A´I´N 7.
THE MANNER OF REFINING GOLD.

When the abovementioned plates have been stamped, the owner of the gold, for the weight of every 100 jalálí goldmuhurs, must furnish 4 sérs of saltpetre, and 4 sérs of brickdust of raw bricks. The plates after having been washed in clean water, are stratified with the above mixture (of the saltpetre and brickdust), and put one above the other, the whole being covered with cowdung, which in Hindi is called uplah. It is the dry dung of the Wild Cow. Then they set fire to it, and let it gently burn, till the dung is reduced to ashes, when they leave it to cool; then these ashes being removed from the sides, are preserved. They are called in Persian khák i khaláç, and in Hindí salóní. By a process to be mentioned hereafter, they recover silver from it. The plates, and the ashes below them, are left as they are. This process of setting fire to the dung, and removing the ashes at the sides, is twice repeated. When three fires have been applied, they call the plates sitáí. They are then again washed in clean water, and stratified three times with the above mixture, the ashes of the sides being removed.

This operation must be repeated, till six mixtures and eighteen fires have been applied, when the plates are again washed. Then the assay master breaks one of them; and if there comes out a soft and mild sound, it is a sign of its being sufficiently pure; but if the sound is harsh, the plates must undergo three more fires. Then from each of the plates one máshah is taken away, of which aggregate a plate is made. This is tried on the touchstone; if it is not sufficiently fine, the gold has again to pass through one or two fires. In most cases, however, the desired effect is obtained by three or four fires.

The following method of assaying is also used. They take two tólahs of pure gold, and two tólahs of the gold which passed through the fire, and make twenty plates of each, of equal weight. They then spread the above mixture, apply the fire, wash them, and weigh them with an exact balance. If both kinds are found to be equal in weight, it is a proof of pureness.

10. The Melter of the refined metal. He melts the refined plates of gold, and casts them, as described above, into ingots. His fee for 100 gold muhurs is three dáms.

11. The Zarráb. He cuts off the gold, silver and copper ingots, as exactly as he can, round pieces of the size of coined money. His fees are, for 100 gold muhurs, 21 dáms, 1¼ jétals; for the weight of 1000 rupees 53 dáms, 8¾ jétals, if he cuts rupees; and 28 dáms in addition, if he cuts the same weight of silver into quarter rupees. For 1000 copper dáms his fee is 20 dáms; for the same weight of half and quarter dáms, 25 dáms; and for half quarter dáms, which are called dumrís, 69 dáms.

In I´rán and Túrán they cannot cut these pieces without a proper anvil; but Hindustani workmen cut them without such an instrument, so exactly, that there is not the difference of a single hair, which is remarkable enough.

12. The Engraver. He engraves the dies of the coins on steel, and such like metals. Coins are then stamped with these dies. At this day, Mauláná 'Alí Ahmad of Delhi, who has not his equal in any country, cuts different kinds of letters in steel, in such a manner as equals the copyslips of the most skilful caligraphers. He holds the rank of a yúzbáshí;* and two of his men serve in the mint. Both have a monthly salary of 600 dáms.

13. The Sikkachí. He places the round pieces of metal between two dies; and by the strength of the hammerer (putkchí) both sides are stamped. His fees are for 100 goldmuhurs, 12/5 dáms; for 1000 rupees, 5 dáms, 9½ jétals; and for the weight of 1000 rupees of small silver pieces, 1 dám, 3 jétals in addition; for 1000 copper dáms, 3 dáms; for 2000 half dáms, and 4000 quarter dáms, 3 dáms, 18¾ jétals; and for 8000 half-quarter dáms, 10½ dáms. Out of these fees the sikkachí has to give one-sixth to the hammerer, for whom there is no separate allowance.

14. The Sabbák makes the refined silver into round plates. For every 1000 rupees weight, he receives 54 dáms.

The discovery of alloy in silver. Silver may be alloyed with lead, tin and copper. In I´rán and Túrán, they also call the highest degree of fineness of silver dahdahí; in Hindustán, the sairafis use for it the term bíst biswah. Accord­ing to the quantity of the alloy, it descends in degree; but it is not made less than five, and no one would care for silver baser than ten degrees. Practical men can discover from the colour of the compound, which of the alloys is pre­vailing, whilst by filing and boring it, the quality of the inside is ascertained. They also try it by beating it when hot, and then throwing it into water, when blackness denotes lead, redness copper, a white greyish colour tin, and whiteness a large proportion of silver.