70 



THREE YEARS IN THE PACIFIC. 



Notwithstanding the numerous exploring expeditions of the 

 Paulists, the discovery of those treasures which have given ce- 

 lebrity to the district where they are found, is owing to chance. 

 Though they performed many journeys in search of precious 

 stones, the Brazilians were for a long time ignorant that they 

 possessed extensive mines of diamonds. In 1729, a certain 

 Fonseca Lobo found the first stones of this kind, and handed 

 them to a workman, who, having been at Goa, at once per- 

 ceived their value. According to other authorities, some of 

 them were carried to the governor of Villa-do-Principe, by 

 whom they were used for a long time as counters. About the 

 same time, some of them came into the possession of the Dutch 

 minister at Lisbon, who sent them to Amsterdam and ascer- 

 tained their value. A treaty was immediately concluded be- 

 tween Holland and the Portuguese government, for all the 

 precious stones found in the district of Serro-do-Frio. The mas- 

 ters of Brazil, not discc^vering till too late their disadvantage in 

 this arrangement, saw, for several years, the wealth which 

 should have been their own, pass into the possession of rivals. 

 When it again returned to them in 1772, these stones had lost 

 much of their value in Europe. 



The diamond district is known by the name of Serro-do- 

 Frio ; it extends sixteen leagues from north to south, and eight 

 from east to west. It is surrounded by craggy mountains, as if 

 nature had been at some pains to conceal her treasures from 

 man ! Every possible precaution is taken to prevent the inha- 

 bitants from carrying the diamonds, which are found in the 

 auriferous sands, beyond this natural wall ; all the outlets are 

 strictly guarded, and any person detected in breaking the law 

 is most severely punished. Offenders were formerly sent to 

 the coast of Angola, which punishment was looked upon by 

 many as severe as death itself. 



It must not be supposed that diamonds are procured without 

 great labor. They are sometimes found on the surface of the 

 earth ; but it is not unfrequently necessary to turn the course 

 of rivers, to obtain even a small quantity. Until the present 

 period, the river Jiquitihonha has furnished most of this kind 

 of wealth. Large masses of that species of flint, known in the 



