THE METHOD OF REFINING SILVER.

They dig a hole, and having sprinkled into it a small quantity of wild cow dung, they fill' it with the ashes of Mughílan* wood; then they moisten it, and work it up into the shape of a dish; into this they put the adulterated silver, together with a proportionate quantity of lead. First, they put a fourth part of the lead on the top of the silver, and having surrounded the whole with coals, blow the fire with a pair of bellows, till the metals are melted, which operation is generally repeated four times. The proofs of the metal being pure are, a lightning-like bright­ness, and its beginning to harden at the sides. As soon as it is hardened in the middle, they sprinkle it with water, when flames resembling in shape the horns of wild goats, issue from it. It then forms itself into a dish, and is perfectly refined. If this dish be melted again, half a surkh in every tólah will burn away, i. e., 6 máshahs and 2 surkhs in 100 tólahs. The ashes of the dish, which are mixed with silver and lead, form a kind of litharge, called in Hindí k'haral, and in Persian kúhnah;* the use of which will be hereafter explained. Before this refined silver is given over to the Zarráb, 5 máshahs and 5 surkhs are taken away for the Imperial exchequer out of every hundred tólahs of it; after which the assay master marks the mass with the usual stamp, that it may not be altered or exchanged.

In former times silver also was assayed by the banwárí system; now it is calculated as follows:—if by refining 100 tolahs, of sháhí silver, which is current in 'Iráq and Khurásán, and of the lárí and misqálí, which are current in Túrán, there are lost three tólahs and one surkh; and of the same quantity of the European and Turkish narjíl, and the mahmúdí and muzaffarí of Gujrát and Málwah, 13 tólahs and 6½ máshahs are lost, they become of the imperial standard.

15. The Qurçkúb having heated the refined silver, hammers it till it has lost all smell of the lead. His fee for the weight of 1000 rupees, is 4½ dams.

16. The Cháshnígír examines the refined gold and silver, and fixes its purity as follows:—Having made two tólahs of the refined gold into eight plates, he applies layers of the mixture as above described, and sets fire to it, keeping out, however, all draught; he then washes the plates, and melts them. If they have not lost anything by this process, the gold is pure. The assay-master then tries it upon the touchstone, to satisfy himself and others. For assaying that quantity, he gets 12/5 dáms. In the case of silver, he takes one tólah with a like quantity of lead, which he puts together into a bone crucible, and keeps it on the fire till the lead is all burnt. Having then sprinkled the silver with water, he hammers it till it has lost all smell of the lead; and having melted it in a new crucible, he weighs it; and if it has lost in weight three* birinj (rice grains), it is sufficiently pure; otherwise he melts it again, till it comes to that degree. For assaying that quantity, his fee is 3 dáms, 4½ jétals.

17. The Niáriyah collects the khák i khaláç, and washes it, taking two sérs at the time; whatever gold there may be amongst it, will settle, from its weight, to the bottom. The khák, when thus washed, is called in Hindí kukrah, and still contains some gold, for the recovery of which, directions shall hereafter be given. The abovementioned adulterated sediment is rubbed together with quicksilver, at the rate of six máshahs per sér. The quicksilver from its predilective affinity, draws the gold to itself, and forms an amalgam which is kept over the fire in a retort, till the gold is separated from the quicksilver.

For extracting the gold from this quantity of khák, the Niyáriyah receives 20 dáms, 2 jétals.