Ocr.  i,  1892.] 
THE  TROPIC \L  AGRICULTURIST. 
229 
think  there  is  room  for  a powerful  syndicate  to  do 
the  thing  thoroughly,  with  a good  chance  of  getting' 
a paying  return.  Our  gold  yielding  quartz  has  never 
been  properly  and  fully  tested. — Referring  to  other 
features,  nitre  is  found  in  caves,  Salt  forms  natu- 
rally on  the  coast  and  is  also  manufactured.  We 
have  very  slight  evidences  of  volcanic  action,  and 
only  get  the  outside  of  earthquake  shocks  from 
Java.  Ceylon  is  too  far  south  to  be  affected  by  the 
cyclones  from  the  Ray  of  Bengal,  and  too  far  east 
for  the  hurricanes  of  Mozambique.  Gems  are  abun- 
dant in  the  island." 
Gem  Digging' and  Plumbago  Mining  in  Ceylon. 
“You  consider  the  industry  and  trade  in  precious 
stones  second  in  importance  to  that  in  plumbago, 
do  you  not?  " 
"Oh,  yes,  certainly." 
“ How  are  tire  present  gem-digging  enterprises 
carried  on  ? How  are  they  capitalised '?  By  local 
or  by  English  capital?" 
“Europeans  are  only  just  beginning  to  attempt 
to  work  gems : it  lias  hitherto  been  a purely  native 
industry." 
It  is  worked,  too,  in  a primitive  fashion?" 
“ Yes,  very  primitive." 
“Now,  as  to  the  gems?"  — 
" A few  years  ago,  attentio  1 drawn  to  the  gems 
in  Ceylon  led  to  the  formation  of  syndicates  to  ex- 
ploit for  gems  and  plumbago,  and  these  sent  out 
men  of  high  repute  in  the  mincralogical,  if  not  in 
the  mining,  world,  one  of  whom  at  'east  (Mr. 
Barrington  Brown)  gave  a very  favourable  report; 
but  the  depression  in  the  financial  world  (the 
Barings’  crisis)  prevented  the  intended  action.  One 
company  which  set  to  work  rather  hurriedly  was 
not  very  successful  in  gems;  but  the  other  sent  out 
a practical  engineer,  who  found  that  the  employment 
of  European  machinery  would  save  time  and  labour 
in  working  the  plumbago  pits.  Botli  companies  took 
up  a number  of  native  pits  and  leased  them,  and 
also  land  supposed  to  contain  plumbago." 
"Are  there  any  open  works?” 
“Plumbago  is  occasionally  found  near  the  sur- 
face, but  in  some  cases  the  native  miners 
have  'gone  down  some  300  feet.  As  a 
"As  to  the  facilities  offered  by  the  Crown,  I take 
it  that  there  is  nothing  to  keep  mining  back  ? ” 
“No;  nothing  at  all.  But  there  is  generally  keen 
competition  among  the  Sinhalese  for  plumbago 
land." 
“What  officials  control  the  mining?" 
" There  is  no  special  mining  officer.  It  is  gener- 
ally under  the  control  of  ilie  district  revenue  offi- 
cials. Since  1SS9  the  development  of  the  plumbago 
trade  has  been  enormous ; the  exports  having 
doubled  in  ten  years.  But  the  gems  have  been 
worked  by  the  natives  for  2000  years,  and  are  still 
worked  very  much  in  the  same  primitive  fashion." 
“ Could  they  be  worked  accor  ing  to  modern  prin- 
ciples ? ” 
"We  feel  out  there  that  the  application  in  well- 
selected  spots  of  machinery,  such  as  is  used  for 
diamond  mining  in  South  Africa,  should  lead  to  a 
profitable  industry  for  European  capitalists." 
"Do  the  gems  run  into  great  variety?” 
“ The  valuable  ones  are  limited.  Gygax  has 
stated  that  the  Ceylon  sapphires  are  among 
the  finest  in  the  world.  The  rubies  are  the  most 
valuable  after  those  of  Siam,  and  are  found  in  the 
beds  of  rivers,  or  in  dolomite  and  clay  ironstone 
debris.  Cat'seye,  or  Ohrysoberi/l , are  found  some- 
times of  fine  quality,  with  an  olive  tint  behind 
I the  ray.  One  piece,  found  IS  months  ago,  was 
I valued  at  about  £1500.  As  many  as  20.000  natives 
I (men,  women  and  children)  are  chiefly  dependent  on 
j these  gem  diggings." 
"Is  it  remunerative  to  them?” 
" There  must  at  least  be  .£20,000  worth  of  precious 
stones  got  every  year,  on  the  average,  to  support 
these  natives.  It  cannot  be  less  than  that.  Then 
there  are  moonstones,  a species  of  Athilaria ; an 
inferior  diamond,  zircon;  another  stone  called  A'ex- 
andrite,  hard  and  useful,  of  a green  colour  by  day 
and  red  by  night.  The  Oriental  topaz,  too,  is 
much  prized  by  the  natives.  It  is  a yellow  variety 
of  sapphire.  A variety  of  spinel,  of  a fine  green 
colour,  is  known  as  the  Oriental  emerald.  A purple 
variety  is  the  amethyst ; a yellow  variety  ; the  gar- 
net is  known  amongst  the  Orientals  as  the  hyacinth. 
—A  trade  had  been  carried  on  between  China  and 
Ceylon  so  far  back  a.d.  400.  The  Chinese  got  pre- 
cious stones  and  gave,  in  exchange,  porcelain  and 
(From  a Sn-c/i-h  It/  .John 
rule,  the  best  mineral  i ; found  in  depth.  There 
is  a great  deal  of  plumbago  land  in  the  hands  of 
the  Crown  still  not  taken  up." 
J)  ‘ t Yount/,  A’.-'p,  Ccyl-in.) 
copper.  Ceylon  was  always  noted  in  early  times 
for  its  gems,  Marco  Polo,  in  . the  13th  century, 
reported  that  the  grandest  ruby  in  the  world  was 
