August i, 1889.] THF TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
19 
without any necessity for re-cutting afterwards. 
This should insure their selling at from 50 to 100 
per cent over what could be expected if they were 
sent cut after ibe usual Ceylon system, where weight 
is considered the primary object. The factory should 
have a branch in Colombo where stones and jewel- 
lery could be sold to passengers, and where those 
who have no idea of the value of gems may feel 
sure that what they are buying is genuine, and 
that they are not paying several hundred per cent 
over its value. 
THE PURCHASE OF STONES IN THE ROUGH. 
The Association should also lay itself out to 
purchase stones in the rough from the natives, 
and thereby minimize as much as possible the 
disadvantage they may be suffering from the com- 
petition of diggers outside of the Association. In 
this way it would be found that in a short time 
a powerful Association would soon have almost 
A MONOPOLY OF THE CEYLON GEMMING INDUSTRY, 
and as a case in point I would call attention to 
the present Wharf & Warehouse Company, which has 
a few Boat Companies working against it, but which 
for all that has more or less a monopoly of the 
export and import trade of the island. 
THE MATRIX OF PRECIOUS STONES. 
As regards the matrix of precious stones, the 
effect of finding the matrix in one part of the 
island, or for the matter of that in one valley, 
would not prevent the matrix in an adjoining valley 
from being worked by an opposition Company, so 
that I see no advantage in that. In the second 
place, if we were to find the matrix, and if it were 
a friable stone, it might be worked without diffi- 
culty, or if in a hard limestone it might be worked 
with aoid; but it must be remembered that perhaps 
several hundred tons of this matrix would have 
to be worked through to find a really fine stone, 
though inferior ones might be studded all over it. 
On the other hand should the matrix prove to be 
gneiss, such as we find to be so full of garnet3 
in this island, it would be impossible to ex- 
tract them without injuring the stones. Could 
we adopt an amalgamating process such as . is 
used in the extraction of gold, it would undoubtedly 
be a very successful one, but unfortunately we 
cannot do that. On the other hand in our alluvial 
deposits of precious stones nature has done for us 
what we propose doing with the matrix, i. e. it has 
decomposed it and washed away the light and 
valueless materials and stones, leaving the valuable 
and heavy ones behind." 
MR. ARMITAGE KNOWS WHERE THE MATRIX IS TO BE 
FOUND. 
" But to return to the matrix. If that is all that is 
wanted, it can be found in (Jeylon to my knowledge. 
I can show it as dolomite and calcite. Where the 
stones are very thickly studded it might pay, but I 
do not think it would do so otherwise, unless there 
happened to be a valuable shoot of a very fine class 
of stones. Your London correspondent mentions 
that Mr. Streeter seemed to think that mining 
operations would safeguard the interests of a liem- 
ming Association because regular mining operations 
and machinery would be required ; but, why thi ■ 
should be I do not see, as enn the natives are now 
using maehiuery in their plumbago pits, and wou'd 
dn so in gemming pita if they had the example set 
them. Mr. Streeter also advises boring down to 
considerable depths below ihe suif ce. For what 
reason it is ditlioult to understand. Our present 
gemmiferous alluvials have been washed down from 
higher land where the streams and rivers have been 
outting through the gem-bearing rocks, and whioh 
consequently must be exposed, and if covered they 
can only be so by some few feet of alluvial, for 
which boring instruments are not wanted. Boring 
is a most expensive mode of working. It is doubt- 
less economical where you are working, for instance, 
amongst stratified rocks in search of coal, and 
where you know that from the upper formation ooal 
is likely to exist below ; but to start boring among 
primitive rocks on the chance of striking on a gemmi- 
ferous one seems to me the height of absurdity. 
If, on the other hand, the limestone crop out as it 
does in parts of the island, I see no necessity for 
working very deep to see whether it is gemmiferous 
unless precious stones are found to exist at the 
surface, and it is wished to see whether the rock 
continues to carry them at any depth. Mr, Streeter 
goes on to say that ' He is certainly of opinion 
that limestone wou'd probably be found to be the 
matrix of all or nearly all the gems found in 
Ceylon.' We may take this opinion for what it 
is worth, as Mr. Streeter does not give any reason 
for holding it, and considering the very large al- 
luvial deposits we have, it reads rather like a 
paradox when taken in conjunction with his re- 
mark a little before, viz., 1 that he is aware that 
limestone such as forms the matrix in Burma is 
found only in limited quantity in the hill coun- 
try of Ceylon.' Garnets are found in large 
quantities through our gneiss and schist rocks. 
The finest crystals of r.'rcon in my collection 
were found in the disintegrated rock composed of 
quartz and felspar. Tourmaline is frequently found 
in quartz, the spinal I have only found amongst 
limestone. I consider that too little is known to 
give any opinion as to what rock is likely to prove 
the matrix of Ceylon gems, and I think it will 
probably be found that they are not confined to 
any particular rock." 
CEYLON ROCKS ARE NOT STRATIFIED. 
"Your London corresponds writes: What a 
haul it would be for your public finances if a 
survey conducted by your Government resulted in 
the finding of the matrix referred to by Mr. 
Streeter.' He seems to think that all the flatna- 
pura gems come from one matrix, instead, of 
probably from large numbers. Mr. Streeter seems 
to have imbued him with his foregone conclusion 
that limestone formed the matrix, and that they 
have come from the stratified veins — to use his 
own expression. Our large deposits of limestone 
run doubtless in veins, but they are not stratified. 
Mr. Streeter is very indefinite in his description of 
the Burma mines. He says : ' In Burma we 
have discovered the matrix in which rubies are pro- 
duced, and it is in such a matrix — a kind of lime- 
stone—that we are working.' Now, in the first 
place, I would like to know what Mr. Streeter 
means by ' a kind of limestone.' Is it a calcite, 
dolomite, gypsum, anhydrite, wollastonite, or what 
form of limestone is it ? If a calcite, is it crysta- 
lised or granular? If the latter, is it a marble or a 
chalk, or is it simply calcareous marl or clay ? 
Even if he had told us if it were a hard or soft 
deposit, it would have been something. Then again 
Mr. Streeter says : ' A stratum of this stone being 
well defined we have no diUjulty in guarding it 
against poaching.' Does he mean to say :hat 
the limestone is a stratified deposit ? If so, we 
have nothing of the kind, as far as I am aware, in 
Ceylon, but as the corundums are usually associated 
with the crystalli' a rocks I cannot but fancy Mr. 
Streeter has been using a loose way of expressing 
himself, un'ess indeed the stratum he speaks of is, 
in faot, a sedimentary deposit : in which case, of 
course, however indurated it may have become, 
it is not the original matrix. 
