1820.] *' The Book of Precious Stones." 181 



while the latter does not bear the fire so well. The difference 

 between the emerald and stones resembUng it, as the jasper, the 

 green laal and triitta (green glass), consists in the poHsh. The 

 obbng emerald is called kasaba (staff), and several pieces of 

 emerald joined together hymina (green enamel), are called astor. 

 Sect. 2. Of the Mines of the Emerald.*— On the borders of 

 Negroland is a pit of emeralds which still belongs to Egypt, 

 where they are dug first out of talc, and then out of a red earth. 

 The soap-green emerald is also found in Hedschas, and it is on 

 that account called the Arabian. 



Chap. 1Y .— Of the Chri/solite. (Seberdsched.yY 

 Sect. 1. Of the Properties of the Chri/solite. — Abitnassr Farabi, 

 and many other learned philosophers, do not consider it to be of 

 any particular species, but a kind of emerald: it is more beautiful 

 and clear, and is divided into three classes; namely, 1. The 

 dark-green. 2. The middle-green. 3. The pale-green. 



Sect. 2. Of the Mines of the Chri/solite. — it is dug out of the 

 same mines as the emerald, and seems to be composed of the 

 same materials, but less finished.! Tt'V/<7S(7«'says,thatinhistimeno 

 chrysoUte was dug ; the rings which are seen of them come from 

 Mauritania, and tradition considers them as fragments of the 

 treasures of Alexander, who sought in the deserts of Africa 

 for the fountain of life. After he had penetrated with his 

 army into the land of darkness, in which flows the green 

 fountain of life, it is said that the gravel under their feet (green, 

 with the reflection of the fountain of life) was called the pebbles 

 of repentance {hassbaen-nedamet). When they returned to the 

 light, this saying was confirmed ; for both those who had 

 gathered none of the pebbles, and likewise those who had 

 gathered some, repented, the first, because they had nothing, 

 the second, because they had only chrysolite, and which was on 

 that account called the pebbles of repenta)ice. 



Chap, v.— Of the Dianio7td. 



Sect. 1. — There are seven kinds of it. 1. The white-transpa- 

 rent. 2. The pharaonic. 3. The olive-coloured, the white of 

 which inclines to yellowish. 4. The red. 5. The oreen. 



• It is very iiilrrrsting to learn, with some degrre of precision, the oriental 

 mines of the emerald, lo be able lo explain uhere llieCretks and Runians, of 

 'whom we have indiil)ilal)le works ill emerald, procured tliis slon-, as tliey roult) 

 not l)c acqiiainlcrl witli the only place where Ihey are now found, the valley of 

 Peru. From the latest accounts of tlir Frcncliman, M. Calif)!, nlio liad been sent 

 by ihei'asclia of l^typt ((tlook for the ancient emerald mine-, hehas been so fortuna(e 

 as Jodi>rovpr them in t!ie neighbourhood of the lledSta, which pretty nearly coin- 

 cides with these accounts. 



+ Raviiit ineirly iranslates (he Seberdsc/ied ns Smara^dum niinoiis valorii in his 

 L.Ttin irealisr, because Teifasclii, as apjiears from the text, merely considers it as 

 a kini of emerald. 



i The dilleienre between (he emerald and the chrysolite, both in (heir exlerna! 

 «s w.Il .)« clicmical characters, is now sulhcicntly known, and also that, according 

 to modcrii inivcllers, the chrytolitc it found in Syiia. 



