MINERALOGY. 27 



the rivers in these provinces. The common emery is a 

 yariety of this species. 



8$©CglGOqpfiSi CQGCglGOpoS* 

 SPINELLE RUBY. 



By far the larger proportion of the rubies offered for sale, 

 are, it is believed, spinelle rubies. I have a small specimen 

 which every native, who has seen it, regards as one of the 

 best kind of rubies, or red sapphire, but its natural crystal- 

 line form is easily recognised, as a regular octahedron ; 

 while that of the oriental ruby is a six sided figure, or some 

 of its modifications. They are seen of all shades. Blood 

 red, the proper spinelle ruby ; rose red, the balas ruby, 

 orange red, or rubicelle ; and violet colored or almandine 

 ruby. It is no easy task to distinguish, accurately, the true 

 character of the different stones offered for sale as rubies. 

 Both Europeans and natives often make great mistakes. 

 An English officer bought a " ruby " in Maulmain a few 

 years ago for fifteen rupees, his friend bought one foi five 

 rupees ; and the rubies were thought to be of nearly equal 

 value ; but on walking into a jeweler's shop in Calcutta, a 

 year or two afterwards, the jeweler offered four hundred 

 ViW&jifty rupees for the one, but refused to give two rupees 

 for the other, characterizing it as " a worthless garnet." 

 coqpo5^» u 8oS 01 ' 



\w the inferior varieties. 



CEYLAN1TE. 



The dark blue, or blackish varieties of spinelle, called 

 Ceylanite or pleonaste,are often offered for sale by the Sharis 

 under the same name as the sapphire* 



fcOQM 

 AVA GEM — SAND. 



Gem sand from the neighborhood of Ava, is sometimes 

 one of the Shan articles of merchandize. It consists of 

 small fragments of nearly all the precious stones found in 

 the country, but garnet, beryl, and spinelle are its principal 

 constituents, more especially the last, which seems to 



