66 



JOURNAL, E.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XV. 



When His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales was in 

 Colombo in 1870, Mr. De Mel exhibited from Kurunegala 

 what was supposed to be the largest mass of pure plumbago 

 ever shown in this or any other country, its weight being 

 only 14 lb. short of 6 cwt. For this unique specimen a sum 

 of £50 was offered. It was subsequently sent to the United 

 States, and is understood to have been placed in the Phila- 

 delphia Exhibition and finally in an American Museum. 

 As regards the generality of pits, Mr. Ferguson estimated — 



the extraneous matter in the shape of heart and rock brought to 

 the pit's mouth as equal to a half, about 10 or 15 per cent, being the 

 proportion carried to Colombo and separated from the ore in the 

 plumbago yards. The estimate of Mr. W. P. Fernando, an experienced 

 plumbago merchant, of foreign matter brought to Colombo is 5 per 

 cent, for pieces of quartz round which plumbago adheres and 2^ per 

 cent, for minute fragments of silica, iron, &c, mixed with smaller 

 pieces and dust. 



Plumbago occurs in various different forms. Dana 

 enumerates — 



(a) Foliated. 



(b) Columnar and sometimes radiated. 

 ( c) Scaly, massive, and slaty. 



(d) Granular massive. 



( e) Earthy, amorphous, without metallic lustre, except in the streak. 

 (/) In radiated concretions. 



Commercially plumbago is divided into (1) lumps, (2) 

 chips, and (3) dust ; and distributed into three classes : 

 (1) foliated, laminated ; (2) hard, short-grained, and dull- 

 looking ; (3) slaty, hard and stony, with about 30 per cent, 

 of clay in it, termed by the natives " bora." 



Again, it is distinguished, for trading purposes, into various 

 qualities, such as — 



(1) X: best. 



(2) X b : second best. 



Bison 

 Palm 

 Cobra 

 Manx 



(3) B. 



(4) BE 



(5) E. 



These are private 

 marks. 



(6) S I 0. 



In the following analyses by Mr. C. Mene, reproduced by 



