1831 .] 
Alum Works in Kutch. 
385 
receiving from them a certain portion of the profits, placing a servant there to su- 
perintend the sale of the alum, and report on the progress made in manufacturing 
it. This plan has continued with a few interruptions up to the present day. The 
system is simple, and subject to excessive abuse. It is not little extraordinary, 
that as the Alum pits in Italy were for many years under the peculiar control 
of the Pope, every Christian soul being excommunicated and given over to the 
comminations of the Church who should buy alum elsewhere, or attempt to fa- 
bricate it in other lands ; so here the pits are under the special protection of 
Asapusa or Parbati, who has forbidden the produce to be made in any other way 
than that now adopted, and has assured the inhabitants ofMehrthat no alum earth 
is to be found in any other part of Kutch ; consequently she, or her minister in her 
name (the Rajah of Mehr), takes no small share, as her right, for having bestowed 
such a blessing on the town. The peculiar form of crystallization which the .salt 
takes, is said to have been the work of the goddess, resembling one of the minarets 
of her old temple. 
About fifteen or twenty of these pits are now open. The Kutchis, being afraid 
to penetrate far under ground, have made no very extensive galleries, they worn a 
small narrow passage fora few yards, and then diverge to the right or left, ;.s it 
suits their fancy. The aluin earth is found at the depth of twelve in some, and 
twenty feet in other parts. In the older pits it occurs crystallized in most deli- 
cate capillary fibres, and in very large quantities. In others, the ores are rich, con- 
taining much sulphur, of mottled colour, heavy, clayey, and brittle. 
The finer native alum is called by the workmen Tcjim lur , from the nci- 
cular crystals. The coarser kind Melta. The first undergoes a process differ- 
ent from the latter, though this may be, and is also manufactured in the same 
way. It is taken to some square beds, and by the aid of a small running stream of 
water, strongly impregnated with alumina and iron, and thinly laid down ; over it 
some red burnt earth of the worst kind of volcanic aluminous ore is thrown; this 
is called Banna , and the scrapings of these beds, after the contents have been re- 
moved, or Bukkl, mixed up with it. The water drills through the hanks and 
moistens the earth, oris sprinkled over in small quantities. It remains in this 
state for 15 days, when it exhibits an efflorescence of sulphate of alumina, and is 
called Rejri Turl. This is carried to some distance, where the sheds and boilers, 
and other instruments for manufacturing the article are, and is it re c t 
into large boilers with the mother water, well stirred up, till it is iqui c ’ an 
then a certain proportion of Shora-khdr or nitre thrown into it ; during ^ h " **** 
the process, the sulphur seems to evaporate and the sediment or c 
being taken out. the whole in drawn off into small *--«•■£ 
jars, where it settles for three days and becomes *** ^ g boilpr ,„j 
Of alum mixed up with earth : when di>, it n _ . q ^ , iqui(ied staU ., ir U 
boiled for six hours with little or no water adde » e crV> . 
called Has, and being poured into earthen jars, goes m o i 
tallization, called by the natives Phaltakan. this state, is in the 
The difference in the way of bringing the coarser a um ^ ^ a ] M spread on the 
first stage of the process; when extracted from t e P 1 ^ is thrown over 
ground in small squares; but none of the burnt ear j g up with it, 
it. The Bi'ikkiy or the sediments scraped from 1 ese days .it becomes 
ar »d water thrown in large quantities over the whole. ^ ^ a j uni j na> though 
Phuli Turl, yielding a much smaller quantity o t e ' 
not differing in quality. . tbere undergoes the same 
When taken to the Karkhaneh, or manufac ry, 
Process as the Rejri Turl. and is mixed with it. 
