Note 10 — Chapter XIX · A VISIT TO A GOLD-MINE.

It is his duty to supervise the washing of the gold, which is placed in a coffer, locked by the proprietor, and sealed by the Government agent, the quantity of gold washed at each operation being entered in a register. If they find a quarter of an ounce of gold to a ton and a half of sand, then 200 men can wash from four to five pounds of gold a day. I heard, however, of a mine to the south of Yeneseisk, where they usually found from 15 to 20 lbs., and sometimes even up to 36 lbs. a day. Gold thus found is not always pure, but is frequently mixed with magnetic iron, which is drawn off by a magnet. Nor is the metal all of the same colour. In some places it is found very dark, and often still covered by a crust of oxide of iron; in other places it is of a very light colour, and contains silver.