GEM COLLECTION. 269 



Wilkes Exploring Expedition, is historically interesting. It was pur- 

 chased by him in the streets of Callao. In the same series are two 

 good cut beryls, one G carats in weight, of a light-green color, another 

 1-carat light blue, both from Eoyalston Mass.; and perhaps the finest 

 specimen ever found at the Portland (Connecticut) quarries, 15 carats 

 in weight, and of such a rich, deep sea-blue color, as almost to rival in 

 splendor the matchless 5-carat Brazilian blue stone, that is in the same 

 case. 



A fine blue beryl from the Mourne Mountains, Ireland, is interesting 

 for its locality and deep color. Stoneham, Me., has contributed a 2-carat 

 white cut stone and a similar fragment ; while Siberia is represented by 

 a common white stone of about 6 carats weight, and a rich yellow one 

 of 2 carats. 



Next comes a series of the emerald-green and greenish-yellow varie- 

 ties of spodumene (Hiddenite), embracing crystals and fragments, and 

 five cut stones, the latter weighing from a quarter to three-quarters of 

 a carat, and varying in color from green to greenish-yellow, from Stony 

 Point, N. C; also a quarter-carat light yellow, and a 1-carat golden- 

 yellow spodumene of the variety resembling chrysoberyl, described by 

 Pisani, of Paris, in "Comptes Kendus" for 1877, from Brazil. The 

 mountain-green cut euclase of 2 carats weight, from Brazil, and the 

 white cut phenakite of 3 carats, from Eussia, are of rare occurrence, 

 though the latter has recently been found in two localities in Colorado. 



The tourmalines include a dark-red gem (rubellite) of 6 carats 7 weight, 

 and of good color; a dark-green one of the same weight; two light-red 

 ones of one-half carat each, and a fine dark-blue one (indicolite) of three- 

 eighths carat; a light sea-green one, of the same weight as the indicolite, 

 and four long bottle-green (called Brazilian emeralds) of 2 carats each ; 

 two olive-green stones of 2 carats each, and four sections of green crys- 

 tals, that have red centers. This difference of color between the outer 

 and inner crystals is peculiar to tourmalines, as many as three colors 

 being found in one crystal. All these are from Brazil. The well-known 

 domestic localities are represented by an oblong, table cut, light-green 

 stone from Paris, Oxford County, Me., that once held a conspicuous 

 place in the collection of Dr. Joseph Leidy, which, unfortunately, had 

 to be scattered. From Auburn, Me., a locality quite recently discov- 

 ered, we have a 1-carat blue indicolite, two lavender-colored stones of 1J 

 and 2 carats each, a light emerald-green stone of three-quarters of a 

 carat, as handsome as an emerald by artificial light, and a 2-carat green 

 one of the same tint as the Leidy stone; also a suite of loose crystals of 

 various colors. The neighboring 2-carat yellow and 3-carat yellowish- 

 brown cut stones are from Ceylon. The fine 2-inch grass-green crystal 

 and 1-inch bluish-green crystal are also part of the treasure brought 

 home by Professor Dana from the Wilkes expedition of 1838-1842. 



A 6 carat blue and a 2-carat sherry-colored topaz from Siberia are ex- 

 ceedingly brilliant; but the domestic reputation is well sustained by the 



