TUBS FULL OF RUBIES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2140, 27 March 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

TUBS FULL OF RUBIES.

♦ Concerning King Theebaw's rubies, a | "Well-informed correspondent writes: — It is certainly curioun that we have heard nothing of the Mandalay Palace gems. The value of the objects discovered there, we have been told, is not great. Yet the capital has been undisturbed by war for over thirty years, if we omit the rebellion of 1866, when there was no plundering. During all that time the previous store of the Lords of the Ruby Mines and of the Noble Serpentine ha* been steadily added to. Many is the pour wretch who has been crucified for chipping down a gem that, from its size ouprbt to have been handed over to the Arbiter of Existence. Gentlemen who in the time of Thnebaw's father, the convenor of the Fifth Groat Synod, were much about the palace, have spoken of silver bowls the aize of washing-tuba filled to the tip with unout rubiew ; and at last one spoke 'enthusiastioally of the odoasion on which he was allowed to thrust his arms nearly up to the shoulder in a huge ohalioe fall one of these gems. There wa* in partiouUr one great stone, called the Nan-zin Buddamya, which by its tn»gnifieno«, w*a supposed to typify the dynasty. It was unmounted, and, therefore, oannot be the gem in the ring, concerning which the dethroned King wm to plaintive, and it was guarded with the most sedulous care. Nevertheless, in 1880, a maid of honor managed to purloin it, had actually succeeded in getting it out of the palace concealed on her person in a very extraordinary way. She was, however, captured befoie she got rid of the stone. It was restored to its place and guarded more jealously than ever; and the hapleia damsel wan put to death with the fiendish ingenuities in which Soo-payah-lat, the Queen, -was a past master. One of the newspaper despatches tells us (continues the same correspondent) that the palace had been much looted by the royal bodyguard. No,doubt these gentry made for the atone of rubies first of All. There was not much else that was really vain-, able, except the royal utensils, the gold spittoon and betel- box, the model of the Heutha, the carrying bird of Vishnu, the jewelled cups and trayi and whatnot, besides the hundreds of silver bowls kept for domestic, uses and for presents.

"A contemporary tells the following story illustrating how far trades' unionism has spread in Australia. The usual libels are being circulated on both sides, but amongst the best yet to hand is that of the Union carter, who had instrnetionsto deliver 100 bricks at a certain building. He was a conscientious cuss in bis own way, and just as he had delivered his tenth brick the ever welcome knock-off whistle began to blow. Accordingly having uttered the rather original remark (for a carter) that time and tide wait for no man — except a very rich man— he deliberately swung himself on his shaft, and drove home again with his ninety bricks, observing as he dfd »O that the working time was up, and the, lawa of bit' union roust be respected*-