Frb.  I,  1896.1 
WIK  TROPK'AL  A(iRlCULTURIS  T. 
523 
GKMMTNC  IN  (liS'J.ON. 
We  take  the  following  from  the  Lomlou  letter 
of  an  evening  eontein|>orary  : — 
Donbble.ss  isneli  a welcome  inUI  he  given  to  a 
new  undertaking,  that  inore  will  he  heard  of 
very  shortly  in  connection  with  gemming  and 
gold  finding.  I'onr  undertakings  of  a similar 
nature  have  now  been  commenced  in  your  ishiml, 
and  all  have,  I believe,  ceased  oiimations  uimn 
the  grounds  of  the  dilliculty.  nut  of  lindiUg 
genisr  but  of  getting  them  brought  in  l',V_  the 
natives  employed  in  linding  them.  I thin  a it 
was  Mr.  (tow,  of  Gow,  M ilson,  and  !mant(m, 
who  said  “ Gemming  will  never  be  successiuny 
canieil  on  in  Ceylon  until  a means  is  louml,  or 
a machine  invented,  t(j  prevmrt  the  native  Hands 
from  picking  and  stealing.'’  Undiuibtcdly,  m 
mining  for  gem  stones,  the  chiel  dilliculty  has 
been  to  actiially  secure  the  gems  which  pass  Irom 
the  washing  machines  to  the  picking  tables;.  ne 
lack  of  success  of  so  many  gem-mining  ventures 
of  late  is  mainly  attributable  to  failure,  to  detect 
gems  on  the  picking  tables,  and  .actual  I nett  of 
really  valu.able  stones.  The  new  company  I 
speak  of  liope  to  clunige  all  tiiat.  .v  macliine, 
tne  Automatic  Gem  .Sc|jarator  (Lockhart  s I’aicni), 
takes  the  place  of  the  picking  tables,  and,  thus 
eliminating  the  greatest  cause  of  loss,  renueis 
mining  in  such  countries  as  iiurina,  Simn,  Imiia. 
Ceylon,  and  Australia  practicable.  After  licing 
dug  from  the  mine  or  pit  the  gem-bearing 
oTound  passes,  without  handling  or  the  ])Ossibility 
of  being  tamyrered  with,  through  the  washing 
plant  to  classiliers  of  special  construction  which 
size  it  and  yiass  each  size  to  the  separator.  Lach 
seyiarator  selects  its  gems  automatically  iuul  ure 
posits  them  in  a locked  receidacle,  rejecting  the 
worthless  gravel  and  .allowing  it  to  yiass  (dl  as 
tailings,  the  yrrocess  is  esscnti.ally  a continuous 
one,  and,  as  there  is  absolutely  no  wear  on  the 
separators,  their  action  when  once  regulated  re- 
mains constant.  Water  is  the  only  agent  em- 
ployer! in  the  seyiaratiou.  It  can  be  used  over 
and  .over  again,  and,  as  the  Head  retyuired  for 
effective  w'ork  does  not  exceed  ten  leet,  only 
very  moderate  iminyung  yiower  is  necessary  to 
serve  a large  plant  where  a constant  suyiyily  is 
not  available.  These  scpai-ators  are  cayiabh'  of 
greatly  reducing  the  heavy  concentrates  from  the 
machinery  at  present  emydoyeil ; and  for  .alluvial 
ci-ravels  such  as  are  found  containing  gem  stones 
fn  Burma,  Ceylon,  and  other  yrarts  of  the  worhl, 
the  reduction  ranges  as  high  as  over  9.')  yicrcent. 
i have  tliis  w^eek  had  an  interview  with  the 
inventor,  and,  from  my  two  and  a liaif  years’ 
residence  in  tire  district,  Kakwana.  where  oyiera- 
tions  ai-e,  I think  I gathei-ed,  already  commenced 
or  commencing,  I was  aide  to  suyiyilv  him  with 
some  information  which  was  interesting  to  him. 
Alreaily  25  acres  of  good  ground  have  been 
secured,  which  provi<les"  a ynetty  good,  area  for 
o'emming.  I was  shown  a very  nice  selection  of 
^t„nes— sapphires,  amethyst.s,  rubies,  .and  others. 
Also  a piece  of  gold  which  was  found  by  simyile 
washing,  and  a small  nugget  that  had  been 
e.xtracted  without  dilKculty.  if  this  new  oyierator 
could  only  show  that  gidd  in  yiaying  quantities 
is  to  be  found  in  Ceylon,  what  a lilt  it  would 
give  to  the  colony.  At  le.ast  .50  tons  of  soil  can 
be  treated  daily,  and,  if  eacli  ton  yiroduces,  on 
a moderate  estimate,  UM  per  ton  (Mr.  I..  G. 
Harding,  I hear,  considers  that  estimate  within 
the  mark),  the  new  undert:i!;ing.  the  capital  of 
which  is  not  he.avy,  sliould  have  a successful 
future. 
This  afternoon  I have  had  the  opyiortunity  of 
seeing  ac  the  premises  of  Mr.  W.  8,  Lockh.art, 
M.r.C.iv,  at  Great  Snllblk  Street,  Boro’,  the  gem- 
separating  m.achine.  It  seems  certainly  a niost 
ainyile  yet  ingenious  invention,  and  is  very  simydy 
worked.  The  soil  is  ymt  by  a cooly  into  a recejn 
tacle.  All  is  worked  by  water.  This  receyit.acle 
enables  the  large  stones,  roots,  .and  grass  to  be 
got  rid  of.  Thence  the  residue  is  carried  by  the 
Force  of  water  into  a receiver,  which  ag,ain  .sep.a- 
r.ates  the  soil  and  sm.aller  stones.  What  is  then 
loft  is  only  gravel  and  gems.  Into  half  a bucket 
of  gravel,  w liich  had  come  from  (^eylon  and  wuis 
largely  mixed  with  iron  stone,  32  different  gems 
were  mixed.  This  was  then  jilaced  in  the  separa- 
tor. By  virtue  of  the  slight  difference  of  the  specific 
gr.avity,  the  gravel  wms  sep.arated  from  the  gems, 
the  ligliler  gravel  floating  upwards  by  the  force 
of  the  water,  and  falling  into  the  bailings  heap, 
.ami  the  heavier  gems  falling  into  the  locked  re- 
ceptacle below.  Not  one  w’as  missing,  the  whole 
32  came  through,  but  there  wmre  also  a few  iron- 
stones whiidi  were  perhaps  exceptionally  heavy. 
'I'his  was  .a  fault  on  the  right  side.  The  propor- 
tion of  gravel  wxas  about  99f  to  R or  perhafis  much 
less,  of  gems,  and  the  machine  most  accurately 
rcjectcii  the  stulf  without  value,  and  preserved 
the  gems.  Another  operation,  showing  how  small 
gtdd  pieces  could  be  washed,  was  shewn.  A small 
nugget,  the  size  of  a )iea,  came  out  of  a m.achine 
almost  by  itself  out  of  half  a bucket  of  heavy 
Indian  gravel,  half  composed  of  garnets.  The 
machine  could  be  set  to  separate  g.arnets  from 
gravel,  .as  I .“aw  had  been  done.  Then  a tiny 
luece  of  .alluvial  gold  and  12  minute  shot  were  put 
in  to  demonstrate  soil  w.ashing,  .and  separated 
as  .accurately.  No  constant  attendance  is  required. 
The  machines  will  go  on  from  1st  January  to  31st 
December  ; water  only  is  wanted  to  w'ork  it,  and 
without  breaking  it  no  cooly  can  get  .at  a .single 
stone.  I think  Mr.  Lockhart,  who  is  a thoroughly 
practical  man  has  got  what  is  required.  So  far 
it  h.as  not  been  a c.ase  of  stealing  the  gems,  but 
taking  them.  If,  now,  all  that  .are  found  .are 
secured,  gemming  may  not  be  so  entirely  in  the 
hands  of  the  natives  as  it  is  at  present. 
Talking  of  gemming,  there  was  one  spot  I 
always  thought  might  yield  a splendid  harvest 
of  gems,  .and  that  was  the  ground  .around  and 
running  aw.ay  from  the  store  .at  Nahaveena,  Kak- 
wana. It  lies  .at  the  bottom  of  a bay  of  land, 
all  natives  used  to  .assert,  famed  for  gen'is.  Good- 
ness knows  to  what  depth  operations  might  be 
carried,  and  jiossibly  enough  lies  beneath  that 
waste  piece  to  jiay  for  the  value  of  the  estate, 
even  at  the  luice  Mr.  Layard  purcha.sed,  a good 
many  times  over. 
INDIAN  PATENTS. 
C.alcutta,  Dec  27th,  189.5. 
For  a new  process  of  tea  manufacture. — No.  411 
of  1895.— August  Schulte,  im  Hofe,  Ph.  D.  of 
Freiburg  University,  in  Germany,  temporarily  living 
at  1,  Vansittart  Kow,  Calcutta.' 
For  a combined  wood  and  cast  iron  plate  sleeper 
for  metre  gauge  railways.— No.  155  of  1895  James 
Connor  of  Yalgivi,  in  British  India,  Permanent  5Vay 
Inspector,  Southern  Mahratta  Railway.  (Filed  14th 
December  1895. 
For  an  improved  tea,  coffee  or  hot  water  boiler 
— No.  201  of  1895. — Gopal  Mahadeo  Vidwans,  drafts- 
man, Sanitary  Engineer’s  Office,  Bomb.ay,  Presi- 
dency, Poona.  (Filed  16th  December  1895.) 
For  improved  method  of  and  apparatus  for  re- 
moving sand  and  like  bars  or  banks  in  rivers  and 
tideways,  and  for  deepening  the  same.— No.  147  of 
1890. — M.J.M.  B.  Baker’s  invention.  (Specification 
filed  16th  September  1891.) 
For  a new  or  improved  method  of  treating  and 
prepari'  , 1 ; - i ml  blending  the  same  for  infusion, 
