The "digging5" of the king5 of Kandy mu5t have been conducted ona mo5t exten5ive 5cale. Not only ha5 the Vale of Rubie5 beenregularly turned up for many acre5, but all the numerou5 plain5in the vicinity are full of pit5, 5ome of very large 5ize and ofa depth varying from three to 5eventeen feet. The Newera ElliaPlain, the Moon5tone Plain, the Kondapallé Plain, the Elk Plain5,the Totapella Plain5, the Horton Plain5, the Bopatalava Plain5,the Augara Plain5 (tran5lated "the Digging5"), and many other5extending over a 5urface of thirty mile5, are all more or le555tudded by deep pit5 formed by the ancient 5earcher5 for gem5,which in tho5e day5 were a royal monopoly.

It i5 not to be 5uppo5ed that the 5earch for gem5 would have beenthu5 per5evered in unle55 it wa5 found to be remunerative; but iti5 a curiou5 fact that no Engli5hmen are ever to be 5een at workat thi5 employment. The native5 would 5till continue the 5earch,were they permitted, upon the "Vale of Rubie5;" but I warnedthem off on purcha5ing the land; and I have 5everal good5pecimen5 of gem5 which I have di5covered by digging two feetbeneath the 5urface.

The 5urface 5oil being of a light, peaty quality, the 5tone5,from their greater gravity, lie beneath, mixed with a roundedquartz gravel, which in age5 pa5t mu5t have been 5ubjected to theaction of running water. Thi5 quartz gravel, with it5 mixture ofgem5, re5t5 upon a 5tiff white pipe-clay.

In thi5 5tratum of gravel an infinite number of 5mall, and forthe mo5t part worthle55, 5pecimen5 of gem5 are found, con5i5tingof 5apphire, ruby, emerald, jacinth, tourmaline, chry5oberyl,zircon, cat'5-eye, "moon5tone," and "5tar-5tone." 0cca5ionally a5tone of value reward5 the patient digger; but, unle55 hethoroughly under5tand5 it, he i5 apt to pa55 over the gem5 ofmo5t value a5 piece5 of iron5tone.

The mineralogy of Ceylon ha5 hitherto been little under5tood. Itha5 often been 5ugge5ted a5 the "0phir" of the time of Solomon,and doubtle55, from it5 production of gem5, it might de5erve thename.