1831.] 
On the Copper Works at Singh ana. 
383 
In the morning, when the kiln is cool, the burned pindis (which nre now of 
a red colour) are carefully separated from the white ashes, and are -ft aside for 
the smelting furnace, which is now being prepared, as the forge rc<|uires to be 
rebuilt every morning. The refuse of the kiln is also carefully collected and formed 
into balls, the size of a large orange, that nothing may be wasted. 
In preparing the blast furnace, mandarl , a quantity of common sand is first 
spread upon the floor of a circular hut, in the centre of which is for o d a small 
hollow, of the shape and size of a common brass kneading-dish, thall, that is 
to say 12 or 15 inches in diameter and 2 or 3 inches deep. In this is lirst laid a 
stratum of fine yellow sand, and then another of ashes, r&kh, to prevent the 
melted metal from adhering to the bottom of the receiver. Two clay nozzles, 
mus, are then placed on opposite sides of this shallow pan, nnd a third one 
between them, leaving the fourth side vacant to allow the melted dross to escape. 
A quantity of moist clay is at hand, with which these nozzles are connected toge- 
ther, and a little mud wall is built a few inches in height to serve as a basement for 
the three vessels of fireclay ( «, a, a,J which are placed upon one another to form 
the body of the furnace, as in fig. 4. pi. XXIII. 
Each of these annular vessels called kothl, is about 15 inches in exterior 
diameter, 9 or 10 inches high, and perhaps 3 inches in thickness, liny arc 
used over and over again, but the lower portion ot the furnace requires to 
be renewed daily as above-mentioned. Three ordinary Hindustani bellows, 
phonkni, of goat skin, are attached to the outer end of each nozzle, and 
are worked by men, women, or even children. Before the furnace is loaded, 
a quantity of charcoal is burned within the chamber (b } ) in order to drive 
out all moisture from the newly moulded clay receiver. The tin is poked 
at times through the openings (c, cj which are then closed again with moist clay. 
The quantity of materials which a single furnace will consume during a dav 
of 3 or 3§ pahirs, (9 or 10 hours,) is said to be 3 maunds ot charcoal and 
2% maunds of the pindis formerly described, to which are added 2 or 
maunds of the scoria of iron, (brought from a distance of 4 kos to tin 
eastward,) which are thought to act as a flux, and purifier of t le me * 
and are used for this purpose under the name of kbit. our l ur ^ n 
employed at each furnace, (perhaps a man, with his wife and t\ 
the party being paid a total of 10 rupees per month. The head man prepares 
the furnace and feeds it, occasionally taking a hand at the e ows o reiev 
any one of the party who may require his assistance, or t ie 
without intermission from the three bellows. . , . t .« 
When the ore is sufficiently fused, all the metallic particles 6»^own into . 
receiver at the bottom of the furnace, and the dross, mot , or ' ^ 
khangar, passes off in a fluid state, and when coagulate , is r < * ^ a 
scoriae have apparently been accumulating for ages, an ait a 
line of small hills several hundred feet in length, and from ‘ 
there are four insulated stone bastions built on one 
of these artificial mounds. 
On the morning after this first melting, the mass ot * js pract i ca . 
receiver, and the impurities which adhere to it are noc ' gu | J j ectc< | ^ a 
ble, before it is sent to the refining furnace, gu~ab. ^ , e ur 0 f bellows 
violent heat in a small vessel which receives the blast o ^ ^ t j ier t w0 assist him 
worked by three men, one of whom uses his hands, an w j,ich are attached 
with their feet, supporting their bodies by graspiu n sin ^ ^ m0 ulds, each of 
to the roof of the hut. Close to the furnace is a m ^ aU( i shallow j into 
tvhich is but little more than a foot in length, an 
