with
a wooden instrument, like a paviour's rammer, about half a foot wide at
the bottom, they pound the earth from one end to the other two or three
times over. After that they winnow it again then, and spreading it at
one end of the van, for fear of losing any of the earth, they look for
the diamonds. Formerly they were wont to pound the earth with great
flintstones instead of wooden rammers, which made great flaws in the
diamonds, and is, therefore, now left off.
The
first time I was at the mine there were about 60,000 persons at
work—men, women, and children ; the men being employed to dig, the
women and children to carry the earth.
Central Province or Mahanadi-Godaveri Tract. Sambalpur.
In
Ptolemy's map* the Adamas river flows into the Gangeticus sinus (Bay of
Bengal), midway between Cosamba on the north (Balasore?) and Cocala
(Sicacole of Arrowsmith's map, the modern Chicacole). The Dosaron and
Tyndis rivers probably represent the Godaveri and Kistna, so that it is
very likely that the Adamas may safely be identified with the Mahanadi.
Ptolemy represents the Adamas as flowing through the district of
Sabarae, across which runs the following description: Apud quos adamas est in copia, which is otherwise given in an earlier edition of the map. f Sabarae i his Jiabundat Adamas. [In Sabarae the diamond occurs in abundance.] The upper portion of the river passes through a district named Cocconage, which would include Chutia Nagpur.
* Asise, x. tab. " Geographic," libri octo, Gr. et Lat. Opera P. Bertii Lugduni. Bat. 1618. Fol.
f Tab. x. " Cosmographire," libri viii. Lat. Justi di Albano, Ulmae. i486. Fol.
