Jan.  2,  1893.I 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
449 
ME.  BAEEINGTON  BEOWN’S  EEPOET  ON 
GEM  MINING  IN  CEYLON. 
We  place  before  our  readers  that  portion  of 
Mr.  Barrington  Brown’s  able  and  interesting 
report  to  the  Syndicate  by  which  he  was  employed, 
regarding  the  general  position  of  the  properties 
secured:  the  descriptive  geology  of  the  gem  bearing 
region  of  the  Eatnapura  district  and  a description 
of  the  numerous  properties  acquired  or  offered. 
The  rest  of  the  report,  including  a notioe  of  the 
mode  of  working  gem  and  plumbago  mines  by  the 
natives,  follows  after  this.  It  will  be  seen  that 
the  rook  formations  are  generally  of  a Bimple 
character;  the  all-pervading  gneiss  being  varied 
by  graphic  granite,  hornblendio  gneiss  and 
rarely  by  beds  of  granular  limestone.  The  latter 
is  probably  tbe  souroe  of  the  Epinels  which  are 
ound  occasionally  amongst  the  more  precious 
sapphires  and  rubies.  The  gems  are  just  crystallized 
olay,  and  they  are  found,  in  more  or  less  abundance, 
in  beds  of  gravel  known  to  tbe  natives  as 
“ illan.”  In  many  caBfS,  several  beds  of  this 
illan  can  be  reached  successively,  divided  by  strata 
of  alluvial  matter  in  the  shape  of  mould  and  clay. 
It  seems  to  us  that  the  chances  of  success  on  the 
part  of  the  Crmpany  depend  largely  on  their 
attacking  the  lower  beds  of  pebbles,  for  most  of 
those  near  the  surface  must  have  been  repeatedly 
searched  in  tbe  course  of  tbe  many  generations, 
— the  many  oenturies — during  which  gtm-digging 
has  been  pursued,  not  merely  by  Sinhalese  but  by 
natives  < f India  sent  over  for  the  purpose.  The 
Strange  part  of  the  matter  is  that  no  gems  of 
consequence  have  ever  been  found  in  the  rock-matrix, 
although  one  case  is  mentioned  where  an  abun- 
dance of  valuable  gems  were  found  beneath  a mass 
of  huge  gneiss  rocks.  Has  it  never  occurred  to 
anyone  to  disintegrate  and  ' search  those  and 
Bimilar  rocks.  Gems  are  largely  found  in  rivers 
and  streams,  but  into  those  rivers  and  streams 
they  must  have  found  their  way  from  bordering 
and  overhanging  rocks.  Mr.  Barrington  Brown 
refers  only  to  rubies  sapphires  and  cateeyes, 
as  the  gems  to  be  searched  for ; but  surely 
there  are  scores  of  other  varieties.  Garnets  of 
small  size  form  considerable  constituents  of  the 
gneiss  rooks  ; tourmaline  of  various  colours  is 
sold  at  a few  shillings  the  pourd  for  cheap 
jewelry  ; and  in  the  course  of  digging  operations 
through  illan  of  a bluish  gray  colour  were  found 
flat  pifees  of  a curious  gray  felspathic  rock, 
containing  blue  feEpar  and  green  mica  crystals 
along  with  cosrse  pink  s;  inels.  When  a stream 
dredger  is  used  bnd  regular  mining  appliances,  we 
expect  to  bear  of  specimens  being  found  of  the 
vaft  variety  of  gems  for  which— with  the  finest 
pearls— Ceylon  is  so  famous.  The  beautiful  form 
of  adularia  called  moonBtore  with  its  pearly  and 
opalesque  lustre  is  not  valued  as  it  ought  to  be  ; 
but  there  is  no  question  of  tbe  great  value  of 
good  specimens  of  the  starstone,  amethyst, 
alexandrite,  aquamarine,  chrysolite,  cbryEoberyf, 
topaz,  zircon,  &C.  An  alexandrite  catseye  must  be 
Specially  rare  and  valuable  ; one  was  shown  by 
Mr.  Sireeter  at  the  ( cloiiial  ar  d Indian  Exhi- 
bition of  IfSG.  Jlegvilar  hydraulic  woiking  ought 
t9  he  rewarded  with  good  specimens  of  these 
and  other  gins,  and  we  tiuet  ihat  gemming 
systematically  pursued  will  prove  equally  prcfitable 
yii\b  plumbago  mining  on  scientific  jammiylcBj 
If  natives  with  their  very  imperfect  methods  of 
working  have  been  rewarded  with  so  muoh  success 
in  regard  both  to  gems  and  plumbago,  it  seem 
beyond  question  that  greater  success  in  proportions 
sbou’d  result  from  the  adoption  of  scientific  methods, 
including  steam  dredgers  and  hydraulic  washings 
of  formations.  We  are  surprised  as  well  as  pleased 
at  Mr.  Barrington  Brown’s  opinion  that  in  the 
case  of  a large  portion  of  tbe  properties  acquired 
by  bis  company  only  a trifling  proportion  of  the 
deposits  have  been  worked  by  the  natives.  In  view  of 
the  bits  of  gold  found  at  one  time  in  diggings  at 
Eatnapura,  it  is  curious  that  the  search  on  behalf  of 
the  Syndicate  should  reveal  only  a few  trifling  flakes. 
A very  curious  piece  of  socialism  marks  the  publio 
auctions  of  gems.  The  nominal  commission  of 
the  auctioneer  is  Ih  per  cent,  but  half  of  this  sum 
he  divides  amongst  the  Moormen  and  miners 
present  at  the  auotion  1 We  suppose  outsiders 
are  excluded  from  this  “benevolence.” — As  regards 
some  of  the  Nambapana  plumbago  mines,  it  will 
be  seen  that  some  of  the  veins  yield  cubes  of 
pure  graphite,  weighing  up  to  ton.  To  con- 
tinue mining  of  this  nature,  our  readers  will  see 
that  expenditure  on  drainsge  and  ventilation, 
such  as  the  native  mine  owners  cannot  accomplish, 
would  pay  well,— if  the  price  of  plumbBgo  is  not 
materially  reduced  by  the  finds  in  Travancore. 
We  wait  for  a final  deliverance  on  this  point. 
4. 
EEPOET  ON  MINING  PEOPEETIES  IN  CEY- 
LON FOE  THE  CEYLON  GEM  AND 
MINING  ESTATES,  SYNDICATE  LIMITED. 
Contents. — Gem  Mines  : — I.  General  Position,  page 
5;  II.  Descriptive  Geology,  page  5;  III.  Description  of 
the  Properties,  page  7 ; IV.  Mode  of  Working  adopted 
by  Natives,  page  21;  V.  Butiyatenne  Gem  SaleB,  page 
26;  VI.  Opinion  on  the  Value  of  the  Properties,  page 
28.  Plumbago  Mines: — VII.  Position,  page  32;  VIII. 
Description  of  Mines,  page  34;  IX.  Opinion  on  their 
Value,  page  41. 
London,  28th  April,  1890. 
The  Hoard  of  Directors, 
CEYLON  GEM  AND  MINING  ESTATES  SYNDICATE, 
LIMITED. 
Gentlemen, — I have  the  honour  to  submit  herewith 
my  report  on  the  properties  in  Ceylon,  which  I have 
made  as  concise  as  possible.  I have  much  pleasure 
in  acknowledging  the  great  assistance  I received  in 
carrying  out  my  investigations  in  Ceylon  from  Mr. 
Harding,  your  Managing  Director  there,  as  well  as 
from  the  Hon.  F.  R.  Saunders  and  Mr.  W.  Saunders. 
To  tbe  Hon.  F.  K.  Saundres  I am  indebted  for  the  as- 
sistance he  secured  me  in  our  two  Superintendents, 
Peris  and  Mendis,  whose  services  were  invaluable. 
In  the  Report  I have  not  entered  into  the  cost  of 
working  the  mines,  as  it  will  require  a little  time  to 
make  an  estimate,  and  the  extent  of  operations  will 
have  to  be  known  first.  I have  the  honour  to  be. — 
Yours  faithfully,  C.  Barrington  Brown. 
GEM  MINES. 
I.-GENERAE  POSITION. 
Tl.e  lands  acquired  for  gemming  purposes  by  the 
Syndicate  are  situated  in  three  localities  in  the 
Province  of  Sabaragamuwa,  where  precious  stones, 
chiefly  sapphires,  catseyes  and  rubies,  have  been 
mined  tor  by  natives  from  time  immemorial 
and  where,  undoubtedly,  many  valuable  stones, 
have  been  procured. 
These  properties  which  are,  situated  in  the  vicinity 
of  Eatnapura,  Rakwan^e  and  Doloswella,  will  be 
subsequently  A^brtbed.  It  is  admitted  by  all  the 
. U8.tiv«-  ^-00  ha'e  acy  knowledge  of  the  subject,  and 
