338 A POPULAR TREATISE OX GEMS.
of
Nijug Tagilsk, in the government of Ekaterinenhtirg, on the river Tura,
a tributary of the Irtish, on the Siberian side of the Uralian
mountains, in latitude 57 1/2 ° N., longitude 56° E. In a mine at this
place, belonging to Messrs. Demidoff, Sir Roderick Murchison has
described an immense mass of malachite, which at the time of his visit,
a few years back, had been recently discovered at the depth of two
hundred and eighty feet, strings of green copper conducting to it; and
these strings increasing in width and value, were found to terminate in
a vast irregular botryoidal mass, estimated to contain not less than
half a million of pounds of this valuable mineral. The larger blocks,
when exposed to the air, break up into smaller fragments, rarely
weighing more than from one to four pounds.
"
It is by no means a modem application of this material, to employ it in
inlaying or veneering for decorative purposes; and few palaces or
large public museums in the principal capitals of Europe, are without
specimens, marking the progress of its manufacture from time to time,
and generally regarded, from their great rarity, cost, and beauty, as
worthy of being made imperial and royal presents. It is, however, only
lately that Messrs. Demidoff, the owners of the mine in which the
mineral occurs, have established in St. Petersburg a manufactory,
where, after numerous trials and the expenditure of much capital,
labor, and ingenuity, it has been found possible to produce such works
as those sent to the London Exhibition, and in testimony of the
magnitude and importance of the objects exhibited, their extraordinary
beauty and richness, the excellence of the production, and the
application of the various new methods of manufacture, Messrs. Demidoff
have been awarded the highest premiums. These are chiefly seen in the
construction of the doors, and more especially in the ingenious and
beautiful manner in which the pattern is
