The New York herald., 1870-10-30

bedded at klpdrft In Q brownish. fatty earth. The
question U.s. whether IN th,s aluyiam rs y sssly or "a,
IN the form OF congi0merate, aggregated fr0m tn 9
alluvium OF former ageY Or have the kobJes at
my opinion that the water-wOrn gravel has been un-
der tue Influences OF running water prior TO the last
fid fiaDdscape. The greater number oi the
the water.worn pebbles and bouders are OF me
basait OF the kople Many o. them are crystalline
scribed lying above the blsaltic hummocks " Sit
lac0mies village. Others are water-worn fragments
rocks which still exist III the kopjes The agales,
tourmaline perdot and garnct' are undoubtedly
from some supe cum6ent congomerate % SANDSTONE one
which has yielded to donudatlon, and no longer ex.
lists at Kltpdrlft, and also to considerable extent
from the amy gdaoidal trap everywhere prevalent.
have IN my posses sion from the vai single rag
ment VI red sandstone containing garncts but nave
not succeeded in tracing this to its ,urce. IL tere
fore VIII be sufficiently apparent that there must
OF metamOfphic and sedimeniary ruck which lay
above the present rock system OF the region; and
that through successive disturbances and persistent
denudaion these have been worn away, forming in
great part the auyial so OF the pre- ent surface In
some favored spots remnants OF TINS series still
exist as iu the clay saty, crystalline sandstone and
congloLnerate sandstone or Sitacome's village; In
the Lnn layers OF clny slnte, sandstone, mlcaceOus
sand tone OF some OF the kopjes now worked for a
monds and generally IN the fragments oil sedimen-
ty rocks scattered over the surface slong the whole
am decidedly inclined to think that the diamonds
have not been washed down from some higher
lion. shall have occasion to show In another artl
that the ree state possesses an independent dia-
luondllerous centre and that The no river has
listed ut any time Tor there is no evidence OF water
wearing and the soil Is not aluval. Diamonds have
been discovered two hours distance from Po,chef-
stroom and all down the vaal to Its junction with
the Orange river and thence to ten hours distance
below Hope Town. This Is streIch Of at least 500
miles. believe that The diamonds have come rom
some rock whlch may have now vanished, but which
existed formerly throughout the whole region.
shall, howeves, deter tull discussion OF tnls ques
Hon 70 my secold paper. In concluding at present
the gravely sol which Is now being washed for dar
moads. rne old diggers and, Of course,
favor oi tns submits Of kopes oao hey a' have m
tested this BELIEF Tor, rather formed it from their
experience OF the old kopJe. How can il be ex-
lar above the influences OF the river? For two or
three miles inland II did rot investigate beyond
ms there Is everywhere on the heights moreover,
able me TO point out the geolog gca history OF these
kopjes. The submits are all basal This has been
protruded through the amygdaloldal and conglo ne.
rate traps At subsequent period, no wever, there
must have been another elevat. on for the blocks
and columns radlate from q Gentle so that the
crevices are wedge-shaped or expanding outwurds
to the surface. Ths subsequent upheava was eyl.
dentiy not simultaneous throughout the whole
inc stream Was changed from place 10 place.
The present bed OF The Vaal cannot be an
as the aluval SOL eX ends, was at diferent previous
times unler the wearing and breaking influences or
the river. Granting. then. series Of rocks such as
we have described undergoing water wearing by the
ancient Vaal, which, by inGermittenJ and successive
upheayals, was compelled continually to change It's
course, and the presence OF luvlal gravel on the
SUBMITS or kopjes far and wide Is easily explained
IN the Eollows no gravel is apparent, because a
thick covering OF sand the accumulations OF pre-
sent denudatton, lies over the gravel. Diggers do
not care 70 undertake the labor of carrying this
surface sand at present. In time this Will be done,
and am convinced there Will be found then moro
diamonds than on the kopes. And when the day
comes that the bed of the stream Will be searched
by de1ectny the water In canals through the m ny
fats which abound in the valley or the vaal, a supe
ror dlamOndiier0us gravel will be worked.
From all, indeed l saw, and for the reasons have
now advanced, the present diamond mining OF South
Africa Is only trif.ng IN comparison to what it
should and will ultimately be.