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GOLD IN CEYLON.
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METALS, MINERALS AND GEMS. (From Sir Emerson Tennent's " Ceylon.")
Metals.—The
plutonic rocks of Ceylon are but slightly metalliferous, and hitherto
their veins and deposits have been but imperfectly examined. The first
successful survey attempted by the Government was undertaken during the
administration of Viscount Torrington, who, in 1847, commissioned Dr.
Gygax to proceed to the hill district south of Adam's Peak, and furnish
a report on its products. His investigations extended from Ratnapura in
»a south-eastward direction, to the mountains which everhang Bintenne,
but the results obtained did not greatly enlarge the knowledge
previously possessed. He established the existence of tin in
the alluvium along the base of the mountains to the eastward towards
Idelgashcna; but so circumstanced, owing to the flow of the Wellaway
river, that, without lowering its level, the metal could not be
extracted with advantage. The position in which it occurs is similar
to that in which tin ore presents itself in Saxony; and along with it,
the natives, when searching for gems, discover garnets, corundum, white
topazes, zircon, and tourmaline.
Gold is found in minute particles at Getteyhedra, and in the beds of the Maha Oya and other rivers flowing towards the west, (a) But
the quantity hitherto discovered has been too trivial to reward" the
search. The early inhabitants of the island were not ignorant of its
presence ; but its occurrence on a memorable occasion, as well as that
of silver and copper, is recorded in the Mahawanso as a miraculous
manifestation, which signalised the founding of one of the most
renowned shrines at the ancient Capital, (6)
Nickel and cobalt appear in small quantities in Saffaragam, and the latter, together with rutile (an oxide of titanium) and wolfram, might find a market in China for the colouring of porcelain, (c) Tellurium, another
rare and valuable metal, hitherto found only in Transylvania and the
Ural has likewise been discovered in these mountains. Manganese is abundant, and Iron occurs
in the form of magnetic iron ore, titanite, chromate, yellow hydrated,
peroxide and iron pyrites. In most of these, however, the metal is
scanty, and the ores of little comparative value, except for the
extraction of manganese and chrome. " But there is another description
of iron ore," says Dr. Gygax, in his official report to the Ceylon
Government, "which is found in vast abundance, brown and compact,
generally in the state of carbonate, though still blended with a little
chrome, and often molybdena. It occurs in large masses and veins, one
of which extends for a distance of fifteen miles; from it millions of
tons might be smelted, and when found adjacent to fuel and
water-carriage, it might be worked to a profit. The quality of the iron
ore found in Ceylon is singularly fine; it is easily smelted, and so
pure when reduced as to resemble silver. The
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