481 
GOLD. 
if we may judge by appearances, — since the king’s 
domestic utensils, as well as the troughs for his white 
elephant, and most of the ornaments of the temples, 
are of solid gold. 
In the African continent gold seems to be very 
abundant. Tavernier tells us that in the country 
of Sofala, of Mosambique, and of Monomotapa, 
on the eastern coast of Africa, gold is found in 
dry places, scattered in the earth at the depth of 
two or three feet from the surface. 
The gold from Africa, which is so abundantly 
spread in commerce, is all in the form of dust ; from 
whence Brogniart conjectures, that the greatest 
part is collected from the earth which has been left 
by the rivers. The negroes frequently carry this 
precious dust in, the quills of ostriches or vultures. 
The country of Bambouk furnishes a considerable 
quantity of gold, which is sold on the western coast 
of Africa, from the mouth of the river Senegal to 
Cape Palmas. It is mostly found in spangles, near 
the surface of the earth, or in the beds of rivulets, 
from whence it is separated by repeatedly washing 
the sand. The principal part of the gold which is 
carried to Morocco, to Fez, and to Algiers, by the 
caravans from Tombuctoo, which cross the great 
desert of Zahara, is also found in the same coun- 
try. 
But America is the quarter of the world where 
gold seems to have been spread with the greatest 
profusion. It is chiefly found in spangles, though 
it likewise occurs in veins mixed with other metals. 
