562 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 
Mr. King writes :— 
“'The quartzites of the Banaganpilly group form a cap, resting uncon- 
formably on the denuded surface of a much older set of shales and traps 
with some limestone bands . . . The quartzite covering is from 20 
to 30 feet in thickness ; and it is pierced here and there over the 
Banaganpilly end of the hill, by shafts of 15 feet or less, from the 
bottoms of which nearly horizontal galleries are run to get at the seams 
of diamond gangue. The capping is composed of compact grits and 
sandstones in thickish beds above, and somewhat thinner bedded 
towards the bottom. 
“Kxternally the rocks are hard and vitreous. At the level of the 
galleries there are beds of coarse pebbly conglomerate, occasionally a 
breccia which are sandy and clayey, and with these run seams of more 
shaley and clayey stuff. There is no trace of the clayey constitution on 
the outside along the outcrop, nor are there any distinct bands of shales ; 
there are only some sandy shales down at or near the bottom of the 
series. 
«|, . In the mines the coolees were picking out aseam of about six 
or eight inches in thickness, occurring with thicker and harder beds of 
sandstone, and which they said was the diamond layer; this rock when 
brought to light turned out to be an easily broken up damp clayey 
conglomerate and partly breccia, of small rounded fragments and pebbles 
of black, red, green, and pale coloured shales and chert ts, and of quartzite 
with lar; ee and small grains of dirty and pellucid quartz. This was the 
rock extracted in all the mines then being worked. The gangue is then 
pounded up, washed, sifted and laid out to dry on prepared floors, after 
which the residue of clean sand is carefully examined in the hand, by the 
women and children of the working parties, for the precious gems. I saw 
no diamonds zm situ, nor did I see or hear of any diamond being found 
during my stay at Banaganpilly for four or five days at a time. 
Diamonds were brought to me which were reported to have been found 
in the mines; but these were most disappointing in their minuteness, 
flaws and dirty colours.” 
I have already quoted Mr. ay above as to the crystalline 
forms of these samples. 
He says that the good specimens were valued at only ten 
rupees by the merchants. But one specimen said to have come 
from the Bellary District; but which he thought had probably 
been found on the spot, was valued at 350 rupees. 
“Neither the Nawab of Banaganpilly nor his followers, nor the 
Tehsildar of the place, nor the merchants could, or would, tell me of 
any better diamonds having been found for many years.” 
Mr. King tracked the diamond-bearing strata for some miles 
westward, beyond the region wherein it is worked. 
