44 



Manganese Mines near Wo door ft. 



around the base of the Neilgherri and Koondah mountains, in Wynaad 

 and other districts of Malabar, all exist in primary formations, and as- 

 sociated with silica and iron, either in an integral state, or in the forai 

 of alluvial beds, day, or sands. The richest gold mines of the eastern 

 islands, as I have before stated, are found in similar geognostic situ- 

 ations, along the edges of the great volcanic belt that [)asses through 

 the Indian Archipelago — a fact deserving of notice. 



I was informed by the natives of Doni, that gold is found in greater 

 abundance in the bed of the rivulet of Soltoor, a few miles from Doni, in 

 the same range of hills, and I discovered it previous to my visit toDoni, 

 in the sands of the Hurti rivulet, in the same range a few miles to the 

 south of Guddak. The sands of both these rivulets are washed for the 

 gold by the jalgars. It exists likewise, I was told by an old Hindu 

 inhabitant of Savanur, in the Kor taluk of the Darvvar collectorate, 

 near Chick Mulgoond. In 1837, while passing through the western 

 part of Mysore, I found a few grains of it, in the bed of a rivulet , near 

 Gram, at the base of the Belladaira hill. These auriferous rivulets 

 should be traced to their sources, which cannot be far distant, the sand 

 <;arefully examined at every 40 or 50 yards, and the spot, where the 

 particles of gold no longer appear, most diligently explored, the sub- 

 jacent rock laid bare, and, if necessary, an excavation made into it. 



I hardly need remark that the natives are perfectly acquainted with 

 the art of purifying the gold dust by amalgamation, and that of refin- 

 ing it by means of repeated exposure to heat helow fusion, with a 

 tjiixture of muriate of soda and cow-dung ashes, the last of which is 

 sometimes replaced by the powder of an oZc^ brick, mixed with a little 

 borax. In simply melting gold, borax is added to assist its fusion. 

 In the native process of amalgamation, a considerable loss is sustained 

 from ignorance of the method for condensing and collecting the mer- 

 cury, which is suffered to escape by volatilization. The existence of 

 gold and manganese, in the Kupputgode hills, appears to have escap- 

 ed the notice of that excellent observer Christie, and also of Marshall, 

 and Colonel Sykes, the statistical reporter of this part of the Deccan. 



Manganese Mines near Wodoorii, Kvpputgode range, -^kt the 

 time of my visiting the Kupputgode range, I had not seen Dr. 

 Wilson's remarks on the minerals sent to the Museum at Bombay, by 

 Trimulrow ; from whose oral account, and from what he had heard 

 among the hills, I was led to imagine the possible existence of coal 

 among them ; and, indeed, on my arrival, most of the natives concuried 

 n assuring me that, there was a black stone to be found near Wodoortl, 



