he
threw water on the fine gravel, which was thus washed out with great
care into the canal, continuing in this manner until the Bateia was
empty; it is in this last process that diamonds are expected to be
found. A small Bateia, containing a little water, was placed on a low
pedestal between the two overseers, and into this the diamonds were put
as they were found, which on this occasion amounted to eleven, all of
which, however, were small. In the bottom of the Bateias is always
found a small quantity of gold dust, which is carefully preserved.
Although
diamonds are usually found in the diluvial gravelly soil above
described, that is not, however, the matrix in which they have
originally been formed. Whatever may be the case in other countries, I
remained perfectly satisfied that here, they have originally been
formed in the metamorphic quarto-schistose rock, of which the mountains
in the Diamond district are constituted, and that they have, during a
long series of years, been washed down along with the other debris, to
the places where they are now found so abundantly. These rocks are
rather soft in their nature, and of course easily disintegrated; hence
the many wild ravines winch intersect this range, excavated by the
small streams that flow from it. Small masses of the rock have
frequently been found containing diamonds imbedded in them; in the
Cidade Diamantina I saw two beautiful specimens, in each of which one
half of a small diamond was exposed; the extravagant price asked for
them prevented me from purchasing either.
When
we read in books, that the diamond is a production of the most recent
geographical epoch, as stated, for instance, by Dr. A. Petzholdt, in
Jamieson's Journal, no. 68, we cannot help imagining that those who
promulgate such opinions, have been led astray by travellers, who have
listened to the idle stories of the uneducated inhabitants of Diamond
countries, who almost all assert, that diamonds are regenerated in the
course of a few years, in the soil from which others had previously
been taken. This I found to be a very common opinion in Brazil; but
those best able to form a just conclusion on the subject, for instance,
such intelligent miners as Captain Jose D'Almeida e Silva, believe
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