The Occurrence and Distribution of Diamonds in India, 569 
(i.e. from Rhotas to Sambalpur), you travel through woods, which is 
a very dangerous passage, as being very much pestered with robbers. 
“The Raja lives half a league from the town in tents, set upon a fair 
rising ground, at the foot whereof runs the Gouel, descending from the 
southern mountains, and falling into the Ganges. 
“Jn this river they find the diamonds. For after the great rains are 
over which is usually in December, they stay all January till the river 
be clear, by reason that by that time in some places it is not above two 
feet deep, and in several places the sand lies above the water. 
“ About the end of January or the beginning of February, there flock 
together out of the great town, and some others adjoining about eight 
thousand persons, men, women, and children, that are able to work. 
They that are skilful know by the sand whether there be any diamonds 
or no, when they find among the sand little stones like to those we call 
‘thunder stones.’ They begin to make search in the river from the 
town of Soumelpour to the very mountains from whence the river falls 
for fifty leagues together. 
“‘ Where they believe there are diamonds, they encompass the place 
with stakes, faggots and earth as when they go about to make the arch 
of a bridge, to drain all the water out of that place. Then they dig out 
all the sand for two feet deep, which is all carried and spread upon a 
great place for that purpose prepared upon the side of the river, encom- 
passed with a little wall about a foot and a half high. 
“When they have filled this place with as much sand as they think 
convenient, they throw water upon it, wash it, and sift it, doing in 
other things as they do at the mines, which I have above described. 
“« From this river come all those fair points which are called natural 
points ; but a great stone is seldom found here. The reason why none 
of these stones have been seen in Europe, is because of the wars that 
have hindered the people from working.” 
The next visit of which there is any published account is 
described in the narrative of a journey which was undertaken by 
Mr. Motte in the year 1766.* The object of this journey was to 
initiate a regular trade in diamonds with Sambalpur, Lord Clive 
being desirous of employing them as convenient means of re- 
mitting money to England. His attention had been drawn to 
Sambalpur by the fact that the Raja had, a few months previously, 
sent a messenger with a rough diamond, weighing 164 carats, as 
a sample, together with an invitation to the Governor to depute 
a trustworthy person to purchase diamonds regularly. The 
Governor proposed to Mr. Motte to make the speculation a joint 
concern, “ In which,” writes the latter, “I was to hold a third; 
he the other two ; all the expenses to be borne by the concern. 
* “ Asiatic Annual Register,” London, 1799 
Scien. Proc. R.D.S. Vot. 1, Pr. vu. 2Q2 
