CHAP. XXVII.

INDIA.

331

many parts in uncommon purity. The mines arethe exclusive property of the government, whichpermits one of them to be worked by contract tosuch an extent as shall yield a net amount ofabout five thousand ounces; and the whole pro-duce is, perhaps, scarcely to be estimated at morethan double that amount.

In Cochin China both gold and silver have Cochinbeen extracted from the sand of the rivers, but,according to Bissach&re, the working of mineswas prohibited under the penalty of death. St.

Croix assei'ts that the gold is of the purest kindthat is ever found, but that the quantity yieldedis very small.

It does not appear by any accounts that have Nepaui.been collected, that any of the precious metalshave been procured in the country of the Ne-paulese, or in any part of Tartary, though invery remote ages a large portion of gold, ac-cording to history, was extracted from the lattercountry.

The extensive territories of the East India com-pany afforded little of either gold or silver; none isfound within the governments of the three greatpresidencies. Some gold is procured on the Mala-bar coast, in Coimbatore , and in the whole tractof country to the west and south-west of the Neel-ghery mountains. According to the evidence ofMr. Baber before the East India committee ofthe House of Commons , the auriferous district