1871.] STOW VAAL-EIVEB DIAMOND-GRAVELS. 7 



kopjes is a dry river-bed, with a small pool (or " lagoon," as it is 

 termed at the diamond-fields) near its centre. Along its southern 

 bank are accumnlations of exceedingly large boulders piled up upon 

 rocks that have been scarped in many places by the action of the 

 current. In very high floods a portion of the water still flows 

 through this ancient channel ; and a number of trees, such as grow 

 along the sides of the present course of the river, still fringe its 

 margin. 



Between this and the river itself is another great deposit of 

 gravel (Cawood's Hope) rising about 30 feet above the level of the 

 stream. It seems as if at one time it must have been continuous 

 with the gravel mass on the northern side, now forming the Gong- 

 Gong diggings. In that case, the river must have flowed along the 

 ancient water-course alluded to, until it cut out for itself the new 

 and more direct channel it now occupies. This Cawood's Hope 

 accumulation of gravel is bound together by a reddish matrix, 

 similar to that at Pniel. It is unstratified, and contains many 

 interspersed boulders. An important fact connected with it, as well 

 as with most of the diamantiferous gravels, is that in it are nume- 

 rous worn fragments of fossil wood, very similar to that found in the 

 forest-zones of the Karoo formation in the Stormberg and Draakens- 

 berg. A water-worn fragment of fossil bone has also been discovered, 

 and fortunately preserved, I shall again allude to these interesting 

 facts before closing the paper. 



The depth of the gravel below the bed of the river here cannot 

 be very great ; for immediately above this place there are some 

 small rapids, caused by the rocks crossing the stream ; and near 

 the middle a little island has been formed, principally of gravelly 

 clay ; but no diamonds have been found in it. 



Oong-Oong .■ — Abutting immediately on the northern bank of the 

 river are the Gong-Gong diggings. These are spread over a de- 

 posit of gravel, extending along the banks of the river for a con- 

 siderable distance. Its highest point rises some 50 feet above the 

 level of the water. It is a very red gravel, intermixed with irre- 

 gular patches of boulders ; all bound together with a clayey matrix, 

 very similar to that of the Pniel Kopje. The gravel contains polished 

 and worn specimens of various rocks. See " '^o. 1" in Appendix. 



Section 11. The Deposits at Klip Drift and Pniel*. — Pniel 

 Kopje is nearly 150 feet above the river ; a large portion of it is com- 

 posed of a vast accumulation of enormous boulders intermixed with 

 an ochreous and very clayey matrix. The intercalated gravel is 

 very similar to that found in the diamond-bearing deposits at Gong- 

 Gong &c., the great difi'erenee being the preponderance of immense 

 and thickly interspersed boulders of various kinds of rock. The 

 pebbles it contains are shown by the specimens sent. See N"os. 3, 

 4, 5, 6, from Pniel, and Nos. 7, 8, 9, from Klip Drift, in the 

 Appendix. 



These were procured from one of the " cradles," without sorting, 



* For Mr. E. T. Cooper's map and description of this locality, see the 

 'Mining Journal,' March 4, 1871, p. 190.— T. E. J. 



