A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century A.D. v1.c18.s8.8

v1.c18.s8.8

Such is the tedious length and such the laborious and complicated nature of the processes by which the *neharwala* and the *jamakwala* extract precious metal from the large heaps of rejected sweepings and dirt and bye-products of the goldsmith's workshop. But their labours have only the empirical experience of years to guide them and not the acuteness of a well trained scientific mind; and accordingly we find that a large portion of their work is directed to achieve in a laborious and round-about way an object which a slight knowledge of chemistry enables us to secure in the simplest manner imaginable.