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Ch. 10: Diamond

Ch. 10: Diamond Page of 401 Ch. 10: Diamond Text size:minus plus Restore normal size   Mail page  Print this page
THE DIAMOND.                                      187
less pebbles, until some of them found their way to Lisbon,
thence to Amsterdam, where their true nature was recognized.
The Brazilian government immediately took possession of
the territory, and assumed control of the mines. The amount
of this precious commodity exceeded the expectations of the
most sanguine officers of the crown, and was sufficient to meet
the demands of the Indian and European markets for a long
time. It has been estimated that during the first half century
after their discovery the value of the diamonds exported from
the mines of Brazil reached the sum of sixty million dollars.
The greater part, however, were small or of moderate size, not
more than one specimen in one hundred thousand weighing
thirty-six or more carats. The exceeding richness of the
mines stimulated private parties to ask for the right to work
them on their own account. This privilege, granted by the
government, soon led to all kinds of frauds, so that it was
compelled to resume control of the business in 1772; consequently, all the diamonds after that date have belonged to the
crown. The most valuable gems exceeding seventeen carats
have been appropriated by the royal family, and, for this
reason, the imperial treasury, since the beginning of the
present century, has nearly if not quite equalled that of any
other royal collection in the world, for the number, size, and
quality of its diamonds. Their aggregate value has been estimated at several million dollars.
The diamond mines of Borneo are among the oldest and
most productive in the world; as early as 1738, says Mr.
Streeter, the Dutch were extensively engaged in the business,
and annually exported from this island between two hundred
and three hundred thousand dollars worth of diamonds. There
were few European courts of that period which could vie with
the Batavian in the rich and brilliant display of these gems.
Ch. 10: Diamond Page of 401 Ch. 10: Diamond
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