The Sun.
London, England, 1839-09-19 00:00:00

ENING

FLUCTUATIONS IN THE PRO-
DUCTION OF GOLD.

The Deutsche Vierteljahrschrijt, a new Stuttgard
periodical, contains a dissertation which, like all the
writings of Alexander de Humboldt, is replete with
deep research and general and exalted views. The his-
tory of gold, the most precious of metals, was worthy of
the pen of the illustrious author of the " Voyage to the
Equinoxial Regions."
In ancient times gold was sought for in Asia : it was
nest drawn from the New World, the persuasion still
prevailing as among the ancients that this metal existed
only in the warmest climates. In compliance with this
notion the celebrated geographer (Toscanelli) wrote to
1
Columbus that he should find no gold so long as he
should meet with negroes. Recent disscoveries have,
however, confuted the opinion predominating in antiquity
and the middle ages. Gold mines and quarries are now
wrought. in Siberia, and there is no longer any adhering
to the old doctrine, which held that heat was necessary
for preparing gold in the bosom of the earth.
The ancients speak of enormous masses of gold left
by conquering Kings, and of treasures equally immense
found by conquerors in the countries subjected to their
1 arms. According to Appiauus, who writes upon docu-
ments, the treasure of Ptolemy-Philadelph amounted
to 740,000 talents. It remains to be known what ta-
lents history means, whether they were Egyptian talents
or little talents of Ptolemy. Even in the last case,
the measure would be splendid enough, for It
would exceed 40,000,000/. However fabulous
the assertion appears, Bceckh, the author of the
learned work upon the political economy of the Athe-
nians, dares not dispute it, seeing the rapacity of the
ancient despots of Asia, who scrupled not to employ the
most odious and violent means in order to obtain posses-
sion of the gold in circulation. If the great talents be
admitted in the statement of Appianus, Ptolemy-Phila-
delph's treasure would be equivalent to all the gold now
circulating in France and in Belgium ; and if little
talents be reckoned, it would still be the mass of specie
circulaing in Great Britain. According to Strabo,
Alexander the Great had eighteen myriads collected at
Echatana, " Whereupon," says M. de Humboldt, " it
must not be forgotten that in those times the precious
metals were concentrated upon some points of the globe,
and in the treasuries of conquerors ; whereas, now-a-days,
they are more uniformly spread over largo extents of
countries, and among large populations."
But whence came, in ancient times, those quantities
of gold which flowed in'o the hands of rapacious despots ?
That it came from the interior of Asia, from the Upper
)
Oxus, Bactriana, and the Oriental parts of the empire
of the Persians is certain ; but when the source
of this Pactolus is sought for, fabulous accounts are all
that assist the inquirer. The ancients mention ants that
i found gold among the mountainous people of the Derds,
and of griffons that guarded the treasures among the
Arimasps. It would seem to be the plateau of Cashgar
and Acsoa, between the parallel chains of the Himalaya
and Kuenlon mountains, that fable considered the source
of gold. In Thibet, indeed, all the rivers yield gold_
The Greeks considered as gold countries Lydia, or
the banks of the streams issuing from the Imo-
lus, Phrygia, and Colchid. Those countries may
have had gold sands ; those sands may have been
exhausted, as have been those of the streams of Cuba
1 and St. Domingo. M. de Humboldt observes that in
general the gold mixed with sand is more easily re-
moved than that which must be extracted from mines ;
such is the reason for which of forty places where, ac-
cording to Strobe, gold sands were to be found,
scarcely a few can now be recognised ; the others have
i been exhausted.