SPURIOUS GOLD.

Otago Witness, Issue 1476, 28 February 1880, Page 22

SPURIOUS GOLD.

The Cromwell Argus gives the following particulars of the lecent attempted sale of spurious gold ia that town : — Some ten days ago tho gold buyers at Nevi3 for the Colonial Bank — a very respectable Chinese firm, it may be ire marked — brought ioto town a parcal of tbe precious metal weighing some 80»z or 90i>z. It w&s dusk when the bearer reached tho bank and displayed bin treasure before the manager, Mr Gudg<>ou. Lights were brought in, and the appearance of the gold stiuck the manager— whose experience in gold- buying is very extensive — a'i peculiar, He requested the agent to call ag»in during tbe following forenoon. Meanwhile the suspicious-looking nutil was submitted to a varioty of tests— blowpipe, touchstone, &c. — diac'oiirig the fact that a lavo;e proportion of the parcel wan spurious mr-tVI. Further experimanfcs demonstrated that a considerable amount of silver clippings coated with gold wao present amoug the pure metal, the counterfeit being estimated &t little short of 25:>z ! On the appearance of the agent next morning, inquiries were madi as to where he bad got the jrold. He said it had been purchased by h ; s firm from d'fferent Ohi»'So, only one lot being from Europeans. If; is said that information has been given which goes to show that the manufacture and sale by Chirese of npuriouo gold has been cirr'ed on nystetnatically throughout the Ofcago GoJdflelds during the past three yearn, end that larizc quantities of the base metal have ponsorl through tho banks. However truo this may be we cannot at prt-sect hn gueas^, but the fact that one of the members of tin alleged gang hss been crrestfd at lloßburn. and h now ia the Cromwell yaol, \v.\rranta tbe assumption that the informant;— himself a Chinaman — has not ncU'd without some good cause. We h.ivo examined some of the spurious metal, which to tho unpractised eye looks quito the correct thing, and indicates great patianoo and skill on the part of the m»nipuUtora. The arrested Chinai»an will bn dcnlfc with here on Friday, when no doubt further developments of fehia Buppoued glg'antio fraud will ba made public