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the gold-dust
brought down by the stream. One specimen, weighing 3 carats, was bought
for the Ecole des Mines, Paris ; another of 5 grains for the Musée de
l'Histoire Naturelle ; the third by the Marquis de Drée.
Similarly
modern research has confirmed Ammian's notice of the abundance of
Diamonds in the region of the Agathyrsi. In the gold mine of Adolph,
Siberia, between 1830 and 1833, were found upwards of fifty Diamonds,
octahedrons and dodecahedrons; one of considerable size, the rest from
1 to 3 grains in weight. This mine lies on the bank of the Biserek, a
brook flowing into the Kama to the west of the Ural, in the government
of Perm. The alluvial deposit containing them is of the same nature as that in the Brazilian workings, being a ferruginous
clay mixed with a bright red sand, together with quartz crystals,
iron-oxide, prases and calcedonies, and black dolomite.
The
mines of the Sierra do Frio, Brazil, have ever since their opening in
the year 1727 supplied the world, and are computed to have yielded in
that space of time the incredible quantity of over two tons of
this precious article. The Dutch, who previously had the monopoly of
the Indian trade, endeavoured at first to discredit the Brazilian
stones as spurious, so that it became necessary to send them to India
and re-export them to Europe in order to give them a character.* Such
was the productiveness of the mines on their first discovery, that in
1732, 1146 ounces of Diamonds were shipped at Eio for Lisbon. In
consequence of this influx the price dropped at once down to a louis (18s.) the carat. Great was the consternation amongst all possessors
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