ISLAND OF NAXOS. 
corundum of the Mysore : nor is it unreasonable to 
infer, as a probability, that Telesia, or perfect 
corundum, under the forms exhibited by the 
Oriental sapphire and Oriental ruby, may be found 
by future travellers in the mines of emery at 
NAXOS. Tournefort relates, that, in his time, those 
mines were situate at the bottom of a valley, 
beyond a place called Perato, in the territory of 
the French Consul; but that the inhabitants find 
emery as they plough the earth, and carry it 
down to the sea coast, where the English often, 
ballast their ships with it; and it was so cheap, 
that twenty-eight hundred weight of it might be 
purchased for a crown 4 . Dapper says, that a 
cape on the north-west side of the island takes 
its name from this stone 5 . Almost all the emery 
of commerce comes from Naxos. The island 
has been celebrated for ages in being the pecu- 
liar deposit of this remarkable mineral. Pliny, 
in the description he has given of a green stone 
which the Antients called topaz, says it was the 
only gem that admitted the impression of a file ; 
that all other gems were polished by means of 
(4) Tournef. Voy. du Levant, torn. I. p. 263. Lyon, 1717. 
(5) Capo Smeriglio; the Italians calling emery, Smeriglin, or 
Saierillo. See Dapper, Isles d VArchipel. p. 350. Amst. 1703. 
