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lump of metal was found at the bottom, weighing ninetygrains. The metal appeared to be somewhat differ thanpure lead, and experiments convinced me that it containedsome tin and a little gold.

SECT. XI.

'The mineral history of gold.

G O L D is found in its perfect metallic state ; some-times in masses of considerable magnitude ; morefrequently in dust or minute grains, intermingled amongearths and sands; or in little drops and veins, bedded indifferent coloured stones, which strike fire with steel, andare not soluble in aqua fortis. It is never debased intoa true ore, as other metals generally are, by the coalitionof arsenical or sulphureous bodies ; though it is often veryintimately combined in the composition of sands andstones, and blended, in small proportion, with the ores ofother metals. It is scarcely ever free from some admix-ture of other metals, particularly of silver : Cramer ob-serves, that such as is found loose in earths and sandsgenerally contains more silver than what is lodged in asolid matrix. To such an admixture is apparently owingthe paleness of some kinds of gold : and probably theMalacaffean gold, said by Flacourt, in his history of Ma-dagascar, to be not only paler but much more fusiblethan that of Europe, and which has'hence been supposedby some to be in its own nature distinct, is no other thana mixture of gold with a certain quantity of silver : it issaid to be of considerably less value than the Europeangold, from which circumstance, omitted by Boyle andothers who have quoted Flacourt’s account, it may bepresumed that it is not regarded, upon the spot, as beingpure gold.

The