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vxnces In pursuance of the orders of the duke of Orleans,gives an account of ten rivers or rivulets in the territoriesof France that have gold mixed with their sands in certainparts of their course : the Rhine, from Brisac down toStrasburg sparingly, from thence to Philipsburg moreabundantly, and most of all so between Fort Louis andGermesheim : the Rhone, in the pais de Gex, from theconflux of the Arve, from which it is supposed to receiveits gold, to about five leagues lower down : the rivuletsof Ferriet and Benagues, which rife from the heights onthe left hand of the descent from Varilhere to Palmiers:the Ariege, aurigera , about Palmiers, below where it re-ceives the two foregoing rivulets : the Garonne, someleagues from Toulouse, below where it receives the Ariege:the Salat, which rises, as the Ariege, in the Pyreneans :the Ceze and the Gardon, which come from the Cevennes ;and the Doux in Franche-Compte. The last of these riversis the poorest, the gold having hitherto been collectedfrom it rather in the way of curiosity than in a lucrativeview : the greatest quantities are obtained from the Rhine,not that this is really the richest, but on account of itssands being the most industriously searched, for some ofthe others, particularly the Ceze and the Gardon, appearto be at least equal to it in richness. The quantity gotfrom the Rhine, in an extent of near two leagues belowStrasburg, is said to amount to no more than four or fiveounces in a year: this is the quantity brought to the ma-gistrates of Strasburg, who farm out the right of collect-ing it on condition of its being sold to them at a priceconsiderably under its value, so that it may be presumedthat a part is otherwise disposed of, and that the quantityreally obtained is considerably greater.

There are many other rivers reported to yield gold, asthe Tagus, the Danube, the Fib, the Oder, the Inn, the

B b Sal a.