BI@ERICAN NECI-IANICS’ MAGAZINE. 79

Golrl is found in its perfect metallic state, sometimes in masses of considerable magnitude, more frequently in dust or minute grains, int~rntittglcd among earths and sands, or in little drops and veins, bedded in different coloured stones, which strike fire with steel, and are not soluble in aqua-fort%. It is never debased into a true ore, as

by the coalition of arsenical or sulphureous very intimately combined in the composition

znd blendetl in smnil proportion, with the Ores 1.t is scarcely ever free from some adtniliturc of other

metals, l)art.icularly of silver. Cramer observes? Zhat such as is found l00SC in CiLt’lhS 2nd SZllldS , generally contains more silver than what is Iodqed in a solitl matrix. To such an admixture is apparently owing the paleness of some kinds of gold ; and probably the Malaccasscan gold, said by Flacout-t in 11% ltistory of &Iada~~ascar, to be not only paler, but &uch more fusible t.hnn that of E?trope, and which has hence been supposed by so1ne t.o be in its own nature distinct, is no Other than a rnisture of gold with a cerfain quantity of silver : it is said to IX of consitlerably less value than the European gold, from dich circltlnstance, (ornittccl by Boyle and others, who have quoted Fl~~court~a account,) it may be presumed that it iS not reg;trded UlJOn the spot a9 being pure goId.

The Ht-azils, the Spanish West Indies; some parts of the East Indies, anal the coast of Africa, afford the largest quantities of gold. Some parts of F,uropc, also, appear to bC rich in this metal : ibe mines of the Upper Rungary, which seem to be the most considerable in this quarter of the world, have continued to yield gold for upwards of ten ten turies.

Perrt, Mexico, ChiIi, and other provinces of the S a&h West In- dies, aboutrtl with gold, in a variety of fitrms. It is ounti both in the P sands of rivers, and in Brines ; intermixed with loose earth, lodged in fissures of rocks, anal bedded in hard atones; at the surihcc of the earth, and at great depths ; in dust, in grains, like the seeds Of apples, called pqjitcrs, au<4 suinctitncs in consitl~rable t11asses of an estraor- dinary size.. Itenomtlt- reports, that a piece was shown to the French academy, wllich was said to weigh fifty-six marts, Or four hundred and forty-eight ounces ; ant1 Peuill&e says he saw one in ihe cabinet of Antonio Portocarero, ~~hjch weighed upwards of sisty-six marts, or five hundretl anal twenty-eight outlces. Both these pieces Fvere as- sayed, art4 fotrncl to be or diEeretit fineness, in difti:rent part3 of the mass; Cite first was, in one part, mo?l~er-, tXv;rity-three ;

twenty-three carats and a half; in and rn another, onlg t\venty-two : the second

was, in one part, tlventy-t.wo carats j another, but seventeen and a half.

in atiothcr, twenty-one ; and in it is, however, rat.13 to meet with

Lnasscs, of the weight even Of an ounce; $lnseum weighs but fi’i?c’cti ~t~nnp-~li’Ci~li13~

the: largest in tl;c British X’-;utn-ithstauding t!la ex-

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