I836.J 



Banagawpilly Jaghire. 



120 



they have been taken into the Nizam's service by Chundoo 

 Lai. 



Diamond Mines. — The diamond mines are situated in and 

 near a low range of hills, about \ a mile from the town. 

 The matrix of the gems, agreeably to the statements of Dr. 

 Heyne and Voysey, regarding diamonds produced in the 

 South of India, is the sandstone breccia of the clay-slate 

 formation. This I found also to hold good with regard to 

 the alluvium found at the base of the Cuddapah hills washed 

 by the Pennaur, on a recent visit to the diamond mines near 

 Chinnoor and Condapettah, in the Cuddapah division. 



The process of mining is simply digging out the gravel, 

 breaking up the larger pieces of the breccia, washing and 

 sifting the fragments, and spreading them out on the ground. 

 The diamonds are easily detected by the practised eye of the 

 native. I observed that many of the old heaps of rubbish 

 had been recently sifted and re-examined ; not, I am told, 

 from the opinion that the diamond is always growing, and 

 that the chips and small pieces rejected by former searchers, 

 actually increase in size, and in process of time become 

 large diamonds, as has been supposed by some ; but from 

 sheer laziness to dig fresh pits, and from its being found 

 that stones of an inferior size and water have frequently 

 eluded the search of former miners. 



I do not learn that any stones of a greater value than 3 or 

 400 rupees have ever been discovered here ; the specimens 

 shewn me by the diamond merchants on the spot were cer- 

 tainly extremely poor ; but from the shortness of my stay, 

 the duplicity and secrecy maintained by natives in matters 

 of this sort, it would be wrong perhaps to decide that better 

 means scientifically employed in these diamond districts 

 would not produce better results, than has hitherto been the 

 case. 



Since the resumption of the Jaghire, mining has been 

 discontinued. 



Besides Banaganpilly, the diamond is found, according to 

 Hamilton, at Lamdoor and Pinchetgapadoor, in the taluk 

 next to Chinnoor. 



