402 DIAMONDS IN THE URAL. 



mineralogical ideas of Humboldt, so he examined all the 

 works for gold-washing in the vicinity of Bissersk. On 

 the oth of July he reached the last of these works, 

 about twenty-five versts from Bissersk, and entered it 

 with M. Schmidt, a young mineralogist from Freyberg. 

 In the sands which were brought to him, amongst a 

 quantity of iron crystals and quartz, lay the first dia- 

 mond of the Ural ! It had been found the day before 

 by Paul Popoff, a boy of fourteen, employed in the 

 works. As a reward had been promised to those who 

 should discover any valuable stones, the boy hastened 

 with his prize to the overseer. The overseer taking it 

 for a topaz, placed it among the other minerals for the 

 Count's inspection. Its transparency was perfect, and 

 the Count at once recognised it as a diamond. Within 

 three days afterwards a second was found by another 

 boy ; and a few days after his departure from the works 

 the Count received a third, larger than the two others 

 put together. 



As M. Schmidt had all the necessary instruments to 

 examine the three crystals, and verify the discovery, the 

 Count ordered him to take their specific gravity. The 

 first two gems weighed together 3.520, the exact medium 

 between the extremes assigned by mineralogists, as the 

 specific gravity of the diamonds; there are 3,4 and 3,6. 

 The absolute weight of the first was 0.105, or a little 

 over half a carat. 



Count Policr sent one of these diamonds to Humboldt 

 by M. Schmidt, requesting him not to make the dis- 

 cover}^ public until the party should return to St. Peters- 

 burg, as he had not yet presented one to the Emperor. 

 Before his departure from St. Petersburg, Humboldt was 



