About the Origin of the Diamond and Historic Mining Locations

Plato believed that the diamond was the kernel of auriferous matter--its purest and noblest pith condensed into a transparent mass. Pliny calls "adamus," the diamond, a nodosity of gold, and the Rev. C. W. King observes that he may have stumbled on this truth by accident; but it still remains the fact that all diamond mines of which we know anything have been brought to light in the pursuit of gold. This was notably the case in Brazil, and is beginning to be true of the Australian diggings, which Mr. King thinks will yield a vast supply when their gravel comes to be turned over by people having other eyes for other objects than nuggets and gold flakes.

Four thousand years of the world's history had elapsed before it was ever dreamed that diamonds existed, save in one spot, and that of limited extent. The first diamond of well-ascertained water brought to light out of India was, it is said, accidentally discovered by a miner in Brazil, in the commencement of the eighteenth century. Previous to this, the only known diamonds had been found in Borneo and Hindostan.

Some Brazilian miners in the beginning of the eighteenth century, while searching for gold, found some curious "pebbles," which they carried home to their masters as curiosities. Not being considered of any value, they were given to the children to play with. An officer who had spent some years in the East Indies saw these pebbles, and sent a handful to a friend in Lisbon to be examined. They proved to be diamonds, and were pronounced to be equal to those of Golconda.