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Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 
0. I think so, and T have seen some specimens of that stone which 
is called toques, the price of which is fixed according to the size, shape, 
and water. The most costly one I have seen was one that was said to 
be worth twenty thousand cruzados. It belonged to a great lord of 
the Deccan, who showed it to me because I was a very great friend of 
his, but made me give my word that I would not speak of it to the 
people of that country nor to their king. He told me that it cost him 
six maos of gold, which is nearly five Portuguese arrohas (= 160 lbs.). 
H. This was good for use in medicine according as the apothecaries 
are liberal ? 
0. No, for medicine you will find plenty as cheap as the jacinth, 
and therefore you must take away a large quantity to Spain. There 
is another species which is called halax, which is somewhat red and of 
less value. There is also another called espinhela, and is of a colour 
more nearly approaching that of a live coal, and like the Balas ruby is 
sold at a lower price, because they have not the water of the true ruby ; 
some are mostly white. There are others that incline somewhat to the 
carnation in colour, or more properly speaking to the white cherry when 
almost ripe. Some rubies are partly white and partly red, others partly 
sapphires and partly rubies. I have seen all these kinds, and if you 
will allow me I will show them to you before you go. Although 
there are many other kinds of rubies I will not speak of them, because 
they are not very well known nor their values. 
R. Would you be so good as to tell me the reason of these vari- 
ations in the colours of rubies ? 
0. The most reasonable cause that I have heard is that the ruby 
at its very beginning in the rock is white, and in growing it gradually 
approaches that state of perfection which is a bright red. Eut since 
it cannot arrive suddenly at that state of perfection we find it some- 
times as I say, a bright red, at other times with bands of red and bands 
of white ; and because the ruby and the sapphire are said to be of one 
rock, it happens that stones are found half ruby and half sapphire. 
There are other stones in which is mixed a blue with the red, that 
appears like a composition of dark blue and red, and is something of a 
purple. These stones are called in some of the languages of these 
countries nilacandi, which is the same as saying ruby and sapphire. 
Note on ike Ruby and Carbuncle. — As is remarked by Garcia, under these names a 
great number of varieties or species have been included. It has been aheady 
mentioned that garnets even have been known to rival the ruby in lustre, and have 
been so called till the mistake has been discovered. Spinels too are often called 
rubies by jewellers, though they are different from them in composition and crys- 
