DIAMOND. 
pofleffions: it was found diffeminated like gold, ap 
late, continues the fame author, been brought from 
dia. 
In- 
Tie Indian diamond is not found in gold mines, and 
o have fome relation to rock-cryftal, fince it re- 
fembles this fubftance in its coloiitlefs tras fparéncy, and in 
its form, which is either that of a f{mooth fix-fided prifm, 
terminated in a point cn one eee of two oo 
bovey only itis {maller, The diamond is diftinguifhed from 
ail other fubftances by its hardnefs, which is fuch as to 
break and fplinter both the hammer with which it is ftruck, 
and the anvil on which itlies. It is incapable alfo of being 
heated by the moft violent fire son both which accounts it 
is called by the Grecks adamas, that is, unconquerable. 
But though it refifts the a€tion of fire and fteel, yet if 
macerated in the frefh blood of a he-goat, it may, with 
The {mall fhivers thus 
obtained are much fought after by engravers on gems; 
for when fet in an an iron handle, they enable the artift rea- 
dily to cut the hardeft ftones. A kind of antipathy fubfitts 
between the diamond and magnet, fo that the latter cannot 
attract 1 iron whenin conta@ with theformer. ‘The diamon 
a'fodeftroys the effe& of oo and cures aed on 
which account it is called ome anachitis 
ee the knowledge vofletfed by the ancicnts oe chia 
the Arabians, during the dark ages of al had 
eftablithed aioe! in in and on the fouthern and 
-eaftern coafts o e Mediter anean fea, the wild and mon- 
ftrous fictions : thefe and ate erent nations, obtaineda 
in Evrope, which even at preten ee not entirely 
mong other abfurdities, the occult qualities and 
fipertitious ufes of the gems was adopted with peculiar ea- 
gern nefs, and, no doubt, contributed greatly to the high efti- 
mation in which thefe fubftances were held.» The diamond, 
as being the moft valuable and beautiful of the gems, was fup» 
pofed to be endowed with thefe hidden virtues in the higheft 
degree: hence it was held as an infallible {pecific in many 
een : teft of conjugal fidelity, a reconciler of domettic 
itrife, and an amulet of higheft power againft poifons, 
ees Su. incantations, noéturnal goblins, and 
evil {pirits. 
At length, after along night of intlleual darknefs, men 
gan to be convinced, that the of acquiring a 
concerning the gems in ala » an m 
way to experiment and co 
his << La n Alchemiz,’’ frit pubiithed 
in 1607, gives an account of the diamond, even more incor- 
rre& ae that which Pliny has left us. Two years after 
this period, however, namely, in 1609, Boetius de Boot 
poblihe his cant treatife “* De Lapidibus et Gemmis,”’ 
-in which is contained a detailed account of all that was pre- 
Tieally known or imagined concerning the pans — ac- 
_ The 
3 
ah 
soe 
peas 
ee in treating ot thofe fabjetis of natural hiftory, 
that were as yet rot pa ae emancipated from the influence 
of fuperftition. He firft obferves, that the diamond is dif- 
tinguifhed from other gems by the fuperior Inftre which it 
exhibits, when fixed ina plate of black maltich, and the 
force with which they adhere to each other. his he attri- 
butes to a kind of affinity -between thefe-two fubflances ; 
from which circumitance, becaufe the diamoxd, when 
heated, attra&ts {mall (tra &c. as amber dues, he cone 
cludes that this gem ies Tea the others, 1» being of an 
inflammable, fulphureous, and oily nature. From this cir« 
cumftance, certain modern writers have claimed for De Boot 
the honour of being the fir " who has maintained the inflam. 
mability of the diamond. “There is furely however a gveat 
difference between ay truth by means of fa: fe or 
true premifces. Rom ‘fle, who made the experiment 
with great care, affirms, a rock cryttal adheres to maftich 
with at lealk as much firmnefs as the diamond does; and tt 
is a fact perfectly well aicertained, that tourmaline, and many 
other mineral bodies, that are well known fo contain no in- 
flammable matter in their compofition, will, when warmed or 
rubbed. attra¢t various light bodies ; fo that the facts adduced 
Boot do not jultify his éonclo ion. Newton, on the 
other hand, fufpeéted the inflammability of the diamond, be~ 
caufe in its power of refraGting light, it differed greatly from 
all earthly ae and obvioufly ranked in this refpe& 
among the inflammable pen ; an o ial which all 
fubfe quent Seat has only ferved to confirm. 
But though De Boot hes allen into v error above- 
mentioned, it fhould be re marked to the eredit of 
ca, and 
is much inclined to doubt the Ai a - all the diemonds 
si to be eens in Europe. ifprove 
he -ffertione of Pliny relpedting the ane lity of bre: king 
thi sft tances 3 nd alfo thev hee tit«xercifes no power over 
the property of ceeine iron, poffelfed by the magnet. 
With ae to the fupertticions sand metaphy fical p: -operties 
of the diamond, though he ot venture to deny them 
altogether, yet he maintains are they are rot to be attri- 
buted to the gem itfelf, but to the angelic fpirits, which it 
has pleafed the Almighty to conne&t in a mylterious manner 
with certain natural {ubftances. 
The fubfequent hiftory of difcoveries refpeGing the dia- 
mond, relates for the moft part to its combult:bility ; and 
thefe the reader will find fofficiently detailed in the article 
Carson. We fhall therefore proceed to the defcription 
of this gem, according to the moft accuraté “modern writers 
on ‘the fubjet. 
The Gamends is either colourlefs, or of a light yellow, or 
fmoke.grey paffing into bluih, or pear:-grey, or clear wine- 
. our; on one d deepening into clove-brown, and on 
he: oihes into alfo oceurs of a deep 
ine black b . The colour. 
le{s varieties are ae em thefej in value 
are the blue, red and black; the light coloured: are the leatt 
in eftim ation 
t is found cryftallized in the regular o@ohedron (which 
is its primitive form) compo{ed of two four fided pyramids, 
applied bafe to bafe, or in the cuneiform o&tohedron. Some- 
times each triangular face of the primitive o€tohedron is re- 
y fix fecondary triangles, bounded 
ramids. 
5 ‘Fhe 
