykes of serpentine w^hich crop out in the centre. This 

 latter rock is widely distributed and crossed by narrow quartz 

 veins, numerous in certain places. The part which is mined for the 

 precious metals is centred around the village, but nevertheless covers 

 a fairly large surface. The mountain is worked from the upper 

 part and from both sides, but chiefly on its southern slope. This, 

 having a very steep clip, offers most facility to the miners. The 

 horizontal line over which mine openings and excavations can be 

 seen on this slope is estimated at 4 kilometres. 



