The true northerner., 1886-11-04

1t appears the Indian Government
has resolved to extract O revenue from
the ruby mines of Burmah, and in this
connection the London Standard gives
some interesting information comment
ing on the announcement:
For ages this district, situated about
sixty or seventy miles northeast of
Mandalay, and extending over an area
of 100 square miles, has been regarded
with something almost approaching to
veneration. No stranger has ever been
permitted to approach the spots where
the precious stones are dug, and, ex-
cept that they are obtained by sinking
pits in the gemmferous soil. very little
is known concerning this portion of the
kingdom. 1t Is certain, however, that
vast quantities of pure sapphires, red
Cor OrientaD rubies, purple amethysts,
and yellow topazes, besides different
varieties of chrysoberyl and spinelle
are found The district was looked
upon as the special appanage of the
crown, and one of the most highly
priced of King Thebaw's titles was
Lord of the Rubies.' The govern
ment, however, did not work it. All
that they did was to let out the mines
to the peasants of the province, who,
after paying so much a month In the
shape of rentage or license, were per-
mitted to carry off all they could find,
except when stone discovered exceed
ed Gl0 in value. In that case, it was
seized by the officials who superintend-
ed the washing of the gravel. and was
supposed to be sent by them to the
royal treasury. Practically, this law
gave the king almost a monopoly of
the m nes; for ruby which is worth
less than the sum named may be con-
sidered of tritiing Importance. Actu-
ally, many of the best gems were en-
bezzled by the 'Wons' and other func-
tionaries through whose hands they
passed, while considerable number of
the stipulated value never came under
the eyes of the superintendent. Nat
urally, when either sapphire or ruby
believed to be worth El0 reached the
surface, the finder considered it more
to his interest to break the stone into
two, and so be able to claim the frag-
ments as his own perquisite. In this
way some of the best stones were
ruined. Still vast numbers d.d reach
to impress a visitor he permitted him to
thrust his arm into the great jars OF
rubes and sapphires which stood about
the royal apartments like bric-a-brac in
a London drawing-room. When the
primitive methods of the natives are
superseded by others better fitted to
turn over large masses of the soil, the
precious crystals will be discovered in
greater numbers, and the owners of
valuable rubies will begin to tremble
for the value of their gems. Diamonds
took downward tendency as soon as
the South African diggings began to
yield plentifully, end, once the market
is flooded with the washi9gs of the
Burmese gravels, the holders of rubies
may find that it is no longer possible to
make corner in these glittering bits
of corrundum. The finest red Cor Ori
entail rubies have hitherto come from
the neighborhood of Syrian, in Pegu.
In Ceylon great numbers are found in
the alluvial deposits, but the original
rock out of which they have decom-
posed has not been searched. " ere
this done, there is little doubt that
many more, and of much finer quail
ity, would be obtained"