166 TRAVELS IN BRAZIL. 



favourable to the crystallographer, which is to en- 

 deavour to prepare each stone for cutting by 

 knocking off the impure particles with the hammer 

 or entirely dividing pieces which have flaws. 



The size of the stones is very various ; the work- 

 men affirmed that pieces have been found as large as 

 a fist. The natural colour is manifold, sometimes 

 greyish, sometimes bright yellow, and sometimes 

 a mean between this and carnation of different 

 shades, very rarely dark red. The stones which 

 are found in the malacacheta are said to be the 

 lightest. The inhabitants understand how to give 

 to the topazes an artificial, particularly rose colour, 

 by means of heat. The number of topazes annually 

 found here is very considerable, and may amount 

 to about fifty or sixty arrobas ; this quantity, how- 

 ever, is not always pure and fit for polishing ; on 

 the contrary, a great part of them are of so imper- 

 perfect a colour and full of flaws, that they are 

 thrown away as useless. The octavo (a gold weight) 

 of the inferior sort of the stones fit for cutting, is 

 sold at 520 rees ; of the best, at 2000 rees. Re- 

 markably large beautiful and brilliant stones are 

 sold upon the spot from twenty to thirty piasters. 

 The greater part of these topazes is exported from 

 this place to Rio de Janeiro, a smaller portion to 

 Bahia, and in both places so great a quantity has 

 been accumulated within a few years, that the 

 prices there are lower than at the mine itself. To- 

 gether with the topa^, tlie eukiase is also found 



