240 ~ ON THE MINES AND MINERAL 



employed on good roads ; and the breed appears to thrive in these provinces ; 

 it seems easy to obviate any objection, arising from the present difficulties 

 of transport. 



Of the probable value of these mines, it is difficult to form any thing 

 like a correct idea; owing to the miserably contracted scale on which 

 they have been, hitherto, worked. The chief thing of course to be consi- 

 dered is, the productiveness of the several veins or beds of ore ; for sup- 

 posing the quality of the metal sufficiently improved, there is little fear 

 of a market being wanting.* It is not, however, easy, to obtain precise 

 information on this subject: for the mines themselves are inaccessible to a 

 European ; or indeed to any, but people who, from their childhood, are 

 accustomed to penetrate them. They resemble, as Mr. Traill has ob- 

 served ; rather the burrow of an animal, than the path of a human being. 

 For this reason, it is impossible to speak, from actual observation, as to 

 the productiveness of any particular repository of ore ; and all we can do 

 is, to form probable guesses. In Chili, it would appear, that the average 

 produce of about 500 mines, is six tons each annually. From considering the 

 rent of our Kemdim mines ; and the price of copper (two rupees a seer ;) 

 allowing also, that the produce is double the rent ; we shall have only one 

 ton, for the amount yielded by the Dhanpur mine : and half a ton each, 

 for those of Gangoli, Sira, and Pokri The others, are too small to be 

 worth considering. Supposing then that these four mines, have naturally 

 an equal average of ore, with those of South America ; we see that there 

 is great room for improvement, and a fair prospect of advantage. On the 

 average of six tons for each of these four mines ; Kemdun would yield 



twenty-four 



* It appears by Captain Hall's work on South America, that notwithstanding the quantity of 

 Copper thrown into the market by the Hon'ble Company ; the greater part of the produce of the 

 mines of Chili, (3000 tons annually) finds its way to the Calcutta market. 



