DIAMOND MINES OF BRAZIL 201
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and a little wooden bottle to hold the diamonds; undiscoverable hiding
places on every hand, these men can work any part of a concessioner's
territory but the one spot in which he has his men working, without
fear of detection. There are no means of ascertaining the quantity of
diamonds obtained in this way. The only real statistics are the
declarations made for exportation and as the government imposes an
export duty, it is well known that a part only of the diamonds exported
are declared. From records made by a mine owner in Diamantina in 1906
it appears that the output of that district by lawful miners at that
time was about 5,000 carats per month. These were reported as worth $40
per carat, but it is very doubtful if they realized nearly so much.
Rough to command that price must be very good and though many of the
diamonds of Minas Geraes are fine, the larger part are small or of poor
quality, so that the average value could not exceed that of mines like
the Wesselton and Jagersfontein of Africa, for instance. In that year
the value of diamonds and carbons together, exported from Brazil,
according to government statistics, was $310,000. In 1905 it was only
$150,000. In 1890, before the African Syndicate had forced up the price
of diamonds, the Minas Geraes output was said to be about 1,000 carats
only.
The
production of the mines of Salobro, Cannavieiras district, for the ten
years ending 1890 was estimated at 193,644 grams. Although this region
is not hilly, it is difficult to work, as it is covered with a dense
forest growth, and the diamondiferous deposit lies usually about two
feet under the surface. The conglomerate which carries the diamonds
outcrops in the beds of the Salobro
