THE Thames Guardian AND MINING RECORD, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1871.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 5, 12 October 1871, Page 2

THE Thames Guardian AND MINING RECORD, THURSDAY , OCTOBER 12, 1871.

Uron consulting any work oil chemistry, the reader will find it stated, invariably, that the best means to take Jo obtain a solution of gold is to treat the metal with aqua regia, literally royal water, so called because, the ancient chemists believed that it was the only medium in which the royal metal gold was soluble. This article purposes to shew, and also prove by examples, that there are many and much more simple means whereby we may attain this end, means at the disposal of all. To the reader.it will seem incredible that so many eminent and learned men should have been guilty of such a gross error, men who have occupied the foremost stations in chemical science, and whose researches and writings have been at all times justly esteemed as being among the finest examples we possess of experimental science and wonderful intuitive knowledge. But that this is really the case we humbly purpose to try, and then and firstly we will explain how that by the very nature of the occupation of a chemist he was extremely likely to have made this mistake. He is a. man engaged heart and soul in his business, toiling early and late, only desisting from his labours to sleep, barely giving himself sufficient time for his food ; he has taken chemistry for his god, he has wedded himself to the gases: for his sons and his daughters he has adopted the acids and salts, and for his friends his loved apparatus. Such is .the true chemist, a man nobly and patiently working out the Divine order, “ By the sweat of thy brow shalt thou earn thy breadever learning, ever progressing toward a goal ho knows lie can ltetci reach, becoming every year meeker, humbler, and more childlike, till the day when he yields up his soul as a child of science to the Great Master Chemist, the Creator and Analyst of all human affairs. That a man like this, living apart from the ordinary every-day life of this world, should be ignorant of the intense solubility of the precious metal gold in the vulgar medium of scrip. Is it to be wondered at, I say ? _ I leave it to the intelligent and unprejudiced reader to say yes or no. It is a painful fact that there are many here who are ready to exclaim, Oh! that I had been an ignorant chemist. To diverge for a moment; for the purpose of this paper, and to make matters as clear as possible, we shall define the term solubility as being the power of one substance to absoib into itself others of a different nature, thereby rendering those others invisible, or else another substance is produced having properties different from any of the original component parts. Scrip may be defined as being the most beautiful instance of the truth of the celebrated axiom of the greet poet Horace “Multum in Parvo,” or in the vernacular “ much in little.” In support of our views as to the solubility, absorption, or invisibility of gold in scrip, we adduce the following example. A friend of the authors had also a friend, and that friend was a sharebroker, a man of great standing in his profession, and whose scrip was of a superior description, showing above all others, as with the brightness of a “ Morning or Evening Star,” or with the glory of one of New Zealands “ Smiling Beauties.” The shareholder was also a man of many words, and learned in the mysteries hidden in the bowels of the earth. His many words prevailed over my friend, and he asked him to tea. He came to tea; he conversed deeply. Tea over he smoked his pipe mysteriously, then he drank his wine impressively, and then he informed my friend that “ There was a rush on ‘ Northern Stars.’ ” My friend said, “Was it likely the rush would injure the ‘ Northern Star.’ ” “ Oh no,” said the sharebroker. My friend gave him sorixe gold, in exchange for which he got “ Northern Stars.” <’ Northern Stars” rushed down; my poor friend rushed also; he unfortunately rushed against the sliai’brokers brother the Official Liquidator.. That vile man detained my poor, friend, and said “ he was so happy to see him.” My poor friend was not. They were intimately connected for many months after. In his early youth my unfortunate friend had learned something of chemistry, but he says he was never aware of the solubility of gold in scrip till he met the Official Liquidator. He believes firmly in our theory. He says also that chemists assert that all liquids have a point of saturation, that is, that you cannot make them dissolve .more than a certain quantity of any substance; if you should attempt to do so they will deposit some. I anx afraid to write it, but my poor friend rather spitefully remarks that he does not think the Official Liquidator has a point of saturation, and as to being able to supersaturate him and make him deposit some ; he said he never heal'd of such a thing. Another medium in which gold is soluble is alcohol, of which the following is a short example. A worthy digger went to welcome an old chum of his from the other side. Being both men fond of indulging in strong rhetoric, they became rather tliirstv, and adjourned to a pub to have a liquor. Their rhetoric became more forcible,and that necessitated more liquors.. They had six each, but regarding the sixth one they have a slight doubt. W lien they awake in the morning, outside on the pavement where the mercenary landlord had laid them, they become aware of the fact that gold was soluble to the extent of twenty sovereigns, in twelve glasses. They rather doubted the fact,and consequentlyapplied to the officers appointed to dc-

cide those questions. They solved it; the real medium of solutioirwas brought up next morning at the Court, and received 40 days for being a substance in which other substances were soluble. This does net, however, in the least hurt our theory. Alcohol was the original means of bringing about the solution; at anyrate the miners arc firm believers that it -was so." There are many and various - other common substances in which the precious metal is soluble, but we content ourselves for the present by giving the above examples. The theory is a new one, and may meet with violent opposition from many. Accordjng to the reception it has, so will it be carried to a further point of perfection, or left for some future and greater genius to still further elucidate. In conclusion, fair readers, let me advise you at once to get the secret of being a medium in which other substances are soluble, but remain yourself insoluble. Scrip.