The Kanzas news., 1857-08-29
The Kanzas News.
SATURDAY. Y..:::::::::::::::::AUGUsT ee, 1857.
Diamord-Washing and Diamond-Cut
ting.

Il n
Diamord-Washing and Diamond-Cut-
ting.
The diamond possesses much higher
and more uniform value than any otEer ar
ticle of commerce. The supply has never
so far exceeded the demand as to make any
change in the price of cut stones. In 1843,
when the mines at Sincora, in Bahai, were
discovered, fears were entertained that per-
manent depreciation would take place; but
the very high prices which required to be
Maid for all the necessaries of life, and the
unhealthy nature of the climate, speedily re-
duced the number of diamond-seekers, and
the fall was scarcely felt in Europe.
The tract of country in which the Brazil
ian diamonds are found, extends from the
village of Itambe, in Mas Geraes, in SIM
cora, on the river Paragussa of Bahia, be-
tween 20 deg. 19 min. and 13 deg. of south
latitude. They are chiefly obtained from
the numerous streams which form the sour
ces of the rivers Doce, Arrasuaky, Jequitin-
honha and San Francisco. 1t is also high
ly probable that the auriferous regions of
Australia, like those of South America,
contain diamonds; two from the river Mac
quarie having been sent to the exhibition
which was lately held at Paris.
Diamonds consist of pure carbon, and are
often found in the form of eight or twelve
sided crystals, the latter being the less COM
mon figure.
OF their formation in the great laborato-
nv of nature, nothing is known; but they
are supposed to exist originally in the noun
tains, whence they are carried down into the
valleys by the torrents which flow during
the rainy seasons. The degradation of the
rocks must be accomplished by the powerful
agency of the tropic Hoods; and the precious
gems which are thus excavated, must be
deposited in the sedimentary debris which
form the beds of the rivers before the search
of man becomes successful. The parent
stone, or matrix, is mica schist, called lite
Columite, whose fragments mixed with earth
form the cascalho, which Is dug from the
rivers, and in which the diamond-seeker
finds his treasure. In South America, the
alluvium of the rivers not only contains dia-
monds, but gold and platina, though both
these metals are generally SO finely powder
ed as almost to defy collection by the ordi-
nary process of washing. The river Je-
auitinhonha is one of the richest in Brazil,
and the works on its banks have been car
ried on for a long period. When the dry
season, which continues from April to the
middle of October, has reduced the depth
of water, the river is turned aside into a ca
nal previously formed by making an en-
bankment, with bags of sand, over the orig
inal channel. The water which remains is
then pumped out, the mud dug to depth
varying from six to twenty feet, and removed
A. offavr IL,
to be performed While the dry season
continues, the labeur of collecting the cas-
calho is carried ON Hnremittingly, SO as to
have a sufficient quantity to occupy the ne
groes during the rainy months. The mud
which is raised from some of the rivers con-
tains diamonds so uniformly diffused, that
a pretty correct approximation can be made
to the number of carats which a given guam
tity will produce. It sometimes happens,
however, that grooves are found containing
large quantities of Diamonds and gold
When the rainy season pats a stop to the
raising of the cascalho, the scene of opera
tions is changed to the washing-shed, near
which the result of the dry seasons labors
has been heaped up. The troughs, called
canoes, are arranged side by side, and the
Oyerseer occupies an elevated seat in front,
SO as to observe every movement of the
working negroes Into each of the canoes,
a small stream of water is introduced, to car
ry away the earthly part of the cascalho.-I
Having placed half hundred-weightof the
cascalho In the canoe, the negro lets In the
stream, and keeps up constant motion till
the mud has been all washed away and the
water runs perfectly clear The gravel is
then taken out by the hand, and carefully
examined for diamonds. When one Is found,
the negro stands upright, and claps his
hands, as a signal to the overseer, who re
ceives it from the finder, and places il In a
bowl with water, which is hung in the midst
of the shed. The days work being finish
ed, all the diamonds which have been found
are delivered to the superintendent, who en-
ters their weight in book. Large dia-
monds are exceeding rare. 1t has been cal
culated that, on an average, out of 10000
there are seldom more than one found which
weighs twenty carats, while there are per-
haps 5000, each of which is less than one
AT the works on the river Jequitinhonha,
there have rarely been found more than two
or three stones weighing from seventeen to
twenty carats each in the washings of a year;
in the whole diamond-mines of Brazil, not
Hiofo tHdu one Is IOuHu, III Two years, OF
thirty carats. In 1851, stone of 100 3-8
carats was found at the source of the river
Patrocinho, in Minas-G Gerses; afterwards,
one of 101 carats, on the Rio das Velhas;
and another of 81 lie at Chapada- But the
largest which has been obtained of late years
is The Star of the South" which preyi-
Gus to being cut. weighed 954 carats.
Many precautions are used to prevent the
negroes from concealing the stones they find;
such as frequently causing them to remove
at given signal, from one trough to aaoth-
er. Encouragements are also offered to in
duce them to pursue the search with great
care. The negro who finds diamond of