Richard Francis Burton

Name: The Land of Midian — Preface
Author: Richard Francis Burton

Summary

“The Land of Midian — Preface”, is a work by Richard Francis Burton. It explores elements such as Midian, oxides of iron and quartz.

Quotes from The Land of Midian — Preface (Richard Francis Burton)

Richard Francis Burton, The Land of Midian — Preface

“ We, who have travelled through a country like Midian, finding everywhere extensive works for metallurgy; barrages and aqueducts, cisterns and tanks ; furnaces, fire-bricks, and scoriae; open mines, and huge scatters of spalled quartz, with the remains of some eighteen cities and towns which apparently fell to ruin with the industry that founded and fed them;—we, I say, cannot but form a different and a far higher idea of its mineral capabilities than those who determine them by the simple inspection of a few specimens. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Richard Francis Burton, The Land of Midian — Preface

“ The plain unvarnished tale of the travel in Midian, undertaken by the second Expedition, which, like the first, owes all to the liberality and the foresight of his Highness Ismail I., Khediv of Egypt, forms the subject of these volumes. During the four months between December 19, 1877, and April 20, 1878, the officers employed covered some 2500 miles by sea and land, of which 600, not including by-paths, were mapped and planned; and we brought back details of an old-new land which the civilized world had clean forgotten. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Richard Francis Burton, The Land of Midian — Preface

“ The collection enabled me to distribute the mining industry into two great branches— (1) the rich silicates and carbonates of copper smelted by the Ancients in North Midian; and (2) the auriferous veins worked, but not worked out, by comparatively modern races in South Midian, the region lying below the parallel of El–Muwaylah. It is, indeed, still my conviction that “tailings” have been washed for gold, even by men still living. We also brought notices and specimens of three several deposits of sulphur ”

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Source: Wikisource

Richard Francis Burton, The Land of Midian — Preface

“ The tons of specimens brought to Cairo were, I have said, publicly exhibited there, and created much interest. But the discovery of a mining-country, some three hundred miles long, once immensely wealthy, and ready to become wealthy once more, is not likely to be accepted by every one. Jealous and obstructive officials “did not think much of it.” Rivals opposed it with even less ceremony. A mild “ring” in Egypt attempted in vain to run the Hamamat and Dar–For mines (Chap. III.) against Midian. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Richard Francis Burton, The Land of Midian — Preface

“ I now send the results of the analytical examination of the specimens which you submitted to me for that purpose. The examination has been conducted with the greatest care, in the metallurgical laboratory of the Royal School of Mines, by Mr. Richard Smith, who, for the last thirty years, has been constantly engaged in such work; and in whose accuracy I have absolute confidence. It is impossible that any one should have taken greater interest in, or have devoted himself with greater earnestness to, the investigation. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Richard Francis Burton, The Land of Midian — Preface

“ The specimens Nos. 2, 3, 5, 22, and 23 contain sufficient iron to render them available as iron ores, provided they occur in large quantity. The copper present in No. 21a is too small in amount to render it available as a source of that metal [Footnote: Analyses of copper ore from Midian at the Citadel, Cairo, gave in certain cases forty percent.] . If it is practicable on a large scale, by hand-labour or other means, to separate the “copper mineral” (as in b) , it would be sufficiently rich in copper, provided the cost of the transit were not too great. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Richard Francis Burton, The Land of Midian — Preface

“ Partly semi-transparent and granular, and partly dull white and opaque. It was found to be hydrated sulphate of lime, or gypsum, with carbonate of lime, and some sand, magnesia, and chloride of sodium. ”

Richard Francis Burton

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