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Mills composed of three heavy irregular stones, resembling our 

 flint-mills, would reduce many of the ferruginous cementations and 

 softer substances which contain gold. The matter thus reduced 

 might be immediately washed by falling or being put into the in- 

 clined planes before described, and would, no doubt, prove the 

 means of obtaining considerable quantities of the precious metal, 

 which would be otherwise lost. Stamps might be useful where gold 

 is found in hard and brittle substances : but these might be more ef- 

 fectually pulverized by a heavy stone rolling upon its edge, not un- 

 like a tanner's bark-mill. 



In many instances, hand-sieves might be useful, and would save 

 much time and labour in washing, but perhaps they would be too 

 expensive. Even miners' tools are much wanted, the only ones in 

 use being the iron bar and the hoe. The common miner's pick-axe 

 would in many cases be serviceable, and bucking-irons would reduce 

 the matrix much more effectually than beating it with stones, which 

 is the only mode now practised. It is a most unfortunate circum- 

 stance, and very detrimental to the interests of the miners, that what^ 

 ever is made of iron is so dear as to be beyond the means of the in- 

 habitants to procure, nor have they any substitute for it. 



When the present state of the mining country is considered, and 

 its rich resources are compared with the want of science, which 

 prevents the inhabitants from improving them, how much is it to be 

 wished that Government would establish and encourage economical 

 societies on the plan of our Society of Arts, Manufactures, and Com- 

 merce, in which inquiries might be made into all subjects relative to 

 the useful arts. Repositories also might be established in all the prin- 

 cipal towns of the capitania, where models of useful machinery 

 and various implements might be kept for the inspection of the 

 public. Scientific pubhcations should be purchased, and every 

 means employed to promote the cultivation of science among the 

 inhabitants. At the meetings of the societies, every measure tend- 

 ing to increase the commerce of the district should be discussed 



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