, 1888-04-04
THE RUBY MINES OF BURMAH.
From the Times, 2 March.)

SuUJ6CG Oh bu6 paper rtdu OH MONDAY ulSuG
at the meeting of the Royal Geographical
Society, Burlington House, General R. Stra-
chey, g. s. [. presiding. The reader of the
paper was Mr.. Robert Gordon, Z. E., who
stated that be surveyed the ruby mining dis
trict north of Mandalay when the conces-
sionaires, Messrs. Streeter, were requested
to send Representatives to the mines. This
district, which had hitherto been closed to
travellers, could now be reached very quick
ly compared with what was the case former
ly. Rangoon could be reached by mail from
London in % days, $50 miles thence to
Prone occupied by rail a few hours, and a
three days journey from Prone brought the
traveller to Mandalay. The country was
described, and a railway, which was stat
ed to have already brought about economic
changes of the highest importance, pointed
out as possessing great interest as the first
instalment Of the great iron highway for
British commerce to South Western China.
a continuation Of the railway 600 or 700
miles along the old trade route to the capt.
tai of Yunnan and a further extension to 500
Chow-Foo and to Chung King-Foo would
open up the principal marts and the nayiga.
bic channel of the great artery of China,
the Ian9tse- Kiang. The expenditure of
9l4, 600 900, of which $4,000, 900 had al
ready been incurred, would bring Central
China within rs days reach of London. He
described IN detail the country from Manda-
lay to the ruby mInes, noticing it's fora,
fauna, diversity of race among its peoples,
and It's general features, speaking of it as
presenting hill and vale, the ranges of hills
varying from 6,OOOIt. to 5000 it. in height.
The principal villages of the mining district
were Mogok, kathay, and kyatpyen. Eve
rythlng Indicated the possession of surplus
wealth among the people. The residents in
the larger villages rarely did any heavy work
IN the mines themselves, but engaged labour-
ers. In regard to the relations Of the people
with the old Burmese Government, inquiry
elected that, though theoretically the peo-
pie had no rights, yet practically every
thing indicated considerate treatment and
kindly relations. All tended to show a set.
tied and peaceable condition among the inha-
bltants IN recent times, with a greater
accumulation OF wealth among the head men
than was possible elsewhere under native
rule. No permanent mining works of any
value existed, but numerous artificial water
channels We're carried with easy slopes on
the h~illsides, the rayines being crossed by
temporary aqueducts on bamboo framing,
The mines were of three kinds-the first,
which was of the least importance at pre-
sent, but which might be the most valuable
IN the future, consisted of workings in assure
veins of soft material found embedded in the
c%revices of the hard rock, caused by shrink
age IN long past ages. 1t was probable that
volcanic action accompanied the upheaval
of these mountain ranges, and that the al
ready formed rubies were thrown up with a
matriX of complex structure, since disinte.
grated by long weathering, together with
the metamorphic rocks clothing the skeleton
Of the old mountain limestone, whose ribs
still protrude. There was no sign of any re-
cent volcanic action in the neighbourhood
and the corundum was now found distribu-
ted through the clay formed from the break
ing down of the g~neissic rocks, and also in
layers or beds in the valley bottoms near
the river, apparently Disseminated and ar
ranged by water action. The c~revices in
the older rocks gave origin to cave mines,
which were called "%loos," where the soft
earth was excavated in a primitive fashion
and on a small scale. The second class of
mine was called "myaw,' or washing, and
corresponded, but on an insignificant scale,
with the hydraulic mining in California. The
water was conducted by the channels to the
lower hilIsides, which consisted usually of
the softer remains of secondary rocks in red
dish or lighter coloured cIays, containing
rubies and ~sapphires, though few and far
between. The clay was cut into thin slices