THE AMERICAN DIAMOND COUNTRY.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1331, 4 November 1872, Page 4

THE AMERICAN DIAMOND COUNTRY.

A Loa Angelos despatch to New York announces the arrival there of the Todd party, with Professor Glass, from the Geological Expedition through Arizona and New Mexico. They have 1000 pounds of specimens of gold and silver and o^-er ores, and several pints of precious and doubtful stones, collected on the route from Fort Wingale to Albuquerque and on the bordtrs of Arizona, in what are called the Ant Hills. The precious Btones were all discovered at the surface. They have genuine rubies, the specimens ranging from the size of a large pea downward. The. diamond, if any, are small and of little value. The party found rich gold and silver-bearing quartz near Fort Wiogate. They also claim tohavo discovered flowing oil-springs that will yield from 70 to 100 barrels a day, but will not divulge their precise location. In old mounds and ruins of ancient citios they found relics of tools, pottery, and woven - cloth, centimes old. The party suffered great privations, and narrowly escaped perishing while crossing, the Colorado Desert. The following extract of a private letter written by C. O. Brown, of Tuscon (A.T) is famished for publication :— " Your favor of August Bth came to band this morning, with slips enclosed about diamonds, &c. This is all old to me. I have known of the existence of diamonds in New Mexico for years. A soldier in the United States Army found one* near old Fort Defiance, in 1858. which was sold for seven thousand dollars. Fort Defiance is situated in the northwestern part of JSew Mexico, Fort Wingate also, and any pergon wishing to find the diamond and ruby fields of Eastern Arizona or New Mexico, let him go to the above-named places. I sent two men out there one year, ago— l mean to Port Wingate— and they returned in a short time with fourteen pounds of the so-called rubies. I sent some to San Francisco, some to New York, and some to Boston, and they were pronounced garnets. These garnets can be found in the Navajo country by the bushel. The post trader at Fort Wingate has over four hundred pounds of the garnets in hand, which he has bought from the Navajo Indians for a trifle. The garnets and other stones are picked up by Indians on ant beds, the ants bringing them to the surface. Thousands of small garnets, and sometimes a few large ones,aro found on a single ant bed. When the soldiers from Forts Wingate and Defiance go out on a scout they pick np their pockets full of these stones. I am orediSly informed that emeralds and topazes are also found by the Navajo Indians. The Navajoes place a high valuation on the emeralds, and will not part with them. The Navajoes say the emeralds are found in the San Francisco mountains. These mountains are situated from 76 to 100 miles due north of Prescotfc, Arizona. In these portions of New Mexico and Arizona only are these diamonds, rubies, and garnets to be found — a scope of country extending about 100 miles."