ON THE RUBIES OF BURMA AND ASSOCIATED MINERALS. 
155 
precious than any of the accompanying minerals, but as the most valuable of all gems, 
and the best coloured varieties fetch far higher prices per carat than diamonds of the 
finest water. 
As might have been expected, however, but very little was known concerning the 
mode of occurrence of the corundum, spinel, and tourmaline in Burma before that 
country became a part of the British Empire in 1886. It is probable that all the fine 
red corundums which found their way into the markets of India originally came from 
this district, for the Burma mines appear to have been worked from very early 
times. It is said that the Burmese acquired the mines from the Shans about J 630, 
but they were regarded as royal property, and very jealously guarded from Europeans. 
The existence of the ruby mines of Burma is referred to by many old writers like 
Vincent le Blanc and Tavernier. The “ Capelati Mountains,” mentioned by 
Tavernier* * * § and others as the locality from which the Burmese rubies were derived, 
appear to be the high grounds around Kyatpyen and Mogok. Some interesting 
details about the district were collected by John Crawford,! and later by 
Dr. T. Oldham,]; and further information was given by the Rev. F. Mason (as the 
result of enquiries made by Captain C4. A. Strover, of Mr. Bredemeyer§), while 
Dr. R. Romanis and Major Hobday (who made the map of the district) were also 
able to supply Mr. Mallet with some interesting particulars before 1886. |J 
Very few Europeans are known to have actually visited the ruby mines before the 
country was annexed by the Indian Government. A runaway English sailor was, 
in 1830, sent up to blast the rocks b} ? Kiug Phagyidora, but he seems never to have 
returned. Some time before 1833, the Pere GiUSEPrE d’Amato visited the mines, 
and published an account of the native methods of working.H It is said, too, that 
in the year 1881, a party of Frenchmen were working at the mines under an engineer 
in the king’s service. About the year 1870 a German mining engineer, named 
Bredemeyer, was actually in charge of the ruby mines near Sagyin, twenty-four 
miles north of Mandalay ; but there is no evidence that he was ever permitted to 
visit the principal mines about Mogok. 
When the country was conquered, a map on the scale of four inches to the mile 
was made under Major J. R. Hobday, a first edition of it being published in 
November, 1886; and in the following month a military expedition to the district 
was accompanied by Mr. G. S. Streeter, Mr. Bill, and Mr. Beech, acting on behalf 
* Tavernier, ‘Travels in India,’ 1684, p. 143. 
t ‘ Geol. Soc. Trans.,’ 2nd series, vol. 1, 1824, pp. 406-408; ‘ Edinb. New Phil. Journ.,’ 1827, p. 366 ; 
and ‘ Journal of an Embassy to the Court of Ava,’ 1834. 
+ Appendix to Yule's ‘ Mission to the Court of Ava,’ 1858, p. 347. 
§ ‘ Natural Productions of Burma,’ 1850, p. 27 ; and ‘ Notes on British Burma,’ 1852 ; see also ‘ Indian 
Economist,’ vol. 5, p. 14. 
|| ‘ A Manual of the Geology of India,’ Part IV., “Mineralogy,” 1887, pp. 42-44. 
IF ‘Journ. As. Soc. Bengal,’ vol. 2, 1833, p. 75. 
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