a kind of red earth, about two feet deep, and succeeded by a white calcareous earth of equal depth, the under stratum of which was composed of large white decayed stones, and it almost always fell in point of quantity where the upper stratum degenerated into a deep brown earth, succeeded by a livid flesh coloured clay, sometimes assuming a very beautiful pink appearance. 3d. The proportion of gold dust to the bulk of earth which contained it was, on an average, one grain to 180 lib. of earth (avoir du poids) taken almost at random. But from the coarse manner in which it was extracted by the nalives, I do not suppose that more than two thirds of the contents were realized, we may therefore safely take the proportion to be one grain of gold to 120 lib. of earth. 4th. Lastly, As to the quality of the metal, I have to state, that what I sent to be examined at the company's mint in Madras, assayed agreeable to the returns of Mr. Roebuck, the mint master, on an average 94 touches in 100, that is, on 100 touches sent in the state in which it was rudely extracted, there only came out 6 touches of base substance; which, according to that gentleman's opinion, shows it to be of a very valuable quality. From what I have stated, we may conclude, that should on further enquiry the proportion of gold dust to the bulk of earth which contains it, prove somewhat more advantageous, than in a cursory investigation I found it to be, the quality of the metal, and the extent of the tract in which it is to be found, bid in favour of the discovery, and may induce govern ment to pay some attention to it hereafter. I shall now advert to the mines and their contents, which may, in the event, prove the most important part of the discovery. On my arrival at Marcoopum (the nearest village to the mines) I collected a working party consisting of 12 men, 10 of whom were employed in extracting the stones, and 2 in assisting and directing the women as to the mode of pounding them, and extracting the metal. The stone which contains the ore is a kind of quartz, decayed in many parts, and which, where it breaks with facility, exhibits a variety of colours, from deep crimson to bright orange. These colours are (as I was assured by the miners) the marks which guide them in making a selection, as they pretend to have found from experience, that where the stone breaks without exhibiting any colour but its natural one, it contains little or no ore. Before I proceed any further in what I have to say on this head, it may be expedient to give some account of the people who devote their time to this pursuit, and of their mode of proceeding to business. These people are exclusively of the Pariah or Dheroo cast, and only attend to digging for gold during the dry season, as whilst the rains last, the earth is apt to give way, and many of those people are said to have perished formerly in the mines, having been buried alive by falls of the earth. When they resolve on sinking a mine, they assemble to the number of about 10 or 12 men from different villages; they next proceed in appointing a Duffedar (or head man) whose business is to su* A 3 perintend perintend the work, and to convert the products into money. They then make a purse to purchase a sufficient quantity of lamp oil, and the necessary iron tools. A stock being thus laid in, what with a knowledge which they pretend to have of the promising appearance of the ground at the surface, and partly from an idea which they entertain, that the tract over which a peacock has been observed to fly and alight, is that of a vein of gold, they fix upon a spot, and then proceed to business. Having sunk a pit generally about 30 feet in perpendicular depth, and hit on a vein of ore, they strike out galleries and follow it up until it is explored. Two or three men at most attend at a time in the mine, some for break ing the stones, others for examining them as abovementioned; and, according to the depth of the mine, three or four men place themselves at different heights of the pit, to convey these materials above ground, where two men are ready to receive them at the aperture, and examine them a second time; this second selection only is made over to the women, whose business, as I have said before, is to pound them into dust and extract the gold. I shall not attempt to expatiate on the richness of the ore by what I realized myself from a small quantity of stones which I collected;-First, because I had no skill for such an investigation; secondly, by the reason that the natives were very unwilling to make it appear as if their mines were deserving of the attention of government, and consequently gave me but a reluctant assistance. But I shall perhaps convey some idea of their worth, by mentioning the ex pence which I ascertained must be incurred by them, when they engage in searching for gold under ground. In the first place it is to be observed, that when men of the Dheroo cast choose to work for the Circar, their hire is one kantiray fanam to three men for one day (something less than four Ma dras fanams, called milees in Mysore) and they never fail of employment when they are disposed to look out for it, a consideration which of course they give up when they choose to work on their own account. Secondly, no twelve men, I am assured, can dig a common sized pit in less time than 12 days; so that even setting aside all consideration of profit and loss, total disappointment and personal danger, the expence which is to be recovered, or the equivalent, as above stated, will be as follows: the Circar, at the rate of one To amount of cost-hire from kantaray fanam for three men To lamp oil at one milee, is for To iron tools for digging, &c. 40 0 S 0 2 0 1 Total kantary pagodas 46 So that in order to be no losers, these men must, in the space of 12 days, out of one pit alone, realize a sum equal to the above, at least, and surely that they should feel induced to continue in a dangerous and fatiguing trade, they must have a profit in view beyond what they could procure with much less trouble, and without any risk whatever, from the Circar. Moreover I shall observe, that in about 30 pagodas weight of gold, which I purchased at different times from these people, I very distinctly noticed, that above two thirds of the quantity was of that sort which was extracted from the stones. This could at all times be easily discerned by the whitish colour of the metal, which is derived from the small particles of stone dust, which in the process of extracting it, remain among those of the metal; whereas, that which is extracted from the earth at the surface, exhibits from a similar cause an orange colour rather deep; this circumstance evidently shews, that the business of the mines is the most profitable of the two, and consequently best attended to. Lastly, I shall state that I could not find from any report or surmise that any one, but the inhabitants near Marcoopum, had ever taken to the sinking of the mines in this part of Mysore, nor does it appear that these men ever ventured to search the earth beyond two or three miles within reach of that village. Why then should we fancy that these gold veins are entirely confined to this narrow tract, when the superior stratum from Yerra Baterine hill, up to the Rondoor Papunhilly hills (about 33 miles due north of the former) bears every where a strong resem blance, and is equally impregnated with gold dust? It cannot be said that had the metallic stones really extended farther than the neighbourhood of Marcoopum, the natives would have traced them out long since; for the same argument, if applied to the gold dust in the upper stratum, is evidently defeated, by my having shewn gold to those very people who gain their livelihood by extracting it at places, which though connected with the tract near their villages, they never thought to look into, and although the stirring of the earth at the surface be much less laborious, expensive, and dangerous, than the sinking of mines. Admitting then that the gold veins under ground may extend beyond the vicinity of Marcoopum (a concession which I trust no one will refuse me) we may easily con ceive them to branch out any where under the impregnated su perior stratum, that is to a very considerable extent. This fact, however, can only be ascertained by such means as government can command, and by the skill of a professional man. Awnee in the Mysore, 6th of March 1802. A 4 [We [We are much obliged to our Correspondent, Mr. SMITH, and so will be our Readers, for his very agreeable and entertaining communication. He has given a more particular, as well as a more pleasing account of the amusements he describes, than has hitherto been presented to the public.] As your elegant and useful Register ought to be the re. pository of every circumstance which may regard India, permit me to hope that you will suffer the accompany “ Fugitive Pieces" to occupy a few pages in the work. I am at present employed on a sketch of the late European establishments "in the service of the native states, which I shall be encouraged to submit to the public, in case I am so fortunate as to meet your approbation of my labours, by inserting the pieces I have now the pleasure to transmit. Allow me to remain, SIR, Your most obedient and very humble servant, Agra, Feb. 1, 1804. A Letter to a Friend, giving a particular Description of the Nuptials of VAZeer Allee. I SHALL give you an account of the celebration of an eastern Nawab's marriage, to which I was lately invited. It was the nuptials of Vazeer Allee, the eldest son, real or pretended, of Nawab Asuf ud Dowlah, the present Nawab of Oude, whose capital is Lucnow; I say real or pretended, as public rumour confidently asserts, that the Nawab is incapable of having children, though his seraglio contains above 500 of the greatest beauties of India. All his children are by adoption, and they amount to about 60 in number, 32 sons and 28 daughters. Pregnant women are purchased or beguiled into the seraglio, where they lay in; if a son, a royal salute is fired, which proclaims the birth of a young Nawab; if a daughter, the public knows Lucnow, Feb. 28, 1795. nothing; as women are in this country considered merely as a piece of necessary furniture, to ornament the Haram; and the birth of a daughter occasions no joy to the father. Judging from his own conduct, he foresees the treatment his child will experience when she is consigned to the animal love of another; that they will be merely slaves in purple and fine linen; loaded with jewels to please the eyes of their tyrants, and never allowed to step beyond the precincts of the Zanana, except on occasional visits to some female friend; nor ever suffered to behold the face of any man besides their masters, for they cannot be called husbands without outrage to the term, except through the lat ticed windows of their high walled prisons, called Zananas. The bridegroom was about 13, dark complexioned, and not handsome; the bride about 10, still darker, and still more ordinary. We went in the evening to the celebration; our party consisted of about four ladies and twelve gentlemen; we went all on elephants caparisoned. On the plains which border on the city of Lucnow, the Nawab had pitched many tents, but two large ones in particular, made of strong cotton cloth, lined with the finest English broad cloth, cut in stripes of different colours, with cords of silk and cotton. These two large tents cost five lacks of rupees, or above 50,000l. sterling; they were each about 120 feet long, 60 broad, and the poles about 60 feet high, and the walls of the tents about 10 feet high; the walls of one of the tents were cut in lattice work, for the women of the Nawab's seraglio, and the principal native nobility, to see through. In front of the large tent destined for our reception, and for the reception of the principal nobility at the Nawab's court, was a large awning of fine English broad cloth, called in this country a shumecana, supported on about 60 poles covered with silver; this awning, or shumeeana, was, about 100 feet long, and the same in breadth. When we arrived, the good-humoured Nawab received us very politely, and conducted us to one of the large tents destined for the men, where we sat for about an hour; he was covered with jewels, to the amount at least of two millions sterling; we then went out, and sat under the shumeeana, which was lighted up with a couple of hundred elegant Europe girandoles, and as many shades with wax candles, and many hun dred flambeaux; the glare and reflection was dazzling and offensive to the sight; here were above a hundred dancing girls, richly dressed, who went through their elegant but rather lascivious dances and motions, and sung some soft airs of the country, chiefly Persic and Hindû-Persic. About seven at night the bridegroom Vazeer Allee, the young Nawab, appeared loaded so absurdly with jewels, that he could scarcely stagger under the precious weight. We then mounted our elephants to proceed to a rich and extensive garden, which was about a mile off; the procession was grand beyond conception. It consisted of above 1200 elephants richly caparisoned, and drawn up in a regular line like a regiment of soldiers; about a 100 of the elephants which were in the centre had castles, called howdas, lashed on their backs, which were covered with silver. In the centre was the Nawab mounted on an uncommonly large elephant, covered with cloth of gold, and a rich howda covered with gold, and studded with precious stones. On his right hand was the British resident at his court, Mr. George Johnstone, and on his left the young Nawab Vazeer Allee; the other English gentlemen and ladies, and the native nobility, were intermixed on the right and left. On both sides of the road, from the garden to the tents, were raised artificial sceneries of bamboo-work very high, represcating bastions, arches, minaret, and towers, covered with lights in lamps, which made a grand and sublime display: and on each side of the procession, in front of the line of elephants, were dancing girls richly dressed (carried on platforms, supported by men |