von Jadeit in Ober-Birma. 



5 



of two or three miles, another spot of ground affording Ser- 

 pentine is said to occur. The valley is small : its greatest 

 diameter, which is from East to West being about three- 

 quarters of a mile , and its smallest breadth varying from 

 460 to 600 or 700 yards. 



The whole of the valley, which appears formerly to have 

 been occupied by rounded hillocks, presents a confused ap- 

 pearence, being dug up in every direction, and in the most 

 indiscriminate way: no steps being taken to remove the 

 earth etc., that have been thrown up in various places during 

 the excavations. Nothing in fact like a pit or shaft exists, 

 nor is there anything to repay one for the teadiousness of 

 the march from Kamein. 



The stone is found in the form of more or less rounded 

 boulders mixed with other boulders of various rocks and sizes 

 imbedded in a brick-coloured yellow or nearly orange-coloured 

 clay, which forms the soil of the valley, and which is of con- 

 siderable depth. The excavations vary mueh in form, some 

 resembling trenches; none exceed 20 feet in depth. The 

 workmen have no mark by which to distinguish at sight the 

 Serpentine from the other boulders ; to effect this fracture is 

 resorted to, and this they accomplish, I believe, by means of 

 fire. I did not see the mann er in which they work, or the 

 tools they employ, all the Shans having left for Kamein, as 

 the. season had already been over for some days. No good 

 specimens were procurable." 



Dr. Griffiths fügt weiterhin noch einige Bemerkungen 

 über den Transport der gewonnenen Steine hinzu, welche von 

 keinem besonderen Interesse sind. 



Die Bemerkungen, welche Captain Yule 1 über das Vor- 

 kommen des Jadeits macht, sind ganz augenscheinlich auf die 

 Mittheilungen der beiden oben genannten Autoren basirt. 



Angesichts dieses kann man nicht gut verstehen, warum 

 Dr. Anderson, obgleich er Dr. Griffiths beinahe wörtlich citirt, 

 behauptet 2 , dass „die Jadegruben, welche den wichtigsten 



1 Yule, Narrative of the Mission to the court of Ava. London 1858. 

 p. 146. 



2 Report on the expedition to Western Yunan, Bhanio, via Calcutta. 

 1871. p. 66. 



