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DIAMONDS.
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these
people show traces of Negro blood, and hence it has been concluded that
they are the " descendants of slaves imported by one of the conquerors
of India." They are, however, I should say, an aboriginal tribe,
showing neither in their complexions, character of their features, nor
hair, the slightest trace of Negro origin.
When
Sambalpur was taken over by the British, in 1850, the Government
offered to lease out the right to seek for diamonds, and in 1856 a
notification appeared in the Gazette describing the prospect in
somewhat glowing terms. For a short time the lease was held by a
European, at the very low rate of two hundred rupees per annum ; but,
as it was given up voluntarily, it may be concluded that the lessee did
not make it pay. The facts that the Government resumed possession of
the rent-free villages, while the Raja's operations had been carried on
without any-original outlay, materially altered the case, and rendered
the employment of a considerable amount of capital then, as it would be
now, an absolute necessity.
Within
the past few years statements have gone the round of the Indian papers
to the effect that diamonds are now occasionally found by the
gold-washers of Sambalpur. All my inquiries failed to elicit a single
authentic case, and the gold-washers I spoke to and saw at work assured
me that the statements were inÂcorrect. Moreover, they did not appear
to expect to find any, as I did not observe that they even examined the
gravel when washing.
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