Owe of the most prevalent ideas with regard to Japan, when first opened to Foreign trade, was that it was a land teeming with gold mines, as well as rich in the possession of other valuable metallic ores. The experience we now have of its productions scarcely bears out this idea. The complete isolation of Japan from the rest of the world had permitted a different relative value for gold and silver to prevail, from that which had become normal in the rest of the world. Gold did exist to some extent in the country; while for silver it had to depend mainly on the old stocks of bullion remaining when it was finally closed to Foreign intercourse, so that silver assumed an artificial value making use of the industrial resources of the country, and the production of ly claimed some con-possesses a staff of professors, and has Seen availing itself of the services of Monroe, the professor of geology and vnineralogy, in investigating the gol¢;-reducing capabilities of the island of Yeo, The result has been disappointvag to those who looked forward to any ia: ge development of the produce of the precious metals. The richest district was that of Toshibetsu, situated at the head waters of the Toshi river, dis. charging into the sea on the Western coast of the Southern portion of the island. Even this district showed but an unpromising turn out, the value of the gold to be extracted from a cubic yard of gravel amounting to but 59 cents. The gravel occurs in terraces along the banks of the river, the upper terraces being generally at a consider. able height above the stream level. The gravel is in no great thickness, and the different terraces seem to point to deposition at different epochs. To extract the gold from these auriferous gravels, the Japanese have worked out a system of their own, which Mr. Monroe reports as cheap, simple and effective. After washing the gravel in ditches dug out for the purpose, the residue is collected and washed on mats which collect the particles of gold. By various methods of manipulation, a sufficient amount is collected together, and then finally washed off in a wooden dish, where eventually the lighter particles are separated from the gold by blowing. In California, the poorest gravels which can be worked with an approach to profit contain from 5 to 10 cents' worth of gold per cubic yard, according to the facilities afforded for working, so that the margin of possible profit even in these washings, in Japan, is infinitesimally small. Other reported goldfields yielded even a poorer return. Kudo gave but.175 cents per yard, Esashi under 14 cents, and Musa less than a cent. Musa has an historical interest. Some 670 years ago, the Japanese sent 2 force of 800 labourers to work the mines, the country being then in the hands of the aboriginal Amos, After thirteen years of working, hostilities broke out, and the entire party was exter. minated. Mr. Monroe, from the results obtained daring his visit, calculated that the total value of the gold extracted during the period in question could not have amounted to more than rather than that gold was chesper than elsewhere. The result of this position of affairs was what might naturally have been anticipated; and a complete revolution in the currency was not effected without grave danger to the Empire at large, as well as much 35,2001, a poor. retura for the labour and risk. On the whole, there does not seem to exist any reasonable hope that Japan will take rank amongst gold producing countries. The whole of the east coast of Asia seems to contain deposits of gold-producing rocks. inconvenience to the people. Of Into China, it is well known, possesses years, the Japanese Government has many gold-bearing rocks.
Though been looking round with the object of widely spread, they are in every case poor in. an extreme degree. The native Chinese who can moke a live-Tihood from re-washing the deserted tailing of a Cslifornian or Australian washing, cannot keep body and soul together out of the production of the auriferous Eolas of the' bed of a Chinese stream. Japan, it would seem, is in this respect not unlike China, Both, however, contain deposits richer in their results, and more capable of developing an intelligent industry, in their rich deposits of coal and the more useful metallic ores We would like to see the small beginings already made, increase to a profitable industry.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.