414 
GOLD-WASHING. 
to return sinco tho peaco. They have no cattle, the onlj 
placo where wo found no tsetse being tho dis.rict of Tote 
itself ; and tho cattlo in tho possession of tho Portuguese 
aro a moro remnant of what they formerly owned. 
When visiting the hot fountain, I examined what wore 
formerly tho gold-washings in tho rivulet Mokorozo, which 
is nearly on tho 16th parallol of latitude. Tho banks are 
covered with largo groves of fino mango-trees, among which 
tho Portuguese lived wliilo superintending tho washing fo> 
tho precious metal. Tho process of washing is very labo 
rious and tedious. A quantity of sand is put into a wooden 
bowl with water: a half-rotatory motion is given to the 
dish, which causes tho coarsor particles of sand to collect 
on ono side of tho bottom. Thcso aro carefully removed 
with tho hand, and the process of rotation renewed until 
tho wliolo of tho sand is taken away and the gold alone 
romains. It is found in very minuto scales, and, unless 1 
had been assured to tho contrary, I should have taken it to 
bo mica ; for, knowing tho gold to bo of greater specific 
gravity than tho sand, I imagined that a stream of water 
would romovo the latter and leave tho former; but hero 
tho practico is to romovo tho wholo of tho sand by tho 
hand. This process was no doubt a profitable ono to tho 
Portuguese, and it is probablo that, with tho improved plan 
by means of mercuiy, the sands would bo lucrative. I had 
an opportunity of examining tho gold-dust from different 
parts to tho oast and northeast of Tote. Thoro aro six 
well-known washing-places. Thcso aro called Mashinga, 
Shindundo, Missala, Kapata, Miino, and Jawa. From the 
description of tho rock I received, 1 supposo gold is found 
both in clay shalo and in quartz. At tho range Mushinga 
to tho N.N.W. tho rock is said to bo so soft that tho women 
pound it into powder in wooden mortars previous to wash- 
ing. 
Round toward the westward, tho old Portuguese indicate 
a station which was near to Zumbo on tho river Panyarao 
and called Dnmbarari, near which much gold was found 
