204 
JOURNAL OF AN EMBASSY 
Gold is found in small quantities by washing 
the sand of brooks, in a few situations, such as 
Shwe-gyen, which lies at no great distance from 
the town of Pegu; and I was informed that it 
existed more abundantly in Lao. It does not 
appear, however, that it is plentiful in any part 
of the Burmese dominions ; and the greater quan¬ 
tity of what is used in gilding, in trinkets and as 
currency, seems to be imported from China. This 
was estimated to me at six hundred viss a year, 
which is equal to 60,000 ticals in weight. Ac¬ 
cording to Burman estimate, gold is seventeen 
times the value of silver, which makes the amount 
1,020,000 ticals, or, at 2 s. to the tical, 102,000/. 
Silver mines are wrought only in one place in 
the Burmese dominions, called Bor-twang. This 
seems to be in the territory of Lao, towards the 
Chinese frontier, and distant twelve days’ journey 
from B’hamo. The undertakers and labourers 
are both Chinese,—a circumstance which obtains 
in respect to all effectual mining undertakings 
conducted among the semi-barbarous neighbours 
of China, Tonquinese, Siamese, and Malays, as 
well as the Burmans. The tax paid by the Chinese 
undertakers to the King of Ava, is forty-eight 
viss, or 48,000 ticals. I think it probable that 
these thrifty and prudent people would not pay 
more than a twentieth part of the gross produce 
as tax, considering the expensive and laborious 
nature of the employment, and the barbarous na- 
