662 G O 
a "ood proTpefl over the city of Hydrabad. The fe- 
piilchres of the king who bnih Golconda, and his five 
fucceffors, are about two muiket fliot from tJte caflle ; 
eacJi in tlie middle of a garden, with the tombs of tlieir 
relations'about them ; five miles weft-north-wefl: of Hy¬ 
drabad. 
GOLD, f. [golb. Sax. gclud, riches, Welfli. . It is 
called gold in our Engliih tongue, either oigeel, as Sea- 
ytIiIvIi lo J;i I>iiLL.ll lU \ OF 01 cinoUici* 
Dutch word, wliich is geltcn, and fignifies in Latin -jalere, 
in Englifli to be of price or value: hence cometh their 
ordinary word gdt, for money. ]ohnfon,'\ The moll: beau¬ 
tiful and valuable of the metals. The limits of the 
diiiftility and malleability of gold have never yet been 
fully afeertained ; but its tenacity is known to exceed 
that of every other metal. The method of extending 
gold ufed by'the gold-beaters, confifts in hammering a 
number of thin-rolled plates betvveen Ikins or animal 
iJiembranes. By the weight and meafure of the belt 
wrought gold-leaf, it is found that one grain is made 'to 
cover fifty-fix fquare inches and three-quarters ; and 
from the fpecific gravity of the metal, together with 
this admeafurernent, it follows, that tlte leaf itfelf is 
a.” thick. This, however, is not 
the limit of tlie malleability of gold; for the gold¬ 
beaters find it necelTary to add three grains of copper 
in the ounce to harden the gold, which otherwife would 
pals round the irregularities of the newelt Ikins, and not 
cover them ; and in ufing the old Ikins, which are not 
fo perfedt and fmooth, they proceed fo far as to add 
twelve grains. The wire which is ufed by the lace- 
makers is drawn from an ingot of filver, previoully 
gilded. In this way, from the known diameter of the 
w ire, or breadth when flattened, and its length, toge¬ 
ther witli the quantity of gold ufed, it is found, by 
computation, that the covering of gold is only part 
ot the thicknefsof gold-leaf, though it Itill is fo perfect 
Hs to exhibit no cracks evenw'hen view ed by a microfeope. 
Gold is found mofily in the metallic Hate, though 
generally alloyed with, lilver, copper, iron, or all three. 
It is found either in feparate lumps, or vifible grains, 
among the lands of rivers in many parts of the W'orld. 
The quantity found among lands is too often infufficient 
to pay the colt of feparating it ; yet it is thought to be 
more univerfally difiufed in fands and earths than any 
other metal,, except iron. Some fands afford gold by 
limple walhing ; the heavy metallic particles fubfiding 
loonefl : but when it is bedded in earths or Itones, thele 
lubltances'are pounded, and boiled with one-tenth of 
their weight of mercury together with water. The 
mercury, after a certain time, abforbs the gold, and 
may be feparated by prell'ure through leathern bags, 
and fubrequent dillillation. 
Mr. Park, in his Travels in the Interior of Africa, 
p. 300, remarks that the gold of Mandingo is never 
found in any matrix or vein, but always in linali grains, 
nearly in a pure Hate, from the fize of a pin’s head to 
tliat of a pea ; fcattered thi ough a large body of fand 
or clay ; and in this Hate it is called by the Mandingoes 
fanoo munko, “gold powder."’ It is, hovrever, extremely 
probable, that molt of it has originally been wallud 
<lown by repeated torrents from the neighbouring Irills. 
Tlie manner in which it is collefied, is nearly as follows: 
About the beginning of December, when the harvefi: is 
over, and the fireams and torrents have greatly fub- 
fided, tl'.e manfa, or chief of the town, appoints a day 
to begin fanoo koo, “gold wafhing;” and the women 
are ordered to be in readinefs by the time appointed. 
A hoe, or fpade, for digging up the land, tv.'O or three 
Calaballie? for wafliing it in, and a few quills for con- 
tainihg tlie gold dull, are all the implements necelfary 
for the expedition. On tb.e moining of their departure, 
a bullock is killed for the firli day’s entertainment, and 
tt luimber of prayers and channs are ufed to enfure fuc- 
L D. 
cefs. Wliile fame of the party are bufied in walliing 
the fands, others employ themfelves farther up the tor¬ 
rent, where the rapidity of the fiream has carried away 
all the clay, fand, &c. and left nothing but fmall peb¬ 
bles. The fearch among thefe is a very troublefome 
talk ; fometi.mes, however, they are rewarded by finding- 
pieces of gold, which they call fanoo birro, “gold 
llones,’’ that amply repay them for their trouble. But 
tiie rtioa certain and profitable mode of walliing, is 
pratlifed in the height of the dry feafon, by digging a 
deep pit, like a draw-well, near fome hill which has 
previoully been difeovered to contain gold. The pit is 
dug with fmall fpades, and the earth is drawn up in 
large calaballies. As tlie negroes dig through the dif¬ 
ferent llrata of clay or land, a calabafli or two of each 
is walliedj by way of experiment; and in this manner 
the labourers proceed, until they come to a llratum con¬ 
taining gold j or until they are obllruclcd by rocks, or 
inundated by water. In general, when they come to a 
llratum of fine reddilli fand, with fmall black fpecks 
therein, they find gold, in fome proportion or other, 
and fend up large calabafhes full of tlie fand, for tlie 
women to walli j for, though the pit is dug by the men, 
the gold is always waflied by the women. 
The manner of feparating the gold from the fand is 
very Ample, and is frequently performed in tire middle 
of the town; for, when the fearchers return from the 
valleys in the evening, they commonly bring with them 
each a calabafli 'or two of fand, to be waflied by fuch of 
the females as remain at home. The operation is as 
follows :—A portion of fand or clay (for the gold is 
fometinies found in a brown-coloured clay) is put into 
a large calabafli, and mixed with a fufficient quantity of 
Water. The woman, whofe office it is, then fliakes the 
calabafli in fuch a manner, as to mix the fand and water 
together, and give the whole a rotatory motion; at firft 
gently, but afterwards more quick, until a fmall por¬ 
tion of fand and water, at every revolution, flies over 
tlie brim ot the calabafli. The fand thus feparated, is 
only the coarfell particles mixed with a little muddy 
water. After the operation has been continued for 
fome time, the fand is allowed to fubfide, and the water 
poured off; a portion of coarfe fand which is now up- 
permort: in the calabafli, is removed by the hand, and 
frefli water being added, the operation is repeated until 
the water comes off almofl pure. The woman now 
takes a fecond calabafli, and fliakes the fand and water 
gently from the one to the other, referving that portion 
of fand wJiich is next the bottom of the calabaih, and 
which is mofl likely to contain the gold. This fmall 
quantity is mixed with fome pure water, and being 
moved about in the calabafli, is carefully examined- 
If a tew particles of gold are picked out, the contents 
of the other calabafli are examined in the fame manner; 
but, in general, the party is well contented if fhe can 
obtain three or four grains from the contents of both 
calabaflies. Some women, however, by long praftice, 
become fo well acquainted with the nature of the fand, 
and the mode ox wafliing it, that they will colleiSt gold 
where ot iers cam.ot find a Angle particle. The gold- 
dull is kept in quills, flopt up with cotton ; and the 
wafliers are fond of displaying a number of thefe quills 
in their hair. Generally fpeakkig, if a perfon ufes 
conn on diligence, in a proper foil, it is fuppofed that 
as much go+d may be colledle by him in the courfe of 
he Uty ftafon, as is equal to the value of two flaves. 
Tims ample is the procefs by which the negroes of 
Africa obtain gold ; and it is evident, from this account, 
that the country contains a conliderable portion of this 
precious metal; for many of the fmallei»particles muft 
neceffarily efcape the obfervation of the naked eye ; 
and as the natives generally, fearch the fands of fireams 
at a coiifiderable diltance from the hills, and conle-. 
quently far removed from the mines where the gold 
was 
