Emerald Mines. 307 



I- have little doubt that it will be found in similar circumstances 

 elsewhere, now that it has once been pointed out to the attention 

 of mineralogists. I am, sir, your obedient servant, 



J. MacCulloch. 

 P.S. I may add that the aptitude of the term to the most stri- 

 king feature of this mineral, has induced me to retain it; since, 

 although the same name has been applied by Prof. Schumacher 

 to a very different substance, I do not consider that this is likely 

 to maintain its place in our catalogues of mineral species. 



ANTIQUITIES. — EMERALD MINES. 



M, Caillaud's account of his discoveries in Egypt will shortly 

 be published in Paris. Some time ago he discovered near Mount 

 Zabarah, the famous emerald mines which were previously known 

 only by the writings of the ancient authors, and the stories of the 

 Arabs. They had been almost forgotten for a long lapse of time, 

 and were totally unproductive to the government of the country. 

 They were discovered by M. Caillaud nearly in the same state in 

 which they had been left by the engineers of the Ptolemies. He 

 penetrated into a vast number of excavations and subterraneous 

 canals, some of which are so deep that 400 men may work 

 in them at once. In the mines were found cords, levers, tools of 

 Various kinds, vases, and lamps; and the arrangement of the 

 works afforded every facility for studying the ancient process of 

 mining. M. Caillaud himself set about working the mines, and 

 he has presented six pounds of emeralds to Mahommed Ali Pashaw; 

 In tiie vicinity of the mines, the ruins of a little town have been 

 discovered, which in ancient times was probably inhabited by the 

 miners: among the ruins are the remains of several Gr?eco-Egyp- 

 tian Temples with inscriptions. M. Caillaud has twice visited 

 Zabarah : during his second journey he was accompanied by a con-' 

 sitlerable number of armed men, miners and workmen, whom the 

 Pashaw had placed under his directions. On his way to the eme- 

 rald mines, the French traveller crossed one of the ancient routes 

 for the trade of India, by the way of Egypt. He observed stations, 

 enclosures for the union and jirotection of caravans, cisterns, &c, 

 M. Caillaud learnt from the Arabs of the tribes of Ababdeh and 

 Bycliarvn, that this road led to the ruins of a very extensive town, 

 on the banks of the Red Sea, situated about the 24th degree of 

 latitude, near the mountain of Elhe. This town has since been 

 visited by MM. Ik'Izoni and Bitche, and will probably be better 

 described by them than by M. Caillaud. On the banks of the 

 lied Sea, the traveller discovered a mountain of sulphur on which 

 some diggings had been made; in the neighbourhood of this moun- 

 tain, traces of volcanic eruptions were observahle, and a quan- 

 tity of puzzolane and other igneous substances were found. M. 

 A a 2 Caillaud 



