CHAP. XXVII.
335
in China is never used to perform the function ofmoney, but is bought and sold exactly like pearls,diamonds, or other valuable commodities, andexclusively applied like them to purposes of luxu-rious gratification.
The islands in the Indian Ocean yield some Mian is-quantities of gold. Ceylon is said to have onceafforded it, but at present none is extracted; norare there any authentic accounts of that metalbeing found in Java.
Sumatra yields gold, both from the washing of Sumatra ,the sand of the rivers, and from small mines inthe mountains of Monangkabo. The several dis-tricts of the island are said to produce annuallyabout thirteen thousand ounces of gold of nine-teen carats fine. A small part of this metal isdestined to increase the general stock of theworld, as the chief application of it is to orna-mental domestic purposes, and especially togilding.
Borneo has been long celebrated for its abund- Borneo ,ance of gold. It is chiefly found in alluvialdeposits, whence it is extracted, both by na-tives and Chinese , but chiefly by the latter,who conduct their operations in a district betweenSamboss and Pontiana, called, from its chieftown, Montradack. The whole tract is alluvial,being intersected by numerous rivers of con-siderable size, flowing from the mountainousinterior. The Chinese population in this di-