428 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Dec.  i,  1S92. 
difficulties  experienced  with  regard  to  associated 
gem  mining  in  Ceylon  has  been  the  neoessity  of 
having  all  material  exoavated  picked  over  by 
natives,  who  are  of  oourse  expoeed  to  much  tempta- 
tion to  fraudulently  conceal  gems  found  by  them 
when  doing  this.  The  invention  is  intended  to 
overcome  this  difficulty,  It  is  due  to  the  clever- 
ness of  Mr.  W.  8.  Loekart,  a member  of  the 
Institution  of  Oivil  Engineers.  The  machine 
designed  by  this  gentlemen  has  a hopper  into 
whioh  is  poured  the  material  brought  up  from  the 
pits.  A series  of  sieves  first  divides  the  different 
sized  pieces  of  quarlz  or  gravel  for  the  purpose  of 
facilitating  the  further  operations.  After  this  is  done 
the  gravel  is  allowed  to  drop  into  a tube — 
which  in  the  instance  of  the  machine  now 
on  exhibition  is  of  glsss  for  the  purpose 
of  showing  the  operation  in  progress.  At  the 
entrance  to  the  tube  the  gravel  is  met  by  a Btream 
of  water  falling,  from  a height  of  18  inohes  only. 
This  fall  is  said  to  be  quite  sufficient  for  the 
purpose,  and  by  its  power  the  quartz  particles  are 
forced  out  of  an  opening  midway  down  the  tube, 
the  whole  of  the  gravel  being  put  into  a strong 
gurgitation  during  its  passage  down  the  tube  by 
the  force  of  the  water.  But  although  this  force  is 
adequate  to  deal  with  the  quartz  or  other  pebbles, 
it  is  insufficient  to  affect  the  greater  specific  gravity 
of  the  gems.  It  results  that,  while  the  quartz  is 
forced  out  of  the  tube,  the  gems  fall  through  the 
remaining  portion  of  it  into  a locked  receptaole  at 
the  bottom.  Mr.  Saunders  told  me  that  he  saw 
a quantity  of  Ceylon  gravel  experimented  with  in 
this  machine.  A number  of  rough  gems  of  differ- 
ent kinds,  togother  with  a few  nuggets  of  gold, 
bad  been  well  mixed  up  in  the  gravel  before  it 
was  put  into  the  machine.  When  the  mixture 
reaohed  the  glass  tube  the  effect  of  the  water 
was  seen  in  it  to  be  what  looked  like  a violent 
boiling,  the  partioles  being  stroDgly  agitated  and 
tossed  up  and  down.  On  reaching  the  circular 
Elot  all  the  gravel  was  worked  out  of  it,  and  the 
gems  and  gold  could  be  seen  falling  through 
the  bottom  part  of  the  lube  into  the  receptacle 
at  its  base.  Not  cne  of  the  gems  dealt  with 
missed  falling  into  this,  all  those  inserted  being 
found  in  the  box.  If  this  invention  should  prove 
to  be  capable  of  being  worked  on  a large  Beale  all 
your  gemmers  will  have  to  do  is  to  guard  the 
security  of  the  stuff  exoavated  until  raised  to 
the  surface  for  treatment  by  it,  and  one  of  the 
greatest  difficulties  as  yet  experienced  will  have 
been  overcome.  Negotiations  are  in  progress  with 
the  inventor  for  the  despatch  of  some  of  these 
machines  to  Ceylon,  but  we  believe  these  cannot 
at  present  be  cimpleled  owing  to  the  uncertainty 
of  the  position  of 
THE  CEYLON  GEM  AND  MINING  ESTATES  SYNDICATE. 
In  conversation  relative  to  the  last  matter  Mr. 
Saunders  obliged  me  with  maDy  details  respecting 
it.  The  expenses  incurred  by  the  Syndicate  in 
sending  out  Mr.  Barrington  Brown  in  the  first 
place,  the  despatch  to  Ceylon  of  tho  two  practical 
miners  at  present  working  there,  the  acquirement 
of  land  and  provision  of  machinery,  have  nearly 
exhausted  the  capital  at  first  Bubcribed  by  the  mem- 
bers who  formed  the  Syndicate.  It  i3  now  neces- 
sary, therefore,  to  raieo  further  capital.  Tho  copy 
of  the  la'-t  report  that  I send  you  with  this 
will  explain  pretty  fully  how  this  necessity  has 
arisen.  Mr.  Saunders  tells  me  that  at  the  present 
time  the  miners  sent  out  are  working  on  plumbago 
pits  about  twenty  miles  inland  from  Bentota.  As 
yet  these  pits  have  Dot  bien  sunk  deep  enough 
to  insure  a good  outturn,  about  16  tons  of 
plumbago  per  month  having  been  only  as  yet 
obtained,  and  (M  I90  mixed  vulk  grit  to 
be  of  good  commercial  quality.  All  reports  received, 
however,  promise  better  things,  and  it  is  confidently 
expected  that  sixty  tons  per  month  will  erelong 
be  raised.  This  would  pay  well,  and  Mr.  Saunders 
has  reason  for  believing  that  as  soon  as  that 
quantity  has  been  secured  for  three  months  in 
succession,  ample  capital  for  further  extension 
will  be  forthcoming,  Wbat  it  is  desired  to  do  is 
to  work  the  old  jits  secured  by  the  Syndicate  at 
Nambapanie  in  Dumbara.  There  are  known  to  con- 
tain a large  supply  of  plumbago,  but  the  late 
proprietors  bad,  we  believe,  to  abandon  them  because 
the  mines  could  not  be  ventilated.  Mr.  Barring- 
ton Brown  is  of  opinion  that  all  difficulty  in  this 
respect  can  be  overcome  by  driving  a ventilating 
gallery,  the  cost  of  which  will  be  £2,000 ; and 
if  means  should  become  available  this  work  will 
be  carried  out.  The  question  now  before  the 
syndicate  is  whether  a reconstruction  of  it  should 
net  at  once  he  proceeded  with ; but  the  prospects 
of  doing  this  successfully  are  largely  dependent 
on  increased  yield  being  obtained  from  the  pits 
now  being  worked.  If  ultimately  the  Nambapanie 
properties  can  be  re-opened  the  search  for  gems 
in  their  neighbourhood  would  be  resumed,  and  then 
Mr.  Lockhsrt’s  invention  will  receive  thorough  trial. 
It  is  already  exciting  muoh  curiosity  among  the 
Burma  mining  companies  and  those  working  in 
South  Africa  and  Australia,  though  only  an  ex- 
perimental machine  has  as  yet  been  constructed. 
MR.  BARRINGTON  RROWN’s  REPORT. 
Mr.  8aunders  further  told  me  that  the  report 
made  by  Mr.  Barrington  Brown  to  the  Syndi- 
cate had  been  kept  private  until  arrauge ments 
had  been  concluded  with  repeots  to  certain  pro- 
perties the  management  desired  to  secure.  These 
are  now  complete,  and  a oopy  of  Mr.  Brown’s  re- 
port was  given  to  me.  I am  uncertain  whether 
you  have  ever  received  one  of  these,  eo  it  may  be 
advisable  to  send  you  a copy  with  this  ; you  will 
observe  that  it  is  of  a hopeful  charaoter. 
NOTES  ON  PRODUCE  AND  FINANCE, 
The  Purity  of  Tea. — A report  has  been  supplied 
from  the  Commissioners  of  Customs,  on  the  examina- 
tion made  by  their  analyst  under  the  30th  section  of 
the  Sale  of  Pood  and  Drugs  Act,  1875,  of  imported 
teas  before  they  are  taken  out  of  bond.  Of  the  412 
samples  of  tea  procured  by  the  officers  of  local  autho- 
rities from  retailers  during  the  year,  not  one  was 
found  to  be  adulterated.  This  certainly  would  not 
have  been  the  case  a few  years  ago,  when  the  import 
of  China  tea  was  on  a larger  scale. 
Tea  in  Mauritius.— The  success  of  the  Ceylon  tea- 
planting industry  has  filled  other  Colonists  with  a 
desire  to  emulate  it.  The  planters  of  Mauritius  are 
turning  their  attention  to  tea.  The  Kcw  Bulletin 
says : — “ We  have  the  pleasure  of  recording  the  fact 
that  tea  of  very  good  quality  has  been  grown  in 
Mauritius,  and  a total  weight  of  865  pounds  has  been 
manufactured  since  January  last.  This,  it  is  true,  is 
only  a small  beginning,  but  if  the  island  produced  only 
sufficient  tea  for  its  own  consumption  it  could  very  well 
support  one  or  two  small  estates  on  hilly  land  in  the 
interior,  not  required  for  other  cultivation,*’  The  follow- 
ing remarks  on  tea  were  written  by  Mr.  J ohn  Horne, 
K.L.S.,  1 „ 1 e Diiector  of  Gardens  and  forests,  in  a 
report  on  the  agricultural  resources  of  Mauritius,  pub- 
lished in  1886: — “The  tea  shiub  grows  well  in  the 
higher  lying  parts  of  Mauritius.  So  far  as  the  climate 
is  conoerned  the  growth  of  this  sbrQb  in  most  parts  of 
the  island  that  are  situated  at  an  elevation  of  more 
than  800  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea  is  proved 
beyond  a doubt.  It  has  long  since  been  introduced  and 
planted  at  several  places  ; but  what  has  to  be  proved  is 
the  quality  of  the  tea  which  the  Mauritian  grown  leaf 
will  produce.  Then,  whether  (he  yield  will  be  sufficient 
