NilNEk ALOGY. 49 



SECT. XLIII. 



B. Red, Ruby, Aaamas ruber. Ruhinus. 



Which, by lapidaries and jeweilefs, 

 is, in regard to the colour, divided into, 



1 . The Ruby, of a deep red colour, inclin- 

 ing a little to purple. 



2. Spinell, of a dark colour. 



3. The Balafs, pale red, inclining to violet 



This is fuppofed to be the mother of 

 the rubies. 



4. The Rubicell, reddifh yellow. 



However, all authors do not agree id 

 the characters of theie Hones. 



*Thefe gems are rather too precious to be examined by all 

 pofiible experimental means; however they arc, by reaion of 

 their hardnefs, and the particular form of their crillals, with 

 more propriety looked upon to he produced from their own 

 feparate piinciple, being either formed in a fingle drop, of 

 criitallifed out of their matrix, rather than to be ranked, 

 among the quartz criitah ; for if the heat of the fun, or the 

 climate wcrj the caufe of the hardnefs of the diamond?, why 1 

 is not a quartz crittal on the coad of Barbary harder than one 

 from the province cf Jemtlani in Sweden ? and who can af- 

 iure us here in Europe, if, at the place where the diamonds 

 are dug, there is any kind of rock, or not, which is the balls' 

 or matrix of thefe precious ilones, in the fna'Arief as the quartz* 

 is cf the reck or quartz cril^als ? The ace unt which Ta- 

 rernier has giv.n us, about the d ' g of diamonds at Got- 

 cbnda, agrees with that of the cri.'i'k in jemtland, viz. 'haf. 

 they lye bedded in clay within clutters of cri!hl.% arid irt 

 cle-ts. Now inch of our cri.ials vr-, always the cleared, as 

 have never beer, adherent tQ tfre rotlcj and next to their,,, 

 fuch, as Ly fame u; .: nature, have been Se- 



parated from their bafis ; hut fadi, as are yet fxed to the 



'.-:, are very feldom ft for any pfe ■« if thie« therefore, 

 fhould happen to be the cafe lik h the diamonds, it 



is no great won ' Apt at vir/ place take 



any notice of the r< ..'. - that they do not bring 



- r y of it to Europe, The dofter3 or«roope5^of criiral from 

 Nhncckenueio i. -.•■.-'. { zes-and rock cnftali 



£ art 



