The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-03-22
The Precious Stones of BFasU.

Some remarkable stories are connected
with the discovery OF diamonds in Brazil,
so much regretted by the Marquis de Pom
BAL who vainly endeavored to arrest the
evil 10y forbidding search i'll the Province
of Bahia brazilian diamonds were known
first as 'Bahias') on the plea that agri-
culture wonld suffer from the diversion of
industry. We find these stories in Mr..
Streeter's valuable work on precious
Stones" in which every branch of his fas-
cinating subject is made interesting. The
discovery of diamonds in Bahia was in this
wise: "a cunning slave from Minas &C.
raes, keeping his masters fiockS in Bahia,
observed a similarity between the soil of
his native place and that Of Bahia. He
sought therefore in the sand, and soon
found 700 carats of diamonds. Fleeing
from his master, he carried these with him,
and offered them for sale in a distant city.
Such wealth in the hands of slave caused
him to be arrested, but he would not be.
tray himself. The master, to whom he was
given up, tried to get at his secret by cum
ming out without avail, until he thought
of restoring him to his former occupation
in Bahia, and watching him." A year af-
terward $4,000 people were digging dia-
mOndS there eighty miles long by forty
broad, and at the rate of l, 450 carats a
day. Dreadful misery ensued on the dis
y
ernment wanted to secure the monopoly of
the new found wealth to the crown, and so
the dwellers on the rivers banks were driv-
en- from their homes to distant wilds and
despoiled of all they possessed. Mature
seemed to take part against them a dread
full drought, succeeded by violent earth
quake, increased their distress, Many of
them perished, but those who lived to
return, on May 1S, 1865, were benevolent
lU 81 tat tpd in hei j,rlt n
Strange to say, on their return the earth
seemed strewu with diamonds. After a
shower the children used to find gold in
the streets and III the brooks wnich ira
versed them. Often tho little ones would
bring in three or four carats of diamonds.
A negro found diamond at tho root of a
vegetable in his garden, and the poultry in
picking up their food took up diamonds
constantly" 1Esop thus improved upor,
in fuluess of time we find Sinbad parodied
In 1868 the child Of Dutch farmer named
Jacopus settled at the Cape, amused him.
self by collecting pretty pebbles on the
banks of the nelgh boring river, and picked
up specimen which attract ed his moIher's 5
attention, SO that she showed it to one
Setback Van Niekerk, who was curious in
such matters. He was puzzled about its
nature, and offered to bay it, but Mrs. Ja-
copus laughed at bis offer and gave him the
pebble, which afterward passed carelessly
through two intervening pairs of hands be-
fore 1t reached, in gummed envelope and
unreg istered, DIR. Atherstone of Granam's $
Town, an excellent mineralugist. This
gentleman, having examined its physical
character and tested its degree of hardness
and density, and its behavior when sui
jected to optical tests by means Of polarized
light, pronounced it 20 be diamond
This is the stone which was examined
by savants of all nations during the Paris
exhibition in 1867, and purchased at the
close of it by Sir Philip Wodehouse for
$500. In 1870, Mr.. Streeter's diamond
expedition party were exploring the Trans
vaal FAR and wide, and ascertaining facts
which complete our knowledge of the new
wonder of the world. Amid dry geologi-
cal details charming touches of anecdote
and adventure crop up, like the gems them
selves, from the gravel and the quartz the
great solitary jewels, like the Stewart"
and dudley emerge and take their pia-
ces in history with the Sancy, the Pitt, the
Great Mogul, the Hope Brilliant and many
another bright bauble, blood and tear
stained.
The Transvaal, our new terrtory, is SIM
bad S Valley iii prospect, and the origin of
the most celebrated group of dry diggings
that called 0u Toits Pan, which does
not sound poetical-is as fantastic as a fam
cy of Hans Christian Andersen's "a Dutch
Boor Damed Van Wyk, who occupied
house in this locality go miles south east
of Pneit, was surprised to find diamonds
embedded in the walls of his house, which
had been built of mud from a neighbours
pond. This led to an examination of the
soil, which was found to contain diamonds
On continuing to dig lower and lower dia-
monds were still brought to light, nor did
they cease when the bed of rock was at
length reached
1t was natural that the discovery of dia-
monds at the Cape should excite only mod
crate enthusiasm i'll Brazil, BUT the Portu-
guese trick was long pas, and the mer-
chants would have been wiser had ;hev
been less angry, and especially increduious:
had they remem bered. to avoid them. the
incidents of century before. They re-
fused to receive the warnings sent in good
faith, and i'll stolid unbelief beheli the at
tention of the trade divert to the Cane
stones, which were brought TO market by
all kinds of holders, aud so fascinated the
Amsterdam lapidaries that for long time
they would cut no other. The Brazilian
market vent down, and down, and has
never recovered itself