482 
GOLD. 
be depended upon, and is often, perhaps, without 
foundation. 
Mines of gold are very rare in the northern or 
even in the temperate climates. One only has been 
discovered in France, which is situated in the valley 
of Oisans in Dauphiny. This has been known 
since the year 1 / 81 , and some pretty specimens of 
gold have been obtained from it; but they are chiefly 
preserved in cabinets, as the vein in general is too 
poor to pay the expense of working. Gold-dust 
has been found, however, mixed with the sand at 
the bottom of several rivers on the continent. The 
Rhine between Strasburg and Philipsburg ; the 
Rhone in Franche Comte ; the Gege and the Gar- 
don, in the Cevennes ; the Arriege near Pamiers ; 
the Garonne near Toulouse ; and the Salat near 
Saint-Girons in the Pyrenees, have all been men- 
tioned as producing this precious mineral in small 
quantities. 
Most great rivers contain gold amongst their 
sands, even those which do not rise in countries 
where gold-mines exist ; — therefore we may readily 
suppose that the rivers which pass near mines of 
this metal must occasionally wash away some of 
their riches. Thus the river Avanyos in Transyl- 
vania is said to afford subsistence to seven hun- 
dred gipsy families, who collect the gold from 
its bed. In Brasil, the gold is found in such 
threat abundance, that the torrents are often di- 
O J 
verted into new channels, with great labour and 
