The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-04-06
THE DIAMOND FIELDS OF BRAZIL
Once Important, But Now Compare
lively Neglected.

| Once Important But Now Compare
lively Neglected.
1t is not generally remembered that
portant diamond producing country in
the world. We are reminded of this
fact by the second secretary of the Brit
ish legation at Rio who has just sent
home a report on a journey to that part
of the country, Minas Gereas, whence
| this mineral has been obtained in great
est quality. Mr.. Beaumont tells us that
though the qualify Of the Brazilian
stones still makes them more BILE
than any others, diamond mining has of
late been comparatively neglected, the
industry being now, for the most part,
carried ION by single individuals,
'garimpeiros," or small associations,
working with rude and obsolete ma
chinery. A company known as the Boa
Vista has recently been formed in Par
is, with a capital Of 100000 francs, to
carry on work on a systematic basis
and on large scale, for a very long pc
Rod and if it succeeds the industry will
no doubt receive a great impetus there
from.
taken partly through curiosity to visit
a little-knoWn country and partly in the
hope of learning something of the meth
DDS and prospects in vogue, especially
those of the new company, from which
such great things are expected. The
company's operations are centred about
the town Of Diamantina place found
ed by a brand Of st. Paulo and Portu-
guese Adventures in the seventeenth
century. Diamonds were discovered in
this locality about the year 1928. Be-
tween 1772 and 1900 the period of the
most active production, the diamond
mines produced 1,030,S05 carats, at a
cost which averaged 40s. per carat, be-
tween 1772 and 1895, us Cd. per carat
between 1896 and 1900, and 32s. between
1901 and 1906. During the same period
gold was extracted amounting in value
to G197,410. From 1872 to 1S43, under
the administration of the Real FIX
traccao," eighty stones were found of
an ottawa Q8 carats) or more. The
gems extracted after the largest and
best had been set aside for the crown,
were sold by contract at from about ais.
to sos. carat.
the present century the banking houses
Of Hope in Holland and of Barring in
London controlled the mines, the output
of which was assigned to them in pay
ment of loan of 100000 forms
Then the government took hold of the
administration and continued to do so
until 1915. In that year it was decided
by degree that the lands should be put
up at auction every four years, the re-
serve price being 80 refs ed "braca,"
but its provisions were never carried
out, being modified by the law of 1852,
which recognized the rights of all those
who already effectively occupied mining
lots on payment of l real per ''braca
quadrada." The term of occupation
might be indefinitely extended. Lands
not yet occupied were to be put up at
auction, the reserve price being / real
per "braca quadrada." Between 1772
and 1S43 1854, 700 carats We're taken out
by the Real Fxtraccao." Since that
date mining has been carried on exclu-
sively by private individuals, and most
ly on small scale. The total produc-
ton of Brazil up to 1880 is estimated by
NJ. Garceix at 1-2 tons. 1t is impossi-
BILE to form an accurate estimate of the
present production, but it is probably
about 10000 carats year, including the
Bahia diamond fields.-From The st.
James Gazette.