304 



DIAMOND REGION. 



the result obtained by a Spaniard, Don Simon by name, who in four 

 years, (only working, it is true, during the dry season, but with two hun- 

 dred slaves) had collected four hundred oitavas of diamonds, (about 

 seven thousand carats.) He was obliged to abandon the work because 

 he lost many slaves in consequence of the pestilential fevers which reign 

 in the diamond region, and particularly upon the borders of the river 

 Santa Anna. Before his departure, he filled up the place from whence 

 he extracted the stones. 



" Later another individual found eighty oitavas of diamonds upon 

 one point alone in the river. 



" The largest diamond taken from the Santa Anna weighed, it is said, 

 three oitavas, (about fifty-two carats.) It was many years since, and 

 they know not the price it sold for. 



" They assert that the stones taken from this river are more beautiful 

 than* those from other diamond localities, and that there are persons 

 who, in commerce, can distinguish the difference. 



" It was very difficult to obtain from the inhabitants of Diamantino, 

 who seemed to think themselves still under the Portuguese laws in regard, 

 to diamonds and gold, exact information about the quantities of these 

 two minerals exported each year from the district. However, by uniting 

 the most positive data, we have formed the following table, which pre- 

 sents the approximate quantities of diamonds drawn from the country 

 from 1817 to 1845, as well as the fluctuation of prices, and the number 

 of slaves employed. 



" We have added to this table the value of the slaves. 



" At the time of our journey about two thousand persons, of whom 

 eight hundred were slaves, were engaged in this kind of work. 



Years. 



Price of the oita- 



I Number of 



Number of 



Mean value of 





va in assorted 



oitavas found 



slaves em- 



each slave. 





stones. 



in the year. 



ployed. 





1817 - - - 



$20 



600 



1,500 



$125 



1820 - - - 



30 



5 a 600 



1,500 



125 



1825 - - - 



30 



5 a 600 



1,500 



125 



1830 - - - 



30 



300 



1,500 



125 



1834 - - - 



60 



300 



1,500 



125 



1838 - - - 



75 



300 



1,200 



150 



1840 - - - 



100 



250 



900 



200 



1844 - - - 



125 to 150 



200 



800 



300 



