actual
value for their labours that no one had the courage to renew the search
in the next dry season. Subsequently on June 22nd, the following
reference was made:—
It is rumoured that Gold in considerable quantity has been discovered in Nuwara Eliya.
But
there again the digging was soon after discontinued, and at a time when
coffee planting was comparatively in its infancy and offered all
possible scope for energy and capital, the enquiry after gold, as might
be expected dropped out of view.
Now
what we wish to point out is that in 1854 there was no idea of working
on the reef. Quartz, crushing at that time was comparatively unknown
even in Australia. Deep shafts running down hundreds of feet into the
bowels of the earth, such as we visited in 1869 at Ballarat, were not
thought of fifteen years previously. Surface .washing and pit digging
alone commanded attention, and it is no wonder, therefore, that Ceylon
was abandoned as an unprofitable field for such operations. Since then
it is not too much to say, that the work of gold-mining has been
entirely revolutionized, and it is the application of modern machinery
for blasting, crushing and extracting gold from quartz that alone
renders it possible to mine with profit in Southern India. There, as in
Ceylon, the hopes of all concerned depend on quartz reefs, and v. e
have abundance of evidence to shew that the work of the practical miner
in our local auriferous region would probably be crowned with success.
Not in the Southern, but along the western slopes of the Central
Province—in the Kadu-gannawa, Kegalla and Dolosbage districts far excellence—ought
the trial to be made. Mr. Brough Smyth in his official Report to the
Madras Government of October 1879 estimated the cost of crushing quartz
at 9s 6d per ton. This is based on actual experience, steam-power
being, however, allowed for, while if water could be made the motive
power (as is being done in Wynaad and no doubt would be the case here)
a saving would be effected. One of the Wynaad mines even with inferior
machinery has been actually worked at R6 per ton, and gold being
reckoned at R2 per dwt. (and twenty dwts. to the oz.), three
pennyweights would cover the cost, while one oz,. of gold to the ton of
quartz—considered a moderate estimate—would yield a profit of R34 per
ton. The quantity of work done depends on the number and weight of
"stampers" used, and here is how Mr. Brough Smyth works out the
operation:—
10
stampers costing £5,000 inclusive of cost of erection and building,
will crush 25 tons in the 24 hours; 40 stampers, costing £20,000 will
crush 100 tons. Then 100 tons at a gold profit of R34 per ton = 3,400
per day, and in 300 working days =10,20,000 per annum.
If, however, the estimate is reduced to i oz.
per ton, the result would still be a profit, equal to 35 per cent on
the capital invested. As to yield the average experience gained in
Australia for the 16 years ending 1876 was in dwts. per ton, but it is
believed that the quartz in some portions of the Mysore and Wynaad (and
why not Ceylon?) districts is richer than that of Australia. Already
one Indian Company have extracted 40 ounces from 44 tons of ore, and
that with very indifferent machinery. We have, therefore, good reason
for saying that the time has come for Government to cause a sufficient
examination to be made of the gold-yielding region of Ceylon—more
particularly in Kadu-gannawa and Dolosbage. Mr. Brough Smyth will
shortly return from Australia to India accompanied by practical miners,
and would it not be well for Lieutenant-Governor Douglas to ask the
Madras Government beforehand that Mr. Smyth should be allowed to visit
and report on the local region referred to before he continues his
journey from Galle to Madras ? Possibly he might detach one or two
miners to carry on the necessary exploration. It cannot now be pleaded
that there is a want of money—that our revenue is likely to be short of
the estimate. We may base the claim for expenditure on gold exploration
or trial mining and crushing on the Pearl Fishery surplus alone. The
official estimate is R400,ooo from this source. Surely, Mr. Douglas
will not grudge a small
