The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1886-05-22

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at one time, a green turquoise was
more highly valued than a blue one.
Nowadays, however, people have no
patience with either precious stones OF
precious metals that can be easily mis-
taken for those of inferior value. FL.
Their green felspar, which is of the
same hardness, or malachite, which /.
softer, might be mistaken for green
turquoise, and both are common min,
erals. But there is hardly any othel
natural stone or the same, or even in
ferior, hardness that can be confound
ed with a blue turquoise. The mate
rial of some fossil teeth when colorec
with phosphate of iron does, however
resemble it. Still, there need be NJ
confusion, because this substance il
softer. 1t Is called odontolite or occi
dental turquoise; while the real ston,
is known by jewelers. as the orienta
turquoise. Odontolite is easily recog
nized under the microscope by the
characteristic markings Of dentine
Opaque blue glass can be made to imi
tate the turquoise; bnt the former diff
ters in luster and in the nature of it.
fracture.
T%urquoises are found in Tibet,
China and the neighborhood Of
Mount Sinai; but, as has been already
stated, the supply for jewelers. pur'
poses comes almost wholly from the
celebrated Persian mines. Very little
was known about these till a remark
ably interesting and exhaustive report
upon them was recently furnished to
the British Foreign Office by Mr.. A.
Hontum SCHNEIDER, who was for q
short time director of the mines. They
are situated in a range of mountains
bounding on the north an open plain
in the Bar-i-Maden district, thirty-two
miles northwest Of Nishapur, in the
province of khorassan. Botanists tell
US that the brightest blue is seen on
alpine flowers. If pure mountain air
could be supposed to brighten the
color of a gem as well as q flower,
there is no want Of it where these tur-
quOise veins occur. Their position is
between five and six thousand feet
above the level of the sea, and a strong
north wind blows almost continually
over the ridges of the hills, rendering
the situation very healthy. Wheat,
barley and mulberry trees grow well
or the slopes at the lower edge of these
heights.
Geologlcally, the mountains are COM
posed Of sandstones and nummulitic
limestones lying On clay-slates and in
closing immense beds OF gypsum and
rock-saIt, But these ~stratitied rocks
are broken through and metamor-
phOs"d by rocks Of igneous origin, such
as greemstones and porphyries. The
Notwithstanding veins occur in the
mc!amOrphic strata. and the MINES
proper consist of shafts and gal
lericS in the solid rock. There
are also "diggings'' III the detritus of
d~i,integrated rock washed down
towards the plain, and it is here that
some Of the best turquoises are found.
i nnnlhpl. aF tho Ipinas a ra arai,,,t p,I
very extensive; and although most of
them are now more or less in a state
Of neglect, Mr., SCHNEIDER states that
the presence of many old shafts-now
filled up-for light and ventilation
proves that they have at one
time been skillfully worked, and were
probably then under Government con-
troll. But they appear to have
been. for nearly two centuries.
farmed by the villagers, who only think
of a quick return for their money, and
therefore cut away the rock wherever
they see turquoises, without leaving
proper supports to prevent the falling
in of the mine. Several lab0rers have
at different times been buried in the
galleries through the rubbish being
badly propped up. The perpendicular
depth of n mine is one hundred and
sixty feet, and Others are nearly as
deep. The miners work with picks
and crOwbars in much the same way as
that in which vein-mining is carried on
elsewhere; and it is a curious illustra-
ton of how slowly long~-established
processes are altered in the East, that
gunpowder should have been used in
these mines only within the last thirty
years. But it is not strange, as can be
seen by some examples of rock-blasting
at home, to learn that the results OBJ
tanned by g%unpowder are, in one view,
satisfactory than those got by the
pick. The powder does more work, but
it is also more destructive, as it breaks
turquoises into small pieces.
Here We may say a few words about
how it fares with the people who are
occupied with the mining, cutting and
of the tu%rquoises. About two
hundred men work in the mines or at
the diggings, and some thirty more
elders of the village-buy the tur-
and sell them to merchants
and jewellers. A certain additional
number of hands cut and polish the
but this work Is done else
where, as well as in the district where
they are found. The population Of the
villages in the neighborhood of the
mines is ahout twelve hundred and