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CHAPTER XIV.
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In Mexico and Central America.
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O
UR knowledge
regarding the precious and ornamenÂtal stones of Mexico and Central
America is very meagre, especially when one considers the extent of the
territory and the richness of the mineral wealth that undoubtedly
exists there. The fullest information on these subjects is furnished by
Santiago Ramirez,1 from whose book we shall have occasion to
take many extracts in the sequel. We have his statement that the
diamond has been found in Mexico, but the description is altogether too
unsatisfactory to establish it positively. The story he gives, on the
authorÂity of Seftor Del Moral,' is this: General Guerrero, while
searching with a few soldiers for a suitable camping-ground, found what
appeared to be large pebbles, some of which, on being broken open,
proved to be hollow geodes, and to contain loose, brilliant crystals.
Two of these, which had been given by the General to a lady friend, and
had been mounted as ear-rings, were, about the latter part of 1822,
shown by her to Professor Del Rio, who is said to have pronounced them
diamonds, octahedral in form, and of a quality not inferior to any from
India or Brazil. Seftor Guillow, a lapidary of the City of Mexico, is
said by the same author to have bought a number of these diamonds that
to-
1 Noticia Historia de la Minerca de Mexico (Mexico, 1884-1885), pp. 237-250. s La Naturaleza, Vol. 2, pp. 257-302, 1873.
275
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