chap, xvi MINING ROYALTIES 61
wood
like a huge pestle, half a foot wide at the base, and pound the earth,
going from one end to the other, always pounding each part two or three
times ; they then place it again in the baskets and winnow it, as they
did on the first occasion, after which they spread it out again and
range themselves on one side to handle the earth and search for the
diamonds, in which process they adopt the same method as at
Rammalakota. Formerly, instead of using wooden pestles for pounding the
earth, they pounded it with stones, and it was that method which
produced so many flaws in the diamonds.
As
for the royalties which are paid to the King, the annual wages to the
miners for their work, and the presents which are given to them when
they find any large stone which they carry to the master whom they
serve, all are the same as at the Rammalakota mine.1 No one
hesitated formerly to purchase diamonds which had a green crust on the
surface, because when cut they proved to be white and of very beautiful
water.
About 30 or 40 years ago a mine situated between Kollflr and Rammalakota 2
was discovered, but the King ordered it to be closed on account of
fraud, as I shall explain in a few words. Stones were found in it which
had this green crust, beautiful and transparent, more beautiful even
than the others, but when one attempted to grind them they broke in
pieces. Whenever they were ground by another stone of the same quality
which had been found in the same mine they submitted to the grinding
without breaking, but were unable to bear the wheel, upon which they
immediately flew into pieces. It is on this account that one is careful
not to buy those which have been ground in this way, through fear of
their breaking, and it is, as I said, on account of the deceptions
which have been practised with these stones that the King ordered the
mine to be closed.3
1 Vide ante, p. 46.
! Ball suggests (see Economic Geologi/ of India, p.
16) that this mine was situated near Damärapäd and Maläwaram on the
Kistnä in Lat. 16° 35', Long. 79° 30', where old excavations are still
to be seen.
3 A little-known but very important paper on the diamond mines of Golkonda, of which twenty-three are named, and of Visapore, i.e. Bïjâpur, of which fifteen are named, is to be found in the Phil. Trans., No. 136, June 25, 1677, vol. xii, p. 907. The anonymous author must have been
