454 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Jan.  2,  1893. 
corner  of  a bend  30  yards  in  length  with  a greatest 
width  of  15  yards,  and  thereby  procured,  at  a depth 
of  9 feet  below  the  water,  and  21  feet  below  the  top 
of  the  alluvium,  a large  area  of  illan  of  1 foot  6 
inches  to  2 feet  in  thickness,  from  which  they  said 
they  were  obtaining  a good  return. 
In  most  of  these  dredging  places  the  miners  get 
fine  specks  of  gold  in  the  underclay,  but  not  in 
paying  quantity. 
Near  Ratnapura  I saw  two  large  batea  baskets  of 
illan  washed  by  a small  party  of  men  engaged  in 
dredging,  which  showed  one  lar.  e pale  sapphire  of 
about  10  carats,  some  small  similar  ones  and  a eatseye. 
Deep  Pits  near  Mountain  Streams. — This  mode 
of  mining  is  conducted  on  more  systematic  principles 
than  any  other  gem  mining  in  Ceylon,  and  at  present, 
as  far  as  I am  aware,  is  only  carried  on  in  the  Butiya- 
tenne  district,  from  near  the  watershed  of  the  Rak- 
wanne  and  Rambuke  Rivers,  to  some  distance  down 
the  Rambuke  Y alley. 
The  nature  of  the  gem-bearing  gravel  is  of  a 
different  character  in  Butiyatenne  to  what  it  is 
elsewhere  in  elevated  valleys,  and  more  nearly  re- 
sembles a deep  lead,  in  countries  where  gold  is 
obtained.  While  the  old  gutters,  some  40  feet  below 
and  alongside  the  present  bed  of  the  Rambuke  stream, 
have  had  gem-bearing  gravel  washed  into  them,  the 
superincumbent  strata  is  old  hill-wash,  being  a homo- 
geneous reddish  and  yellowish  clay,  in  which  great 
boulders  and  blocks  of  gneiss  are  embedded,  that 
have  not  been  brought  into  their  present  position 
by  the  stream,  but  by  the  washing  down  of  clay  from 
the  hill-sides.  These  leads  are  said  by  the  miners 
to  run  more  or  less  parallel  to  the  beds  of  the  river 
at  first,  and  then  to  turn  more  to  the  south-westward, 
and  are  supposed  to  continue  under  the  Golden  Grove 
property.  About  16  years  ago  the  Government  sold 
some  reserved  lands  along  the  ed.e  of  the  Rambuke, 
commencing  about  300  yards  or  so  westward  of  the 
watershed  at  Butiyatenne,  in  six  acre  lots,  and  th  se 
were  purchased  by  the  owners  of  the  adjoining  estates. 
Some  of  these,  bought  by  the  proprietor  of  Butiyatenne, 
are  leased  to  Sinhalese  men  who  have  some  capital 
to  enable  them  to  work  them  on  one-fifth  of  profits. 
A description  of  the  mode  of  working  one  of  these 
pits  will  suffice  for  all.  The  shaft,  12  feet  by  7 feet 
6 inches  in  area,  in  reddish  hill- wash,  has  no  planking, 
as  the  ground  is  firm,  but  has  upright  corner  posts 
held  in  their  places  by  round  timbers  between  each, 
at  distances  apart  of  about  three  feet;  while  across 
the  centre  of  the  pit  are  timber  braces  in  line  at 
every  four  feet  or  so.  The  dep  th  from  the  surface  to 
the  bottom  is  90  feet.  Over  it  is  a thatched  shed  for 
protection  from  the  weather,  and  a windlass  with 
buckets  for  hoisting  out  the  stuff  and  water.  From 
the  bottom  of  the  pit  are  levels  driven  in  various 
directions,  at  first  in  search  of  the  lead,  which  was 
found  a little  to  the  south  of  the  shaft,  and  followed 
in  a south-westerly  direction  for  180  feet,  where  from 
want  of  ventilation  no  further  work  could  be  done. 
The  drift  under  the  river  also  struck  illan  and  a lead 
was  worked  both  north  and  south.  These  drifts  and 
cross  cuts  are  small  and  low,  except  in  places  in  the 
gutters,  where  they  are  three  to  four  feet  high  in  illan, 
but  narrow,  the  bed-rock  rising  up  on  either  hand. 
Iu  tome  parts  tue  gravel  is  not  more  ihau  six  inches 
thick,  and  almost  dies  out,  being  connected  with  the 
next  by  a thin  layer  of  -and.  Beneath  the  illan  R 
usually  a layer  of  stiff  yellow  und-T  clay  lying  on  the 
bed-rock.  In  the  lends  nearest  the  river  are  found 
precius  stones  of  small  size  and  much  waterworn, 
while  those  in  each  succeeding  lead  become  larger 
and  less  worn.  The  lights  used  by  the  miners  are 
em»U,  flat,  open  eurlheaw&re  oil  lamps,  with  pieces 
of  wick  lying  in  them,  the  ends  hanging  oyer  bps  in 
each  corner.  They  also  use  the  ordinary  tin  kerosene 
oil  lamps  near  the  bo'tora  of  the  shaft.  From  the 
pit  bank,  where  the  gem  bearing  gravel  is  stored 
when  brought  up,  it  is  turuwu  iu  a long,  steep,  wooden 
shoot,  which  carries  it  down  to  the  water’s  edge, 
where  it  is  washed.  When  a pit  is  abandoned,  ih 
timber  is  all  removed  for  futu  e use. 
Only  Siugalese  men  are  employ  od  i i mining,  and  as 
many  as  100  are  engaged  about  one  pit  at  a lime.  Six 
pits  were  in  operation  at  Butiyatenne  in  January  and 
February  last. 
In  or.'er  to  point  out  the  va'ue  of  these  mines 
I may  here  meet  on,  that  I obtained  a s'a'ement 
from  onr  Superintendent  which  tegot  from  the  owner 
of  the  pit  just  described,  whereby  it  was  shown  that 
the  la'ter  had,  for  the  year  1889,  obtain,  d from 
his  pit  gems  t>  at  were  sold,  chi  fly  by  auction  at 
Butiyatenne,  for  17.500  rupee  ; and  that  the  cost  of 
getting  tbe-e  anmuned  t 7.400  rupees,  leaving  a 
profit  of  10,100  rupees.  The  principal  pit  owm  r there 
as  per  a similar  statemei  t sold  g ms  during  the 
same  period  amounting  to  4,|,00U  rup  es  in  value,  at 
a profit  of  24.500  mpee*.  The  wages  paid  to  men 
working  iD  the  mines  is  frem  1 to  1$  rupees  per 
day,  while  surface  men  receive  from  50  to  87  cents. 
It  is  impossible  to  obtain  any  n 1 aide  informa- 
tion regariing  the  number  of  nstives  ei  gaged  in 
gemming  operations,  but  it  is  supposed  that  the 
greater  por  ion  of  the  inhabitants  of  'he  Ratnapura  and 
Rakwanne  districts  make  their  living  om  of  this 
class  of  in<  ustre.  Numbers  of  Moo’men  are  engaged 
in  the  gem  traffic,  and  they  enp'o>  a con-iderable 
number  of  men  cutting  and  polishing  iuferior  gems 
tor  cheap  jewellery,  which  finds  a market  in  India. 
The  deep  pits  are  worked  all  the  year  round,  but 
the  oth  r classes  of  gem  mine  p,  owing  to  the  rains 
can  only  be  prosecuted,  it  is  .-aid,  from  O tober  to  51  ay 
V.— BUTIYATENNE  GEM  SALE8. 
On  the  2nd  of  J.  nnary  I attended  a sale  by  auolion 
of  precious  stones  obta.ne .1  from  three  pits,  the  pro- 
ceeds of  thoir  working  from  27th  of  November,  1889, 
to  3rd  of  January  1890  : — 
First  Pit. 
C 2 large  Oatseyes 
1 Parcel -j  12  Sapphirts,  weighing  26  carats 
[70  da  do  73  „ 
1 Parcel  of  mixed  stones 
Second  Pit. 
I Sold  for 
\ R 
J 2,310 
225 
1 Paicel  ■;  13  largo  Sapphires,  weighing 
[4]  small  do  do 
1 Parcel  of  mixed  stones 
Thibd  Pit. 
f 21*  Sapphires,  weighing 
I Parcel  < 60  do  do 
carats 
31  [ 
32  1 
R 
910 
165 
49 
42 
no 
(.  1 Catseye 
There  were  also  three  parcels  of  small  sap- 
phires sold,  which  were  from  other  pits  viz.  : — 
1 Parcel  Sapphires 
do  do 
do  do 
h 
400 
35 
24 
35 
Total  R5.104 
On  January  22nd,  the  principal  mine  owner  at 
Butiyatenne  brought  me  the  result  of  one  week’s  work 
in  his  pit  to  show  me  the  pick  of  the  stones  he  got — a 
lovely  lot  of  sapphires  of  fir-t  quality,  without  flaws. 
One  was  a sapphire  of  li  1 tie  over  five  corats,  valued  at 
300  rupees;  the  remainder  of  small  sapphires,  valued 
together  at  300  rnp>  es.  Next  day  he  sold  the  whole 
to  a Moorman  for  550  rupees. 
I attended  another  sale  at  Butiyatenne  on  February 
26th,  the  result  of  tome  seven  weeks’  work  of  the  pit  I 
have  above  described.  Carats.  R. 
1 Parcel,  30  Sapphires  of  170  ...  1 
60  „ 124  ...  \ 5,120 
„ 84  „ 95  ...  ) 
1 Parcel,  3 large  Catseyes  ...  280 
1 Parcel  of  mixed  stones  ...  620 
6,020 
There  were  also  some  small  parcels  from 
other  pits  which  realized  tog  ther  153 
At  thi  se  sales  the  auctioneer  receives  1J  per  cent  on 
the  amount  realized,,  of  which  he  has  to  distribute 
half,  J p-rcent.,  amongst  those  »h"  attend  the  sale, 
whether  Moormen  or  miners,  in  proprotiocs  in  arcor- 
■ aDce  ^witli  their  standing  in  life — a most  cuiious 
custom. 
* One  of  these  sapphires  was  of  25  carats. 
