" On the heap of cascalhao, at equal distances, are placed three high chairs for the officers or over seers. After they are seated, the negroes enter the troughs, each provided with a rake of a peculiar form'and short handle, with which he rakes into the trough about 50 or 80 lbs. weight of ea:calla°. The water being then let in upon it, the cascalhiio is spread abroad, and continually raked up to the head of the trough, so as to be kept in constant motion. This operation is performed for the space of a quar ter of an hour ; the water then begins to run clearer, having washed the earthy particles away, the gravel fike matter is raked up to the end of the trough : af ter the current flows away quite clear, the largest stones are thrown out, and afterwards those of infe rior size, then the whole is examined with great care for diamonds. When a negro finds one, he inne diately stands upright and daps his hands, then ex tends them, holding the gem between his fore-finger and thumb ; an overseer receives it from him, and deposits it in a gement' or bowl, suspended from the centre of the structure, half full of water. In this vessel all the diamonds found in the course of the day are placed, and at the close of work are taken out and delivered to the principal officer, who, after they have been weighed, registers the particulars in a book kept for that purpose.
" When a negro is so fortunate as to find a dia mond of the weight of an octavo (171 carats), much ceremony takes place ; he is crowned with a wreath of flowers, and carried in procession to the admini strator, who gives him his freedom, by paying owner for it. He also receives a present of new clothes, and is permitted to work on his own ac count. When a stone of eight or ten carats is found, the negro receives two new shirts, a complete new suit, with a hat and a handsome knife. For smaller stones of trivial amount, proportionate premiums are given. Daring my stay at Tejuco, a stone of 16i carats was found ; it was pleasing to see the anxious desire manifested by the officers that it might prove heavy enough to entitle the poor negro to his free dom, and when, on being delivered and weighed, it proved only a carat short of the requisite weight, all seemed to sympathize in his disappointment." The flat pieces of ground which lie on each side of the river, are generally equally rich throughout their whole extent, and the officers employed in the works are enabled to calculate the value of the places unworked from the parts adjoining. The substances which are considered the best indications of dia monds are bright, bean-like, iron-ore; a slaty flint like substance, resembling Lydian stone, of fine tex ture ; black oxide of iron in great quantities ; round ed bits of blue quartz ; yellow crystal, and various other materials, entirely different from any substance found in the adjacent mountains. Diamond wash ings have been established on the river Jijitonhonha, and the neighbouring streams for many years, and great quantities of the finest stones have been col lected. These vary extremely in size, some being so small that four or five are required to weigh one grain, and consequently there are sixteen or twenty to the carat. It is calculated that only two or three stones of from 17 to 20 carats are found in the course of a-year, and not•once in two years is there found throughout all the diamond washings a stone weigh ing 30 carats. Mr Mawe mentions, that during the five days in which he was employed visiting these works, the number of diamonds found a mounted only to forty, the largest of which weigh ed only four carats, and was of a light green Co lour.
The diamond district was first explored by some enterprising miners from Villa do Principe, which is about 60 miles south-east from Tejuco. Their search was after gold, which they sought for on the banks of the rivulets in the neighbourhood of Tejuco, and not suspecting that they contained diamonds, they were not aware of the value of these stones when they were first discovered. Nor was it until they were sent to Europe that their worth was accurately ascertained. Immediately on tbia dis covery, the Portuguese Government erected Cerro do Frio into a distinct district, which was placed under its own peculiar laws and regulations; and the lucrative trade of searching for diamonds being pro hibited to all individuals under the severest penalties, was constituted a strict monopoly for the benefit of the crown. But in this, as in most other cases, the power of the Government was counteracted by the fraud and cunning of its subjects. By means of the intrigues
and misrepresentations of interested individuals, go vernment "was prevailed on to farm these territories to a company, who were bound only to employ a cer tain number of negroes, or to pay a certain sum for each negro employed over the quantity, agreed for. Under cover of this lease, every species of fraud and corruption was practised. About double the stipulated number of negroes was employed, and the agents of Government were bribed to connive at this fraud. Seasonable presents were also made in order to secure influence at court ; and, by such arts, the ' farmers of these valuable works were continued in their lease until about the year 1772, when Govern ment resolved to appoint its own officers to superin tend this valuable branch of its revenue. Under this new system of .management, abuses, however, still continued ; and the establishment was run in debt to foreigners, who advanced a considerable sum to carry it on, on condition of receiving, as security, all the diamonds which it produced. This debt still re mains unpaid, and there are other incumbrances from which it is not likely that the establishment will ever be freed while it continues under the manage ment of the state. According to the information of Mr Mawe, " the expences of these works amounted, during a period of five years, from 1801 to 1806 in clusive, to L.204,000 ; and the diamonds sent to the treasury, at Rio Janeiro, during the same period, weighed 115,675 carats. The value of the gold found in the same period, amounted to L. 17,800 Sterling, from which it appears that the diamonds ac tually cost Government Ms. gd. per carat., These Tears were esteemed singularly productive; the mines in general do not yield to Government more than 90,000 carats annually." All the gold collected in Brasil being liable to pay a fifth share to the crown, the temptation .to evade so heavy a tax has given rise to a contraband trade in this precious commodity, and various precautions have been adopted to prevent the injury thence arising to the revenue. But the temptation is even rester to carry on an illicit trade in diamonds than in gold, because, in the one case, it is only the royal fifth which the smuggler gains by evading the regu lations of the state, while, in the case of diamonds, he gains the whole value of the article which he succeeds in conveying clandestinely away. The ir resistible temptation which this monopoly holds out to illicit trade, is met by regulations of correspond ing strictness and severity. For the security of the revenue, the country has been subjected to a most vexatious system of military police, and the unhappy offender, who is detected in the heinous crime of illicit trade, is doomed to experience, in a cruel and hopeless captivity, or in transportation to the African colonies, the utmost vengeance of his rapacious rulers. The more effectually to counteract the projects of the smugglers, the diamond district is placed under peculiar regulations. On all the various roads lead ing to it, registers or military posts are established, in which is stationed an officer with twenty horse soldiers under him. These are continually patrolling the roads. Whenever they observe a stray passen ger they instantly ride up to him, questioning him as to his business and the purposes of his journey, and he must satisfy them as to all these particulars be fore he is allowed to pass. They are authorized to atop all travellers without distinction, and to search, with the utmost rigour, those whom they suspect of concealing gold dust or diamonds. All persons passing with mules are ordered to stop at these registers, and to deliver their passports to a soldier for the inspection of his commanding-officer, who, if he is satisfied that there are no grounds of suspicion, allows them to proceed. But if he judges otherwise, the mules are unloaded, and all the bag gage subjected to the strictest scrutiny. If, in the course of these examinations, a negro is suspected of having swallowed a diamond, he is confined to a bare room until the truth can be ascertained. These buildings are all provided with strong cells for the confinement of suspected persons. In the manage ment of the works many precautions are adopted to prevent the negroes from embezzling diamonds. They work immediately under the eye of their over seers, who sit on a seat raised above them for the purpose of watching them, and, at the word of com mand from the overseers, they instantly move into each other's troughs, so that no collusion can pow sibly take place.