DIAMOND: OCCURRENCE IN SOUTH AFRICA 



183 



reference to the map (Fig. 37). They aie situated in the stretch of country lying between 

 the line of longitude 26° E. of Greenwich and the fork of the Orange and the Vaal rivers, 

 the two principal water-courses of South Africa. The north or right-hand bank of the 

 Vaal must, however, be also included, and the very first discovery of diamonds in South 

 Africa was made a few miles to the south of the Orange River. All the known mines and 

 washings lie in a quadrangle bounded by parallels of latitude 28° and 30° S., and by 

 meridians of longitude 24° and 26° E. The town of Kimberley lies very near the centre of 



KLniberley 



VOORUITZIG 



ad 



Fig. 38. Diamond mines at Kimberley. (Scale, 1 : 40,000.) 



this quadi'angle, and the boundai-y between Cape Colony and the Orange River Colony very 

 nearly coincides with the north-east and south-west diagonal. The Kimberley mines are 

 not only central in position but also in importance, for they supply 90 per cent, of the 

 total output of South African diamonds. 



The diamond localities of this district (with the exception of the washings on the Vsial 

 River) are situated on an almost straight line, 125 miles in length, running north-north-west 

 and south-south-east, from the confluence of the Hart River with the Vaal, to beyond 

 Faui'esmith in the Orange River Colony. On this line, about fifteen miles from the Vaal, 

 Kimberley is situated in latitude 28° 42' 54" S., and longitude 24° 50' 15" E., of Greenwich, 

 at a height of 4050 feet (1230 metres) above sea-level. Koffyfontein is about forty miles, 

 and Jagersfontein about double this distance, from Kimberley. A stone of 70 carats 

 was once picked up at Mamusa, on the far side of Jagersfontein, but the find has remained 

 an isolated one. 



