THE DIAMOND FIELDS.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 164, 26 April 1872, Page 6

THE DIAMOND FIELDS.

_ The following letter has been published by acontempo'ary-':—: " Erazersburgh, Victoria, South Africa:— My dear Mead,—A few weeks ago, I returned from my visit to the diamond-fields. They are for, the most part, undulating deserts, the beautiful banks of the Vaal Biver excepted. Pniel, Cawood's Hope, Habran, and Gong-G-ong are townships on the Yaal. Black basalt rocks are shooting out from the porphyry-conglomerate, the basis of which forms g layer of syenite. The surfaces of the heights are covered with a kind of alluvial sand, in which diamonds are found, together with achat, turmalin, jasper, and opal. Shafts are sunk there, 30 ft. wide, and 26 ft. deep —a very troublesome work, sometimes requiring twelve months or more to accomplish, as the basalt is extremely difficult to manage. Particularly rich are the deserts, on which stand several farms, mostly inhabited by Hebrew settlers. On one of those farms (de Bur's) a diamond was found, a short time ago, weighing seventy carats. The diamond fields are situated about 6000 ft. above sea level; the temperature is cool in summer, bitter cold in wiuter. The distance from Cape Town is 779 miles, from Port Elizabeth 470 miles ; the hit- j ter tour, although apparently the short- i est, I should not like to recommend.The shortest route is that via Cape Town to Pniel Two companies, the Inland-transport, and the Stuy tier's are conveying passengers to and fro. The Inland-transport makes the journey ...in eight days, fit 13 guineas, 40 lbs. "luggage allowed. Stuytier's, in twenty days, for 12 guineas, 100 lbs. luggage from Port Elizabeth is by bullock-drays. The journey takes six weeks, and costs, excluding victuals, £5, 200 lbs. luggage free. Carriage is 16s. per cwt. This route may be recommended to hunting parties, who will find some good shooting at ..times. . We have been digging nine months., but have not been successful thus far. It is strange that, round about, diamonds are found everywhere; last week, a man found one .64 carats; a women, on pulling-out a haudful of grass, found another ; while we have been working hard' for : months, and found nothing. A. Scotchman in Pniel, who worked for months, could not find anvthing, while his neighbour accidentally found oney a.few yards from'; his workings, which realised £40,000. At present Du Tbits Pan stands high in people's opinion. There are about 3 6,000 inhabitants. ' Living, on the whole, is harmless, and dirty. Nobody makes a secret of his finds"• and those that are not lucky are laughed at for their pains. A number of stores and hotels supply the people's wants. The •meat is good and not very dear; vegeK tables are very dear. 1 Miners' rights, are 10s. per month; The climate here is very good, but near the Vaal "River is bad, fever being prevalent there! The greatest inconvenience is want of water, but we are in hopes that this may shortly be overcome by smiting wells, for'the purpose' of which a company has started already.