New-York tribune., 1872-11-06
DIAMOND HUNTING.

Mining excitemeDtS are apt to be-perl0dic-
to break out, spread rapidly and widely, run
their course, fade CSt, and be succeeded by
long stretches Of neglect and inactiOn. The
crazy. thirst for geld which marked the six
teen6h and seventeenth centuries gradually died
out during the eighteenth, so that Sbe worlds
production of the Precious Metals during the
forraer half of the present century probably
fell short Of their aggregate waste and loss
by use in the arts, shipwreck, conflagration,
&c, The casual discovery of free gold in the
sands of an afluent of the Sacramento, some
tirae in 1913, soon after the cessan of Upper
California by Mexico TO the United States,
had, lust been preceded by kiadrcd discov-
cry in Australia, and mainly from these
two sources tho total production of Gold
and Silver during the last twarty-twO years
must have amounted to Two Thousand Mill
lions of Dollars which is neatly twice the es-
tiraated aggregate Of those metals existing in
the shape of coin or bpllion guarten
of century ago. After making due allow
ance for the largely accelerated consumption
ia the arts, there must be tBice as much con
and bullion now extant as there was in 1s00
or in 1850. And while California and she
earlier digcings in Australia are less prOdnc-
tive than formerly. Montana, Idaho, Colorado,
Utah, and Arizona are increasing their yield !;
while new veins OF placcrs Of Gold are reported
from Venezuela and from the west coast of
South America; while Mexico needs bu& stable,
efficient rule to induce q rapid and large increase
of her always respectable yield of beth Gold
and Silver on the whole, we may anticipate
as ample an aggregate product of the Precious
IL os,Ho &C
as has been realized since 1S4S The construc-
ton of the Northern and that of the Southern
Pacific Railroads will doubtless swell the an
nual product of both Gold and Silver by at
| least 10, and perhaps by 80 per cent.
| Diamonds have been found in India from
| time immemorial, as they have for several
generations in Brazil-the American gems be-
| ing inferior in average purity to those OF
Asia. Beside these two, there was no con-
siderable source of supply, until one was
] found O few years since, in Natal, Southern
| Africa, which has since yielded many gems
| including some fine ones, though the greater
number arc minute in size and of medium Ol
| inferior quality. The limits OF tho African
diamond district seem of late to be extending
but without much increase in daily or weekly
|
coveries, Of which part are gems presumed
to be diamonds, in tho dcsolato region OF
North Western Arizona, ut some point IN
Western Utah, and perhaps also in Western
| New Mexico. OF course, those who claim tt
have made one or more of these discoveries
may be deceived if not Intentionally deceiv'
ing, but we judge that gems have really beer
| picked up in some parts OF the Great Amer
can Desert, and that the interest excited by
the alleged discoveries will lead to furthel
and perhaps more important.
But let no green youth drop his implement
of husbandry and hio to the Rio Grande o
tho farther Colorado in quest OF sudden for
tuno in the shape of heaps OF diamonds llk'
pigeons eggs in size AMI Of the finest, rares
quality. For every $1,000 worth OF gem
picked up at least one thousand hard day