The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1871-01-05
SOUTH AFRICAN DIAMONDS.

SOUTH AFRICAN DIAMONDS.
For some time glowing accounts of the dia-
mond mines in South Africa have besn going
the rounds Of the papers, generally copied from
English journals, where they were originally
published in the form of letters from CORES.
pondents. Little credence was given to these
stories, and were soon forgotten in their turn.
The location of the mines was too distant. and
the accounts of mere travelling correspondents
rather vague testimony to base search upon.
for the truth. The following is portion of
an account Of these mines from the letter of
an editor who visited and examined the mines
in person. The paper is published in Cape.
town, South Africa, near where the mines are:
The mails from Durbon and Capetown, South
Africa, continue to give details Of the wonder.
ful diamond regions discovered in the Valley
OF the Vaal and the whole southern part Of
Cape Colony. An eminent geOlogist has visited
the country, and, after careful analysis, de.
clares 1t the richest in the world, and capable
of affording work for thousands of dggers for
years, without exhausting the immense stores
of precious stones embedded in the soil. The
editor of the Natal Mercury has visited the
country and writes from there:
We have visited, inspected, aud carefully in
quired into the workings and yield of the dia-
mOnd fields, and We now most unhesitatipply
declare that there has been no exaggeration
whatever about the matter, but, on the con-
trary, everything has been underrated. We
assert, on the authority of Messrs Unger,
Hond, and all who have made the matter their
study, that the world has undoubtedly never
known such diamond mines before Unger,
the diamond merchant from Hamburg, who
has been in the trade oil his life, declares that,
by mere surface scratchings, not mining, we
are every day unearthng stones of size and
quality far superior to those found in the Bra
zls at a depth of twenty feet and upwards;
and what is more, that ia the above mentioned
mine hve-carat diamond is seldom, if ever,
found oftener than once in five years, while at
the Vaal river fields not day elapses without
several of three. four, FIVE, six, up to twenty
carats, was found on the widow Verdi's farm,
where there had already been yield of fifteen
precious stones, worth an immense fortune,
The average yield is not less than sixty dia.
nonds day, all of great value. Many of the
most valuable finds" are kept secret none
,arng to test the cupidty of strangers by such
llluring bats.
People of every rank are ut work with pick
md shovel The President OF the Transvall
Republic, PretoriOus, has signed the diqgers'
'ules, and is working away like any other dig
,er.
The most notable stones found up tn August
9th were Is, l6, II, 26, So, A and "a carats
the last being very inferior stone. A dia-
nond of 300 carats was said to have been
ound by Boer, who had prudenty gone of
With it to CapetOwn. but this story needs veri-
cation as yet. The change in the scene from
lay is described as being wonderful. Then
here was only one wagon on the Pniel side.
low there are at least 400, with as many tents.
light hundred men were working here on
round not above mile square,
diamond merchant came in recently from
he upper diggings, a mile or so above, with a
OK containing 2OO diamonds, the greater Dor.
on being perfect gems, and the largest weigh
* four and half carats. There were also
tones of FIVE, ten and up to twenty carats.
n six days he had purchased 400 diamonds.
mother buyer, in few days, had bought SO.
party OF four, in three weeks, had obtained
'ur, one being perfect stone of TWENTY-FIVE
nd three-quarters, the others six and three
larters. one and half, and one carats. re-
'ectivey. At Jngerstontein, above Pniel, on
e Vaal, nineteen diamonds had been picked
,-one of sixty carats, found by boy while
orklng with common pick, and scarcely
OF beneath the ground. 1t is of the most
'llllant water and worth q fortune.