94 
THE GREAT KIMBERLEY DIAMOND MINE. 
along the River Yaal in both directions over a total length of 
200 miles. Afterwards, and about twelve years ago, the bed 
of “ diamantiferous stuff” forming the surface portion of the 
Kimberley mine was discovered in the middle of a farm 
belonging to a Mr. Ebden; and near the same time similar 
discoveries were made on three other farms in the neighbour¬ 
hood, resulting in the present four diamond mines, all within 
two or three miles of Kimberley. 
The Kimberley mine was bought by the Cape Government, 
and the surface was allotted out to the numerous diamond 
miners in separate claims of ten yards square each, as shown 
upon the approximate plan Fig. 1, Plate II., making upwards of 
400 claims altogether in this one mine, for which a royalty of 
10s. per month is paid for each claim. Sometimes a claim is 
subdivided again amongst several persons ; but in some cases 
a number of adjoining claims have been united by purchase 
into one company, for obtaining the facility and economy of 
combined working; in the most important of these cases as 
many as twenty- seven claims are united in one working. 
The original “ diamantiferous stuff” (a, Fig. 2) was a loose 
yellow gravelly soil, partly calcareous, and covered by only 2ft. 
or 8ft. thickness of red surface soil; it was removed by Kaffirs 
with wheelbarrows and carts, and conveyed to depositing 
ground beyond the margin of the mine for washing and sifting. 
This stuff continued to a depth of from 60ft. to 100ft., 
containing a large number, of diamonds of various si^es, and 
the stuff was valued at 10s. to 20s. per load of 16 cubic feet. 
But this mine of wealth then came to an abrupt stoppage, 
and the diamantiferous stuff was succeeded by a floor of hard 
trap rock (b), that seemed to form a hopeless termination 
to the workings, and caused most of the miners to give up 
in despair. A few, however, stuck to their claims and 
determined to sink on into the trap rock with the hope 
of piercing through it; and they were ultimately rewarded 
for their perseverance, after passing through 20ft. to 
80ft. thickness, by coming upon another deposit of 
“ diamantiferous stuff ” (c) that proved even richer in 
contents than the upper deposit, and was valued at 20s. to 
80s. per load. This deposit, which is known as the “ Blue ” 
stuff in distinction from the “ Yellow ” stuff of the upper 
deposit, is a hard tough breccia of a bluish slaty colour, 
requiring blasting for quarrying it. It is looked upon as an 
eruptive rock, and is of a very remarkable and unique com¬ 
position, containing great quantities of broken pieces of 
shale, boulders, and different kinds of basalt. It occurs in 
irregular masses or “pockets,” which are separated by intru- 
