560 Gregory— Diamonds in South Africa, 



of geology and mineralogy is only acquired by a very long and con- 

 tinued experience, and not to be learned in a few days' application 

 to a book ; and estimating tbe commercial value of precious stones 

 in the uncut state as well as polished, is, again, quite a different 

 experience. 



In reference to the valuing of the diamonds said to have been 

 found at the Cape, I will now say a few words. There seems to 

 exist the same inexperience by persons who have valued them, as in 

 describing the districts where they were found ; for instance, I saw 

 a diamond, really worth £10 or £12, which was said to be worth 

 £60 or £70, and in the same proportion for larger ones. Then the 

 Cape people say that if a diamond fetches £70, it must be worth it : 

 this is not so, the buyers being equally ignorant of the value with 

 the sellers. On Friday, July 10, a diamond was brought into Hope- 

 town, which was said to have been found by the same Griqua who 

 found the one called the Puiel diamond, or No. 6, of which I will say 

 more presently. It was shown to me by the Civil Commissioner of 

 Hopetown, who asked me the probable weight and value. I then 

 merely guessed the weight at from 12 to 13 carats ; it was afterwards 

 found to be 12f carats : the quality was so inferior, although of the 

 size mentioned, that I could only value it at £18 to £20. Now this, 

 considering the quality, which was really little better than that 

 termed " loart," was a high valuation. I afterwards found, on my 

 return from Griqualand, that some one at Hopetown had described 

 it as *'of ih.Q first ivater, one part very much like quartz,'' and the 

 value £50. 



When I was at Port Elizabeth, I happened to hear that a diamond 

 had just arrived at Grahamstown on its way to Cape Town, and I 

 started off the next day to try and get a sight of it, but was just too 

 late, it having been sent away the day before. However, I saw a 

 photograph and plaster of Paris cast of it, though not much could be 

 made out from those, as a diamond of 15 carats is not a large object for 

 a photograph or plaster cast, for minute and careful examination. A 

 plaster cast of this stone is now in the Museum of Practical Geology. 

 Now, from the appearance of the surface of this stone, from the cast, 

 which seems to be carefully taken, there are some peculiar cha- 

 racteristics of a rough diamond, which appears to be anything but a 

 fine transparent stone, as far as I can judge from the external cha- 

 racters. Yet, in the Cape papers, this stone is described as No. 6, 

 and weighs 15J carats, and of the first water, apparently free from 

 any defects. This stone was stated to have been picked up by a 

 Griqua on the banks of the Vaal river, near Puiel. I afterwards found 

 this was not true, and it was said to be really found near Campbell, 

 100 miles from Puiel, and by a Griqua who has since found two 

 or three others. So the locality at Puiel is a myth. This information 

 I had from the farmer in whose employ this Griqua was, who was 

 said to have found it. The diamond was valued first at £1200, after- 

 wards at £1000, £800, £600, and finally at £350 to £400. The 

 valuers were certainly a long time in making up their minds as to 

 the true value of a solitary diamond, when any very ordinary judge 



