Gold in British Guiana. 265 
ing placers were established.* Next we find Caman 
disassociated from his former employer, and working 
the same placers on his own account, and a little later 
some others on the Puruni River. The possibility of 
finding gold in paying quantities was now beginning 
to be demonstrated by the success of several small under- 
takings, both on the Puruni and the Cuyuni, and finally 
the sale by Jules CAMAN of a placer on the former river 
for the sum of $30,000 to the newly formed Essequebo 
Company, drew general attention to the subje6l. An 
Ordinance to make provision for Gold and Silver Mining 
had been passed in 1880; this was followed by another 
in 1886, but in 1887 the Legislature, recognising the 
growing importance of the industry, passed an Ordinance 
(No. 4 of that year) which repealed both the previous 
Ordinances, and embodied a new set of regulations under 
which the Royalty was fixed at 90 cents on each ounce 
of gold and 4 cents on each ounce of silver. In 1884 
tfce quantity of gold exported was 250 oz. ; in 1885, 
939 oz. ; in 1886, 6,518 oz. ; in 1887, 11,906 oz. ; in 1888, 
14,570 oz., in 1889 28,282 oz. ; in 1890 it rose to 62,615 
oz.; it reached 101,298 oz. in 1891 ; while the amount 
exported for the current year up to the present time is 
largely in excess of that for the corresponding portion 
of last year. 
The Puruni and Cuyuni were for some years the favo- 
rite fields, but in 1888 some attention was again being 
* Some doubt seems to exist on this point, as to the pioneer pros- 
pector who may be said to have inaugurated the industry. Generally the 
ascription is made, as above, to Jules Caman, but there seem to be good 
grounds for believing that D'Amil is equally, if not more, entitled to 
the honour. — Ed. 
