Jan.  2,  1893.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
455 
On  March  1st,  the  principal  mine  owner  sold  the 
gems  he  obtained  from  two  pits,  ore  an  old  abandoned 
one,  which  he  re  opened  on  the  six  acre  lots  at  Butiya- 
tenne, and  the  other  on  the  Aratcby’s  lot,  near  by. 
Carats. 
Parcel, 
3 Sapphires  of  13  .. 
12 
24  .. 
9 
15  .. 
• . 
9 
26  .. 
31 
S’ 
» 
31  .. 
»» 
13 
17  >. 
77 
126 
Carats. 
-R900 
1 Parcel,  6 Sapphires  of  16 
„ 19  31 
,,  2 Catseyes 
,,  Mixed  stones 
He  also  sold  at  private  sale  as  follows  ; — 
1 Parcel  for  R400 
R170 
R650 
R670 
The  price  of  good  sapphire  in  Ceylon  is  £6  a oBrat, 
and  there  is  a fair  sale  for  oil  gems  of  inferior  qnslity. 
Catseyes  are  at  present  in  demand,  and  biiuging  high 
price  . 
VI.— OPINION  ON  THE  VALUE  OF  THE 
PROPERTIES. 
In  order  to  form  an  opinion  oa  the  probable  value  of 
the  properties  you  have  ltas-d,  or  secured  in  other 
ways,  it  was  found  necessary  to  obtain  all  the  procur- 
able information  as  to  what  had  been  done  by  natives 
in  the  gemming  line  in  thes-  districts  and  other  parts 
of  the  country,  so  as  to  render  the  investigations  as 
searching  as  possible,  and  to  snpplomeut  this  with  my 
own  personal  observations.  With  this  object  id  view, 
I vi-ited  the  native  mines  within  reach  however,  were 
Bonn  what  limited  in  extent,  and  procured  a reliable 
information  a- 1 could.  In  this  I was  greatly  assisted 
by  the  help  I received  firm  those  who  were  appointed 
by  your  representative*  here  to  carry  out  my  instruc- 
tio  3,  in  testing  tbe  lands  required  by  you. 
Gemming  having  hitherto  been  carried  on  by  natives 
alone  in  an  urobs'rusive  way,  vety  little  is  known  of 
what  has  been  done,  and  only  when  sales  have  been 
held,  at  which  anyone  who  pleased  might  attend,  has 
any  accumte  idea  been  fo  mcd  of  the  extent  of  the 
production  ot  this  class  of  mining,  by  the  value  of  the 
gems  sold.  The  Government  h»s  not  interfered  in 
anyway  u t^e  m t'ir,  fovp  with  the  exception  of 
exacting  licenses  from  those  working  on  Crown 
Lands,  and  no  official  records  have  been  hitherto 
kept.  Thus  it  is  not  known  for  how  many  years 
the  alluvial  deposits  have  teen  worked,  nor  data  at 
hand  to  guide  anyone  investigating  the  matter  in 
coming  to  a conclusion  on  the  value  of  these  depo- 
sits. I have  given  above  all  the  information  that 
could  be  collected  from  native  sources,  together  with 
my  opinion  of  the  prospects  I have  obtained  from 
your  properties. 
From  my  experience  of  the  deposits  in  which 
precious  stones  are  discovered,  and  the  prospecting  I 
have  done,  coupled  with  native  results  and  informa- 
tion, I have  been  enabled  to  arrive  at  the  following 
conclusions,  viz. : — 
That  there  are  extensive  gem  bearing  deposits  in 
certain  districts  in  the  Colony. 
That  some  of  these  are  more  or  less  rich  in  gems  of 
value. 
And  that  some  of  the  lands  leased  by  you,  if  judi- 
ciously and  scientifically  worked,  should  undoubtedly 
field  good  results. 
Some  of  your  properties,  viz.  : Butiyatenne, 
Golden  Grove,  Spring  Yale  and  Depedene,  a'e  so 
situated  that  hydraulic  mining  can  be  resorted  to 
with  good  effect,  so  that  a large  extent  of  gem 
bearing  deposits  of  a promising  nature  can  be 
worked  rapidly  and  reasonably.  By  this  method 
of  working  the  large  amount  of  material,  yielding 
gemB  in  various  quantities,  and  of  various  sizes, 
when  worked  by  natives  in  a slow  laborious  way 
thus  subjected  to  treatment  in  a short  space  of 
time,  should  produce  a large  amount  of  precious 
stones  at  small  cost. 
The  nature  of  the  alluvial  deposits,  more  es- 
pecially of  the  hill-wash,  which  contains  layers 
of  illan  disposed  in  uncertain  positions  and  direc- 
tions, which  renders  pit  sinking  in  order  to  strike 
them  a risky  and  expensive  undertaking  should,  with 
hydraulic  mining,  be  rendered  easy  and  profitable ; 
and  all  the  small  irregular  layers  of  illan  should  be 
found  and  utilized;  while  the  deep  leads,  on  being 
thus  exposed,  should  be  discovered  and  easily  worked 
where  they  exist.  These  latteis  are  in  places,  such 
as  beneath  the  6 acre  lot  mines  on  Butiytenne,  proved 
to  be  v-ry  rich  in  sapphires  of  the  first  quality,  and 
often  of  large  size,  besides  good  catseyes  and  other  gems. 
They  are  at  vatious  depths  below  the  present  level 
of  the  bed  of  the  stream,  in  old  gutters  as  deep  in  places 
as  100  feet  from  the  surface.  By  commencing  opera- 
tions at  the  lower  ends  of  Depedene,  Golden  Grove 
and  Butiyatenne,  and  cutting  away  with  water  about 
100  feet  in  depth  of  surface  deposits  for  some  distance, 
a perfect  drainage  can  be  obtained,  and  continuous 
workings  upwards  of  the  properties  be  thus  effected. 
One  of  the  chief  difficulties  will  consist  in  the  getting 
rid  of  the  huge  blocks  of  gneiss  in  hill-wash,  but  I 
think  this  can  be  done.  Water  in  abundance  can  be 
obtained,  and  led  from  streams  in  the  higher  parts  of 
the  properties  along  the  mountain  sides,  or  in 
flumes,  and  any  degree  of  fall,  producing  any  amount 
of  pressure  may  be  obtained.  No  expensive  dams  for 
storing  water  will  be  required.  By  this  means  con- 
tinuous of  workings  of  100  yards  iu  width,  in  a distance 
of  nearly  three  miles,  may  be  secured. 
On  Millewitiya,  water  can  be  led  to  the  shallow 
illans  there,  for  washing  purposes  in  sluices,  but 
they  will  have  to  be  dug  up.  In  the  case  of  the 
surface  illan,  this  can  easily,  and  I think,  be  profitably 
done  ; for  here  we  had  good  prospects  though  the 
colour  of  the  sapphires  was  light. 
At  Doloswella,  where  I prospected,  the  place  is 
suitable  for  hydraulic  mining,  and  should  also  yield 
good  returns  of  sapphires,  as  the  result  of  our 
pits  there  showed  great  promise,  and  the  lead  was 
running  into  the  hill. 
At  Dela  and  Eraboda,  the  chief  difficulty  will 
be  in  getting  rid  of  the  water,  as  the  river  is 
large,  and  the  illan  in  the  alluvium  is  below  the 
level  of  the  bed  ; but  I think,  with  a steam 
dredger  provided  with  a shoot,  at  certain  states  of  the 
liver,  in  those  parts  wheie  there  are  no  rocks,  the 
sem-bearing  gravels,  10  feet  to  12  feet  below  the 
bed  of  the  rivc-r  could  be  excavated  and  washed  for 
gems  with  advantage. 
In  giving  an  opinion  on  the  raying  capabilities 
of  such  diposits  as  lluse  described,  it  must  be 
understood  that  the  irregular  nature  of  the  gem- 
btaring  gravels  makes  it  a most  difficult  mattr  to 
give  a pcsitive  and  decided  answer  to  the  question — 
will  they  pay  to  work?  Tbe  weikng  ot  such  is  a 
lottery,  like  tbe  manipulation  ot  most  superficial 
deposi's.  But  there  is  little  doubt  of  the  gravels 
containing  valuable  gems,  and  when  such  are  die- 
cove!  ed,  as  should  be  the  case  at  times,  along  with 
smn  I stones,  they  will  pay  for  dead  w<rk,  or  the 
finding  ot  1 utnerous  lght  off-colour  stones,  and 
leave  a consideiable  maigin  lor  profit.  The  latter 
are,  as  my  prospects  show,  on  some  of  the  pro- 
perties, very  numerous.  On  Butiyattnne  quan- 
tities of  fine  stones  of  small,  and  many  of  lirge 
size  have  been  found,  as  described  above  in  my  notes 
on  those  I saw  at  Ihe  sales  I attended  ; and  some 
which  were  besides  shown  me  by  their  finders — the 
li  sse  e of  the  pits — who  afterwards  dispi  sed  of  them 
by  private  sale.  There  can  be  no  donbt  of  this,  I 
think,  tl  at  quantities  c f valuable  sapphires  and  true 
catseyes  have  been  dug  up  in  these  gem  districts 
of  Ceylon  by  natives  tor  along  6eties  of  years;  and 
that  but  a trifling  portion  of  these  deposits  has  been 
worked  out. 
I certainly  can  recommend  the  Syndicate  to  com- 
mence hydraulic  mi.  iug  on  their  Ri.kwanne  properties, 
1 which  I am  of  opinion  will  turn  out  to  be  a profitable 
undertakings  They  might  also  at  the  same  timq 
