"You
map open it and see for yourself what it contains.'' 1 carefully untied
the mysterious package, wondering what riches it would disclose. The
riches were but on paper. Nothing more than a tracing, showing a river,
a few villages dotted about on each side, and a few sketches which
showed the topographical features. Besides the thin tracing that
cracked in my hands there were numerous writings on thin foreign
note-paper. " That came to me a day or two ago from a correspondent of
mine in remote Spain. The plan shows the route to a long forgotten mine
which my correspondent has discovered. Here you see"—reading from the
faded manuscript—" are accurate and minute directions for approaching
it, with close and detailed descriptions of the surrounding country,
the rivers and the mountain passes, the character of the people, and
the whole story of the mine. You need not trouble to read it. but the
legend may amuse you."
A SArPHIRE RIVER.
"I
have projected many expeditions," said the King of Pearls; "some have
been successful, others not. It is a great gamble, and one must take
the good with the bad. Men come to see me here fron all parts of th«
world with their schemes; some I take, many I reject. It is a hazardous
business, for one has to trust to individuality. When a man comes to me
with a proposition to work a mine, in Mexico say, I try to read his
character in our talk, and if I like him and he produces details that
seem to me credible, if he has character and decision—he is generally
well travelled—we hit it off well enough. Sometimes they go, and for a
time all is well, then they disappear for ever from view. In 1869 I
sent out Professor John to the Diamond Fields in the first rush, and
the party of three bought three claims for half a guinea a piece. For
one reason and another they worked for awhile and then sold out. Since
then these same claims have produced millions. That was a big slice of
bad luck if you like. In Ceylon 1 have taken rivers for cats-eyes and
sapphires. I once tried Cashmere, but could never get a concession,
though the Rajah sent my wife the handsomest shawl I ever saw. I have
sent expeditions to the Sulu Sea, and all round the coast of Australia.
I have now a party working a Brazil river for gold and diamonds. Then,
just before the Burmese war broke out, I was negotiating with Theebaw
for a concession to work the famous ruby mines which lie above
Mandalay. We have plotted out the road, for which we were to receive
(paying ^20,000 for the mine concession) eight miles on each side of
the Irrawaddy, along which the road lies."
PLUMBAGO USED AS .A MORTAR AND AS A DYE IN CHINA.
Recently
we have been able to collect a great deal of information regarding
graphite in its various forms and the multitudinous uses to which it is
applied, and now we have a very curious contribution to our knowledge
from China. It will be seen that, by the celestials, a special form of
graphite, associated with coal and bitumen, but confounded with
neither by the astute Chinese, is used when mechanically united to lime
as a plaster or mortar and with coal fibres (also mechanically), so as
to form a permanent dye. Here are two new uses for the extraordinary
substance which aids in the manufacture of steel ordnance, is itself
manufactured into pencils, and is good as a lubricant and fire-proof
paint. It was formerly valued as a medicine, and the writer of the very
interesting account we quote has found the form of the ore he describes
useful in surgery as a styptic and a substitute for substances usually
employed as " dry dressings."
