In precious stones, Colombia leads the world with the finest of emeralds of such per fection that they are valued at three times the price of perfect diamonds of equal weight. The mines at Muzo hold the record of having produced the largest emerald known, a stone weighing within two pennyweights of nine ounces. The diamond mines of Brazil have yielded some of the most famous of the world's jewels, notably the °Estrella do Sul' (Star of the South), which weighed after cutting 125 carats, and was sold to the Rajah of Baroda for a figure said to have been close to $15, 000,000. Brazil holds the record for black dia monds with a stone weighing 3,150 carats. The diamond fields of Brazil promise profitable returns for years to come, and recent prospect ing has revealed new possibilities in a ledge of diamonds in the matrix. Brazil is also rich in aquamarines, topazes and amethysts. A large pearl fishery is in operation in the waters about Margarita Island, employing 1,000 boats and upwards of 3,000 persons.
The largest known supply of thorium exists in the monazite sands of the Brazilian coast, and to this must be added a recently discovered bed of gravel in the interior, estimated to con tain not less than 60,000 tons of this scarce and valuable metal.
The great sulphur mine at Tinguirirca, Chile, holds another world's record as the rich est sulphur mine known, much of its output being pure native sulphur. For years the Mex
ican mines at Aguascalientes and 011ague have been producing important quantities of sulphur.
The very important asphalt lakes of Trini dad and Bermudez, each covering an area of more than 1,000 acres, and together yielding a very large proportion of the world's total pro duction of asphalt, is only one more testimony to the marvelous richness in mineral wealth possessed by Latin America. The manganese and zircon of Brazil, the lead and graphite of Mexico, the zinc of Guatemala, the molybde num and mercury of Peru, the talc of Uruguay, may only be mentioned as of those for which space lacks for detailed discussion. Enough has been told to show that the story of the mineral wealth of Latin America has scarcely begun to unfold, and with so much already known, a mighty development must be looked for in the nearer future. Consult Ugarte, M., 'El Porvenir de la America Latina' (Valencia 1911) ; Pan-American Union, De scriptive Data' in 20 separate pamphlets, one devoted to each of the Latin-American repub lics (Washington 1915-17) ; (Boletin del Insti tuto Geologico de Mexico' (Nos. 1-14, Mexico 1895-1900). RICHARD FERRIS, Fditorial Staff of The Americana.