It is quite likely, then, that, could we find out how to rob the sea of its precious metal, it could replenish its store from some secret hoard of its own. But even if it could not, it would make little difference to us, since what it holds is far more than we could ever use. Put it at half-a-grain per ton: there are 4205 million tons in every cubic mile of ocean, and 300 million cubic miles of water in the ocean. If all the gold that man has ever handled were to be dissolved in the sea, no chemist would be able to discover the fact. On the other hand, if that half-grain per ton which we believe to be in the ocean now were to be recovered we should have about 40,000 million tons of gold, a prospect which is enough to make the political economist turn pale with apprehension. What is required is some substance which, on being added to sea-water, will combine with the gold, and then be precipitated--that is to say, fall to the bottom. The precipitate--that which falls to the bottom--would need to be heavy, so that it would fall quickly and not necessitate the water being left standing for long periods. It would need to be cheap, too, or easily recoverable, so that it could be used over and over again. And, finally, it would need to be such that the gold, having been captured by it, could be easily obtained from it. Given such a precipitant, the process of recovering the gold would be simple and cheap. Tanks would be formed in sheltered bays and inlets. At every tide these would be filled, and when full the precipitant would be added. The tide falling, the water would run out again and leave the precipitate on the floor of the tanks, whence it could be removed by scraping. Simple treatment would release the gold from its partner, which would then be returned to the tanks to act as the precipitant once more. Thus by simple means, the tide itself assisting, the gold could be obtained from the sea. And there is nothing inherently impossible about this suggestion. The necessary precipitant may exist, awaiting discovery. A large works operating in this manner would produce, it is estimated, about thirteen tons of gold per annum. It looks as if it would be a bad day for the Rand when that discovery is made.