Diamonds. 249 



and, on cooling, assumed the appearance of a slaty-coloured 

 hardened earth, known technically as 'blue ground.' This 

 formation does not appear usually to have reached the 

 surface, at which it is generally covered by a bed of ' yellow 

 ground.' The 'blue' is the essentially diamond-bearing 

 deposit ; although there is a certain but small proportion of 

 diamonds scattered through the yellow ground. The pretty 

 translucent stones with which children used to play on the 

 veldt now possessed by the De Beers' syndicate, and which, on 

 being recognised by a passing traveller as diamonds, gave the 

 first hint of the enormous wealth that lay beneath the surface, 

 doubtless came from yellow ground. When a main shaft of 

 blue ground has been tapped, there appears to be practically 

 no limit to its depth. The increased expense due to the con- 

 tinued sinking of the mine, is often more than compensated 

 for by the proportionate richness, in diamonds, of the ' blue,' the 

 further it lies from the surface. I feel that I must omit all 

 detailed mention of the manner in which the diamonds are 

 extracted from their matrix, and of the extraordinary pre- 

 cautions which are taken to prevent the stealing of these 

 stones ; for it would take me too far away from the main 

 subject of this book. 



The De Beers Company have obtained control not only 

 over all the South African mines, but also over all those that 

 are worth working in other countries. Finding that the world 

 will spend yearly not more than ^"4,000,000 sterling on 

 diamonds for himself and his wife, the company regulate its 

 output, so, that without seriously depreciating the value of 

 these precious stones, it will issue just enough of them and no 

 more, to secure the ^"4,000,000. The output necessary to 

 attain this object, forms only a small part — probably not a 

 twentieth — of the diamonds that it would be possible to dig 

 up year after year. Any attempt to glut this narrowly re- 

 stricted market would not only fail to extract more money 

 from the public, but would almost certainly have the evil 

 effect of rendering these stones unfashionable from their 



