

M. Voysey an the Diamond M'mes of Southern India. 101 



can be seen throughout its entire extent. In my journey 

 from Nandiala on horseback, a view of the range for an ex- 

 tent of twenty miles N. and S. was constantly before me, and 

 in no instance did I observe a deviation from the continued 

 flatness. 



I regret that, for many years previous to my visit to these 

 mines, no fresh excavations had been made, so that I had no 

 opportunity of ascertaining the mode in which the miners get 

 at the breccia. v I saw many holes under large blocks of sand- 

 stone, of about five feet average depth, most of them blocked 

 up by rubbish. I was told that at that depth the diamond 

 bed was found. 



The miners are now content to sift and examine the old 

 rubbish of the mines, and they are the more bent in doing 

 this, from an opinion which prevails among them, and which 

 is also common to the searchers for diamonds in Hindustan, 

 and to those on the banks of the Kistna, Parteala, Malavilly, 

 &c. viz. that the diamond is always growing, and that the 

 chips and small pieces rejected by former searchers actually 

 increase in size, and in process of time become large diamonds. 

 I saw at the time of my visit in January 1821 about a dozen 

 parties at work, each composed of seven or eight people. 

 Each party was on the top of one of the conical eminences, 

 and actively employed in sifting and separating the dust from 

 the larger stones : these were then laid in small heaps, spread 

 out on a level surface, wetted, and examined when the sun 

 was not more than 45 degrees above the horizon. A party 

 of boys was engaged in collecting and pounding scattered 

 pieces of breccia. All the labourers were dhers, or outcasts, 

 and under no control or inspection. The misery of their 

 appearance did not give favourable ideas of the productiveness 

 of their labour. 



The sandstone breccia is frequently seen in all parts of 

 these mountains, at various depths from the surface. In one 

 instance I observed it at a depth of fifty feet, the upper strata 

 being sandstone, clay-slate, and slaty limestone. The stratifi- 

 cation of the whole face of the rocks is here remarkably dis- 

 tinct, and may be traced through a semicircular area of 400 

 yards diameter. The stratum of breccia is two feet in thick- 



