374 Mr. Voysey on the Diamond Mines 



wackeiij and have described these mines as being situated on 

 conical summits of that rock. The truth is that the conical 

 summits are artificial, and owe their origin to the sifting of 

 the pounded breccia and pudding-stone, for the purpose of 

 separating the larger stones, preparatory to their being wetted 

 and examined. The hill itself is quite flat, and not a single 

 conical elevation can be seen throughout its entire extent. In 

 my journey from Nandiala on horseback, a view of the range 

 for an extent of twenty miles N. and S. was constantly before 

 me, and in no instance did I observe a deviation from the 

 continued flatness. 



I regret that for many years previous to my visit to these 

 mines, no fresh excavations had been made, so that I had no 

 opportunity of ascertaining the mode in which the miners get 

 at the breccia. I saw many holes under large blocks of sand- 

 stone, of about five feet average depth, most of them blocked 

 up by rubbish. I was told that at that depth the diamond- 

 bed was found. 



The miners are now content to sift and examine the old 

 rubbish of the mines, and they are the more bent on doing 

 this, from an opinion which prevails among them, and which 

 is also common to the searchers for diamonds in Hindustan 

 and to those on the banks of the Kistna, Parteala, Malavilly, 

 &c. viz. that the diamond is always growing, and that the chips 

 and small pieces rejected by former searchers, actually in- 

 crease in size, and in process of time become large diamonds. 

 I saw at the time of my visit in January 1821, about a dozen 

 parties at work, each composed of seven or eight people. 

 Each party was on the top of one of the conical eminences, 

 and actively employed in sifting and separating the dust from 

 the larger stones: these were then laid in small heaps, spread 

 out on a level surface, wetted, and examined, when the sun 

 was not more than 45 degrees above the horizon. A party 

 of boys was engaged in collecting and pounding scattered 

 pieces of breccia. All the labourers were Dhers or outcasts, 

 and under no controul or inspection. The misery of their ap- 

 pearance did not give favourable ideas of the productiveness 

 of their labour. 



The sandstone breccia is frequently seen in all parts of these 

 mountains at various depths from the surface. In one instance 

 I observed at a depth of 50 feet, the upper strata being sand- 

 stone, clayslate and slaty limestone. The stratification of the 

 whole face of the rock is here remarkably distinct, and may 

 be traced through a semicircular area of 400 yards diameter. 

 The stratum of breccia is two feet in thickness, and imme- 

 diately above it lies a stratum of puddingstone composed of 



quartz 



