I vS40.] BemarTts upon the Auriferous Deposits of India, 



and most simple manner. When however, I consider the extreme 

 poverty of the auriferous deposits, which by skilful and scientific manage- 

 ment are profitably worked in Europe, and further take into account 

 the very low price of labour in this country, I am firmly impressed 

 with the conviction, looking at the subject in a practical point of view, 

 that the application of the same means might in this country be made 

 to produce an equally beneficial result. Although there is no reason to 

 believe that our gold- washings generally, are rich enough to attract or 

 to recompense individual entei-prise, it is highly probable that in such a 

 vast extent of country there may be some much richer than others. It 

 is also probable, if not indeed certain, that there are many which might 

 be made the means of affording a beneficial occupation to a large num- 

 ber of labourers, of contributing to the revenue of the state, and of 

 forming in their aggregate result-s, a valuable addition to the metallic cir- 

 culation of tbe country. 



Should the experiment in question succeed, the benefits derivable 

 from it, might, as I have shown, be very great ; it would induce a more 

 careful examination of numerous and widely spread auriferous de- 

 posits, a far more economical treatment of their produce, and very 

 possibly the discovery of veins, or of limited tracts much richer than 

 any hitherto made known by the casual discoveries of the natives. 

 Even should the experiment fail, which is very unlikely, the expense 

 might be limited from the first to a very moderate amount, while other 

 indirect advantages, arising from an increased attention to the mineral 

 capabilities of the country, might be confidently reckoned upon. 



Supposing the auriferous deposits of India to attract the attention 

 of Government, the plan which I should propose to follow, would be to 

 obtain the sei*vices of some competent person, practically acquainted 

 with the treatment of auriferous sands in Brazil, or with the reduction 

 of gold ores, as practised in the Austrian mines. Perhaps a mining 

 Engineer might be found, uniting both these qualifications. A careful 

 examination of some of our auriferous sands, say those on the Malabar 

 Coast, which evidently extend over several hundred square miles, would 

 soon show where were the richest spots, and where the reduction works 

 might be established with th-e greatest probability of success. The 

 requisite apparatus need by no means be costly : it should embrace, be- 

 sides minor articles commonly used in the washing and separation of 

 gold, the amalgamation machinery, employed so successfully in the re- 

 duction of the poor quartzose ores of the Tyrol, and one or more fur- 

 naces to attempt the fusion of the auriferous sands, according to the 

 plan successfully introduced in Russia about three years ago in the goJd 



