Diamond Mines of Brazil

Brazilian diamonds are found in the district of Minas Geraes, at San Paulo, in the beds of various rivers, and at Serro Frio, or Cold Mountain, a lofty plateau measuring eight leagues by sixteen. The most productive districts of late are Matto Grosso and Bahia.

The diamonds occur usually in alluvial soil, enveloped in a conglomerate formed of rounded white quartz pebbles and light-coloured sand. The miners have names for each variety of soil; as--

Grupiara, the unused bed of a river.

Burgalhoa, angular fragments of rocks that strew the ground; and

Cascalho, the generic name of all.

When diamonds were first found by the gold hunters of Brazil, no notion was formed of their value. They were used for counters in card-playing. But at last a native named Bernardo Lobo, who had journeyed to the East Indies, and had seen uncut diamonds there, recognized the nature of these disregarded pebbles.

The news of the discovery spread across the world, and its first effect was a panic in the diamond trade. Some time had to elapse before the dealers in Indian gems could reconcile themselves to any rival that might depreciate the treasures of the Orient.

Meanwhile upon the inhabitants of the diamond districts the discovery acted like a curse; and to the bitter sorrows of persecution were added the horrors of earthquake and drought. "It seemed as if the genii," says Emmanuel, "guardians of the treasure, were indignant at the presumption of man, and tried by every means to prevent the dispersion of the buried treasure."

But the riches of the province were incalculable. The search for gold no longer offered any attraction; the children gathered the precious dust after the rains. The energies of the gold-hunters were diverted to diamond finding; care was taken even to examine the crops of all kinds of killed fowls, for diamonds had been found in this way; a negro found a gem of five carats adhering to a cabbage which he had plucked for his dinner.

As the search became organized, the waters of the rivers were diverted at the dry season into canals. The soil was dug to the depth of about ten feet, and deposited in heaps near the washing huts. These huts were furnished with elevated seats for the overseers, who watched incessantly the long troughs, called canoes, in which the cascalho was washed.

When a slave found a diamond of 18 carats he received his freedom, and was crowned with flowers, and led in a triumphal procession, amid the rejoicings of his friends.

Modern appliances and innovations have altered somewhat the primitive modes of diamond washing, but the leading features remain the same, the object being to wash away the finer particles of soil, and obtain the gems from the residue.