On Precious Stones. 101 



rubbish thrown out of every hole sunk by the diggers at 

 intervals over that plain was strongly marked with the 

 above-mentioned features. The gravelly hill at Northcote, 

 and the one above Johnston-street bridge — out of which 

 came the small diamond which I exhibit — are not altogether 

 without these characteristics. Mr. Anderson, of the Junction 

 Hotel, Plenty-road, stopped me lately when passing, but 

 before the small diamond was found in Collingwood, to show 

 me quite a quantity of stones — beryls and tourmalines, I 

 think, and others that I have not yet had time to study— 

 which he had picked out of a hill at the back of his house, 

 apparently of the same formation as that at Northcote. 

 Surely it would be interesting if the Government geologists 

 would examine, or cause these formations to be examined. 

 I understood Mr. Anderson, who has had much practical 

 experience in mining both in America and here, to say that 

 he had traced them to the granite hills above the Yan 

 Yean. 



CORUNDUM. 



Sapphires.— These gems have been found from time to 

 time since the opening of the Ovens gold-fields, and perhaps 

 there more abundantly than elsewhere. I have got them 

 in every shade of blue, from nearly black to the palest blue. 

 Their crystallographic forms are generally exceedingly 

 obscure, fine crystals being very rare. 2. Besides the blue, 

 I can exhibit to-night specimens of the green sapphire — the 

 Oriental emerald — but I have not a fine specimen polished. 

 The one before you is brownish in this light. 3. Star sap- 

 phires. — I believe I may claim to have first discovered any 

 specimens of these gems in Victoria. In fact, until I found 

 some among a quantity of matters collected together from 

 diggers, by Mr. Turner, the enthusiastic collector of gems at 

 Beech worth, I was not aware that this stone had been found 

 anywhere out of Ceylon.* 



B-ttby. — I have seen but one which had been obtained 

 anywhere in Australia, and that was got in Queensland, and 

 cut in Melbourne by Mr. Spink. It turned out to be a star 

 ruby, of good size and great beauty. This stone (producing 

 one) is, I think, new. It belongs to the asterias ; but, 

 instead of having a floating star of six rays of white light, 

 it has a fixed star of six black rays in a deep blue ground. 



* The crystalline structure of specimen No. 2 from Beechworth is as 

 indisputable as its star is superior to this (No. 3) from Ceylon. 



