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GOLD.
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Thibet —I
include Thibet in this account as there is every reason to believe that
for many centuries a regular supply of gold has entered India from
thence, and continues to do so to the present day. In a Paper by Mr. A.
Lawder, on the " Mineral Statistics of the Kumaon District''* we find
the following passage :—
Gold
is found in many of the rivers of Thibet, at Silungsakka, &c. ; it
is sold at the same fairs as the salt and borax, either in nuggets or
grains. About 10 to 12,000 rupees' worth is brought down annually, some
of which is disposed of in the hill districts (Kumaon and Gurhwal),
probably about one-third, and the remainder most likely finds its way
to Delhi, Agra, &c. It is sometimes found to contain copper.
Tavernierf
mentions the occurrence of gold in Thibet, though he was not aware
apparently of its being worked in his time in Southern India. He says :—
Toward
Thibet, which is the ancient Caucasus, in the territories of a Raja
beyond the kingdom of Cachemir, there are three mountains close one by
another, one of which produces gold, the other granats (garnets), and the third lapis lazuli.
Of
the very highest interest are the accounts of the Thibetan gold mines
which are given by the Pundits attached to the Indian Survey for the
purpose of exploring countries north of the Himalayas. Unwittingly
these admirable native servants of the Government of India have
furnished facts which have enabled Sir Henry Rawlinson, and
independently
* " Records of the Geological Survey of India," vol. ii. p. 90. + "Travels/'
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