The Opelousas courier., 1886-08-28
RUBY MINES.
"A District in Burnah Where
the Gems are Found.
Vast Quantities Of Precious Stones I'm
earthed by a Little Digging.

The London Standard gives some in
teresting information in an article COM
menting On the announcement that the
Indian Government has resolved to ex-
tract a revenue from the ruby mines of
Burmah. It says:
For ages this district, situated about
seventy miles northeast of Mandalay, and
extending yer an area of 100 square
miles, has been regarded with something
almost approaching to veneration. No
stranger has ever been permitted to APP
proach the spots where the precious
stones are dug; and, except that they
are obtained by sinking pits in the gem
miferous soil, very little is known con-
corning this portion of the kingdom. It
is certain, however, that vast quantities
of blue sapphires, red Tor orientaD
rubies, purple amethysts, and yellow to-
PAGES, besides different varieties of chryso-
beryl and spinelle are found. TIE dis
trict was looked upon as the special ap-
panage of the crown, and one of the
most highly priced of King Theebaw's
titles was "Lord of the Rubies." The
government, however, did not work it.
All 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 permitted to
carry off all they could find, except
when q stone discovered exceeded e10
in value. In that case, it was seized by
the officials who superintendent the
washing of the gravels, and was supposed
to be by them sent to the Royal Treas
ury. Pr. c~tically, this law gave the
King almost q monopoly of the mines;
for q ruby which is worth less than the
sum named may be considered of trifing
Importance. Actually, many of the best
gems were embezeled by the .Wons'
and other functionaries through whose
hands they passed, while a considerable
number of the stipulated value never
came under the eyes of the superinten-
dents. Naturally, when either a sapphire
or a ruby believed to be worth $40
reached the surface the finder consider
ed it more to his interest to break the
stone into two and so be able to claim
the fragments as his WI perquisite. In
this way many of the best stones were
ruined. Still, vast numbers did reach
Mandalay. When the late King de-
sired to impress q visitor he permitted
him to thrust his arm into the great jars
of rubies and sapphires which stood
about the royal apartments like bric-a-
brae in a London drawing room. In the
treasury were some or priceless value;
and when the fallen monarch and his
consort left the country, they
carried with them as their pri-
vate property, some gems of rare
worth. But during the interregnum
many of these Jars of rubies were looted.
Prudence has as yet counselled their con-
cealment; though no doubt in due time
the jewellers in London, Paris, and
Amsterdam viii have the opportunity of
estimating the amount of plumber which
was last year snached from the palace of
the lord of Rubies.n When the prim-
tive methods of the natives are superse-
ded by others better fitted to turn over
large masses Of soil, the precious crystals
will be discovered in greater numbers,
and the owners of valuable rubies will
begin to tren1ble for the value of their
gems. Diamonds took a downward ten
dency as soon as the South African dig
gings began to yield plentifully, and
once the market is fooded with the wash
ings Of the Burmese grayels the 'shold-
ers' of rubies may find that it is no
longer possible to make a corner in
these glittering bits of corundum. The
finest red Tor Oriental rubies) have hither-
to come from the neighborhood of
Syrian, in Pegu. In Ceylon great num-
bers are found in the alluvial deposits;
but the original rock out of which they
decomposed has not been searched.
We're this done, there is little doubt Sat
many more, and much finer quality,
would be obtained.
Rules for the aged.
When old age has really commenced,