24 Notes on Indian Currencies. [no. 1, new series, 



" sandy desert in which are ants less in size than dogs, but larger 

 " than foxes, specimens of which are to be seen at the residence 

 " of the King of Persia, having been brought from that country. 

 " These creatures make themselves habitations under ground 

 " throwing up the sand like the ants in Greece, which they 

 " nearly resemble in appearance. The sand however consists of 

 " gold dust. To procure this, the Indians make incursions into 

 " the desert taking with them three camels, a male one on each side 

 " and a female in the centre on which the rider sits, taking care 

 44 to choose one which has recently foaled. When in this manner 

 '* they come to the place where the ants are, the Indians fill their 

 " sacks with the sand and ride back as fast as they can, the ants 

 " pursuing them as the Persians say by the scent, the female camel 

 " eager to join her young one surpassing the others in speed and 

 " perseverance. It is thus according to the Persians that the In- 

 " dians obtain the greater part of their gold, at the same time 

 " that the metal is also found though in less quantities in mines. " 



As something akin to this I may insert here Monsieur Dillon's 

 account of Calicut, and the wonderful gold-yielding properties of 

 the Sands there. 



" Among the sands of the shore, there is good store of gold-dust 

 " which is very fine, and everybody has the freedom to gather it 

 " at pleasure : the biggest piece that ere I saw was not worth above 

 " 15 pence, and commonly they are not worth above 4 or 5 pence 

 " a piece ; abundance of people get a livelihood by it ; and with 

 " the consent of the Governor (which is to be purchased by a cer- 

 " tain set price, for the maintenance of a hundred poor people) .you 

 " may have as much sand as you please carried to your dwelling 

 " places in order to separate it with the most convenience. 



Also Pennant in his "Hindostan" written about 1798 A. D., at 

 page 41 relates, that " Abul Fazl (II. 223) speaking of the rivers 

 " of this country (Lahore) says, that the natives by washing the 

 " sands obtain gold, silver, copper, rowny, tin, brass and lead. 

 " Rowny is unknown to me, brass is fictitious." 



Heeren whom I have quoted before, mentions in his 1st volume 

 that the Hindoos were the only people subject to the Persian Em- 



