72 Report on the Exhibition of Gertis. 



but daylight. Since these gems are very abundant on nearly 

 all the gold-fields, I cannot help thinking that if they were 

 prized as they ought to be by the public, the lapidary would 

 get over his dislike to them, and de^dse means for imparting 

 to them their fuU measure of polish. 



BEEYLS. 



It is uncertain whether any aquamarines have as yet been 

 found in Victoria. I have a few in my collection, but I am 

 wholly ignorant of the country from which they have been 

 brought. Not unfrequently the pale blue topaz is mistaken 

 for the aquamarine, but never if the hardness and specific 

 gravity be attended to. 



Lately, my reverend friend, W. B. Clarke, the eminent 

 geologist and mineralogist of Sydney, has sent me a list of 

 his discoveries, which I have appended to the catalogue of 

 our exhibits ; and in it he informs me that he found in some 

 granite a fragment of true emerald. In working granite 

 quarries these most valuable gems may be at any time dis- 

 covered. 



Perhaps the next in order as gems are the Opals. Of 

 these we have beautiful specimens of the ti-ue nohle opal, 

 found at Beechworth. I saw three specimens in the hands 

 of diggers, more than two years ago, at Beechworth, which 

 were of great size — quite an inch long — much water- worn. 



I exhibited perhaps the finest fire opal yet found in Vic- 

 toria, which I obtained from a digger at Beechworth, and 

 got cut and polished by Mr. Spink. This particularly fine 

 stone, one part of which was cut ofi" for a specimen, attracted 

 the curiosity of the curious in these matters, for its size and 

 beauty ; and more than one of the learned exhibited ill- 

 disgTiised feelings of disbelief on the first day's exhibition. 

 But when the fine collection of Victorian gem-stones arrived 

 from my learned friend, G. Milner Stephen, Esq., now of 

 Beechworth, containing a specimen of this gem, of his 

 own finding, my feelings of gratification may be under- 

 stood. The fire opal, when of good size, is everywhere 

 justly esteemed as a fine stone. Among the Geological 

 Department's exhibits waS' a fine lump of opal, from 

 South Australia, found by our most able director of the 

 geological survey. 



Now, this " fire opal " connects our mineralogy with that 

 of Mexico and Brodbo in Greenland. 



