quality,
and are remarkable for their purity and whiteness, the crystals being
of such a form that scarcely any cleaving is necessary.
History
repeats itself, and as, when the Brazilian mines were first discovered,
they sent the stones to India to enter the European markets in European
wrappers, so Bultfontein diamonds were sent to Canavie-iras to be
shipped to Europe as the product of that mine.
So
great was the rush for these mines at first that, notwithstanding the
rumors of a malarial climate and epidemic diseases, by the end of the
first year 3,000 miners were at work where shortly before was a virgin
forest. For a time even this number was exceeded. The other Brazilian
mines have been only slightly worked of late years.
The
recent concentration of some of the diamond mining companies in South
Africa in their efforts to regulate the production and price has led to
an increased interest in mines located in Brazil and India. During the
past year the Madias Presidency Diamond Fields Company (limited) has
been organized with a capital stock of £190,000. To prove that the
Indian mines are not yet exhausted, operations will be commenced at the
Wadjia Karur field in the Madras presidency. On this field of 554 acres
was found a very fine 67-1/2 diamond crystal which furnished a 25 carat
stone called the Gow-do-Norr, valued by the company at £15,000. An
English company has recently been formed, under the name of the "
Hyderabad Deccan Mining Company," to work the mines iu Krishna valley,
India, where it is thought that the famous Kohinoor diamond was found.
Diamonds
have been found in the Tertiary gravels and recent drift near Bingera
in Inverell, Australia; also along the Cudgeon river, 160 miles
northwest of Sydney, and iu other districts. The colors are white,
straw, yellow, light brown, pale green, and black. The largest stones
yet found were cut into gems weighing 3-1/2 and 3 carats, respectively.
A trial made by the Australian Diamond Mining Company produced 190
diamonds, weighing 197-3/4 carats, from the washing of 279 loads of
earth. These Australian fields can scarcely be called productive as
yet, nor from present appearances do they seem likely to become
formidable competitors of the South African fields.
India,
Borneo, and Australia are now yielding very few diamonds, probably not
more than 1 per cent, of the entire product. These three countries,
together with Brazil, yield probably less than 10 per cent, of the
total output.
Imports of diamonds.—From
the custom import lists we find that after deducting the approximate
value of cut stones other than* the diamond, we find that import duty
was paid on about $90,000,000 worth of cut diamonds in the last
twenty-one years; of these $68,000,000 worth were imported during the
last ten years. Iu 1868 $1,000,000 worth were imported and $1,200,000
worth in 18C7, but about $10,000,000 in ,1887, or ten times as many as
twenty years ago, showing the increase of wealth and the great
popularity of the diamond among Americans, the above
