Good rubies, mostly darker in colour than the Burmese stones, are found in considerable quantity near Bangkok in Siam, Chantabun being the centre of the trade, where, just as in Burma, they are intimately associated with the red spinel. Because of the difference in tint and the consequent difference in price, jewellers draw a distinction between Burma and Siam rubies; but that, of course, does not signify any specific difference between them. Siam is, however, most distinguished as the original home of splendid sapphires. The district of Bo Pie Rin in Battambang produces, indeed, more than half the world’s supply of sapphires. In the Hills of Precious Stones, such being the meaning of the native name for the locality, a number of green corundums are found. Siam also produces brown stones characterized by a peculiar silkiness of structure. Rubies are found in Afghanistan at the Amir’s mines near Kabul and also to the north of the lapis lazuli mines in Badakshan. The conditions in Ceylon are precisely the converse of those obtaining in Burma; sapphire is plentiful and ruby rare in the island. They are found in different rocks, sapphire occurring with garnet in gneiss, and ruby accompanying spinel in limestone, but they come together in the resulting gravels, the principal locality being the gem-district near Ratnapura in the south of the island. The largest uncut ruby discovered in Ceylon weighed 42½ carats; it had, however, a decided tinge of blue in it. Ceylon is also noted for the magnificent yellow corundum, ‘oriental topaz,’ or, as it is locally called, ‘king topaz,’ which it produces. Beautiful sapphires occur in various parts of India, but particularly in the Zanskar range of the north-western Himalayas in the state of Kashmir, where they are associated with brown tourmaline. Probably most of the large sapphires known have emanated from India. By far the most gigantic ever reported is one, weighing 951 carats, said to have been seen in 1827 in the treasury of the King of Ava. The collection at the Jardin des Plantes contains two splendid rough specimens; one, known as the ‘Rospoli,’ is quite flawless and weighs 132-1/16 carats, and the other is 2 inches in length and 1½ inches in thickness. The Duke of Devonshire possesses a fine cut stone, weighing 100 carats, which is brilliant-cut above and step-cut below the girdle. An image of Buddha, which is cut out of a single sapphire, is exhibited, mounted on a gold pin, in the Mineral Gallery of the British Museum (Natural History).