286 Silver Lead Ores in Kurnool District. [No. 8, new series. 



cheap labor however of India, would admit of the poorest ores 

 being operated upon even in this case. 



In para. 4 of Captain Russell's letter, No. 13, May 29th, 1857, ad- 

 dressed to Government, he speaks of the ore as occurring in scat- 

 tered nodules and considers them as transported blocks ; on ac- 

 count of the heavy monsoon rains falling on the occasion of my 

 visist, I could make no observations beyond the nature of the coun- 

 try in which either this mine (or that at Gazelpully is situated,) 

 Captain Russell had kindly instructed the Tahsildar at Dhone to 

 endeavour to clear the pit of water, he however reported it as 

 almost impossible at that season of the year. I am therefore not 

 able to offer any remarks from actual observation upon this very 

 important point, in any case however, a vein of ore must exist in 

 the locality and must be struck upon for this to become a mine of 

 importance ; in the meantime however, the nodules could be ex- 

 cavated and vein traced out at a very small cost, this being done 

 with profit if the abundance with which they may be found prove 

 considerable. 



The per centage of silver that may be expected to be obtained 

 from the bulk of the ore of the Coilcontla mine may, I think, be in- 

 ferred from a series of experiments that have been conducted by 

 the Acting Assay Master at the Mint, in conjunction with myself, 

 both upon the (40) forty maunds sent by Captain Russell from this 

 place and also upon the individual specimens I brought from the spot. 



The average yield as thus ascertained is from twelve to fourteen 

 ounces of the precious metal in the ton of reduced lead, and much 

 above that which would characterise it as an ore valuable for the 

 silver contained, three ounces of silver to the ton of lead being in 

 European establishments worth the expense of operating upon for 

 its separation, the extent to which such operation is there carried 

 on being until no more than ten pennyweights remains in the ton 

 of metallic lead. 



The process employed consists chiefly of manual labor, for which 

 the Natives would be, I apprehend, well adapted and readily in- 

 structed. 



The previous assays however of Dr. Scott, show that occasion- 



