A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century A.D. v1.c18.s7.2

v1.c18.s7.2

The heap of dust and rubbish thus accumulated from day to day is the chief object of the visit of the *neharwala*. Having inquired as to the amount of gold that has undergone manipulation since the last disposal of sweepings or *nehar* (from this the *neharwala* gets his name) as well as the nature of the articles that were manufactured, he proceeds to settle the price which depends chiefly on these conditions. The *nehar* of twenty tolas of good gold manufactured into articles, which required drawing, beating as well as soldering would generally be disposed of for a single rupee. It may be interesting to observe that a goldsmith, however dishonest in other respects, would never deceive a *neharwala* by selling to him a heap of ordinary rubbish for fear of losing credit and custom in the department of *nehar*-selling.