The Placer herald., 1872-01-20
Written for the HEaAlD' IN rsrs
vrTILs-THEIR ANTIQUITY AM
PLATINUM.

xrr.1s THEIR ANTIQUITY AAD o'A'
PLATINUM.
rh;. metal was discovered oy MI ,'':.od
vi in Jamaica. in 17l1. twas nrs' oo''' +.
,, C,oco and Santa Fe, in South America
- al.o found in St. Domingo, bf'1', ''r ',,;,
,,o.t .b,ndantly in the Ural mountains '''
r;a.o Of native platinum weighing ~ po"n'
W.. found in mine belonging to Ooun' :.,
rho metal i. Ct blueish-white coiof' i''
81 gravity is 2l.5, little more than '"en.'
,;.oos besvie. than water possessing 'ii'
,,reotest density. and being therefore 'ne N'n
ost of all known bodies 1t Is soI'' il'''''
ductjle-iu these qualities inferior OH! "
and silver; in tenacity 1t only yiefA' " ''''
copper. A platinum wire ohe-'enlh oi "N
;o iio,,eter will sustain weight OF 36l pouhoS.
Some important discoveries IN tne Pio''''
nurityiug and rendering malleaole 'h'S ns'"
were made by Dr. Wollaston. who succeoe'eo -
drawing out wire made OF 1t to the nnene's u
one ten-thousandth part OF an men, onu ~ 'As
supported y, grains in weight without oreAh'ne'
A Illuminating powder can be prepared rom
the sulphate of platinum, similar III i.S Sc'i0n
and effects to that prepared from goid' SILVER
and mercury. Platinum Is prlncipaily oseu III
forming vessels for chemical operations As cru
cjbles. etc, for which it is admirably adapted
from its intusibility, and from its being SO SLOW
conductor of heat that short slip OF the metal
may be heated by a blow-ppe to white neat u
one end and held in the naked hand at ths other
An oxide Of platinum is used in porcelain pant
ing for silver in that species OF ware called SILVER
!rstre. In Russia platinum is coined into money
and circulates to some amount. 1t Is also en-
rloyed as IN alloy of copper, IN forming MR.
rors, or specula for rejecting telescopes which
are less liable to tarnsh than if made OF other
metals. The difficulty of working platinum has
made the articles 50 expensive as to limit, IN a
great degree, the uses which might otherwise be
made of this valuable metal
GOLD.
Gold has been known from the earliest ages
1t is by no means a rare metal, though not so
universally dlfused as iron, lead, silver, or cop
per Its superior value depends, like all other
costly substances, on its comparative scarcity
AN'
Its specific gravity is 1875, about nineteen times
heavier than water, or nearly as great as that OF
platinum. 1t is inelastc, soft, and more mallea-
bic and ductile than any other Of the metals. 1t
can be hammered, into leaves only the two hun
dred and eishty-two thousandth part of an inch
in thickness, without losing its adhesion, so that
one grain in weight is made to cover 56H square
inches. In this state of thnness it is found TO
admit of the green rays OF light passing through
it. In tenacty however, gold is inferior to iron,
copper, platinum, or silver. A wire oEe-tcnth of
an inch in diameter will only support a weight
Of 19l pounds. The greatest quantities of gold
have in most countries been met with in the
sands of rivers and on the surface of the earth,
in small grains or pieces of irregular forms and
sizes. At Sofala on the southeast side Of the
peninsula, gold is found, not only in alluvium,
but also in veins. 1t is conjectured that the
Ophir of Scripture was situated ON this coast.
The high value which has always been Sc
upon gold, its immense importance to commerce
its beauty as personal and domestic ornaments
the labor required to obtain it, and the priva
tons and sufierings endured by those employed
in searching for it, have caused an interest to be
attached 10 it which belongs to no other metal
and, indeed, to no other natural product among
the many which man has pressed into his service
Although in a sense gold might be said to be i'm
perishable, and from its value and utility is very
carefully preserved, yet it must be remembered
that there are many ways in which ii is lost an6
4
constantly losing something in size and weight
by the attriton Of fair wear and tear to say
nothing of the frauds practised in reducing then
for purposes of gain. Immense quantities Of
gold are used for watch-cases and ewerv, and
in gliding and ornamenting thousands OF articles
of taste and luxury. That portion in daily use
is subject to continual waste, whilst gold leaf
and chloride of gold as applied to photography
must be reckoned as among the uses to which
the metal is applied and irrecoverably lost. Nol
must we omit to mention the gold used in den
tistry-diffcult to think of or to estimate, bat
amounting to many hundreds Of ounces annual
ly, and is liable to waste by wear and tear. as
that employed solely for ornaments. Large
sums are also lost by shipwrecks in conveying
coin or bullion from one country to another for
the purposes of trade. Hence the difficulty, or
more properly speaking the impossblity Of
knowing what is the actual amount or value OF
gold existing in the world, either coined, manu-
factured, or in the form of bullion.
The principal uses of gold in civilized coun-
tries are either for vessels and ornaments, or for
money For the latter purpose it is particularly
well adapted by its qualities, Its power of re-
Ssting the action of the atmosphere, and OF
not oxyetizng or rusting, as most other metals
do, causes COINS made of it to last and retain
'heir color and the sharpness of the impression
stamped upon them for great many years.
Gold IS never used quite pure for the purpose Of
coming, because in that state it would be too
soft to bear the constant rubbing to which ii
would be subjected in circulating money. Tn