ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES. 855 



The Fourth Specimen — Is from Cherokee Flat, in Butte County, and has been 

 cut and set in a ring. Mr. Geo. E. Smith, of 605 Montgomery Street, San 

 Francisco, who is an expert in diamonds and owns the specimen exhibited, in- 

 forms me that he has seen fifteen crystals from this locality, and has authentic 

 advices of at least forty, all of which have been found in deep gravel washings, 

 and are believed to come from a stratum of about three feet thick, forming part 

 of a mass of twenty-five to fifty feet of superincumbent material. When this 

 special stratum of sandy materials is washed, the diamonds have been found. I 

 have taken steps to obtain an authentic crystal from this place, which appears 

 to be the most prolific locality of the diamond yet observed in California. 



In the first volume of the Geology of California, page 276, Mr. Remond is 

 quoted as authority for the existence of diamonds at Volcano. If this locality 

 is distinct from that at Fiddletown, near Volcano, we have at present, five 

 authenticated localities of the diamond in California, from which specimens 

 have been identified by mineralogists. 



If a knowledge of the characteristics of this remarkable species was more 

 common among the miners who work in the deep gravel diggings, no doubt 

 this gem would be found to be more abundant and in more numerous places 

 than is now suspected. 



San Francisco, May 6th, 1867. 



Professor Whitney, in reply to various inquiries made by mem- 

 bers, remarked that there were probably some fifteen or twenty 

 different localities in California where diamonds had been found ; 

 but these were all of small size, the largest which had come under 

 his notice weighing only 7i grains : this was found at French Cor- 

 ral, near San Juan North. It was difficult to give any directions 

 by which miners could infallibly recognize the diamond when they 

 happened to meet with this gem. The crystalline form is very dif- 

 ferent from that of quartz, which is now, however, much less frequent- 

 ly mistaken for the diamond than it w'as formerly. Most of the crys- 

 tals found in California, up to this time, have been twenty-four 

 sided. The fact that the faces of the crystals are usually curved 

 instead of being plane surfaces, is also characteristic of the gem in 

 question. The hardness and specific gravity are also sure guides ; 

 but miners rarely have the means of getting at either of these 

 characters accurately. It is commonly believed that the diamond 

 can be struck a heavy blow, on an anvil, without breaking ; but 

 this is a mistake, resulting from confounding toughness with hard- 

 ness. It is extremely doubtful whether washing the gravel for 

 diamonds in California would pay, under any circumstances ; and 

 it is believed that such washings are not remunerative anywhere, 

 except when performed by slave or convict labor. 



