When a
negro finds one, he claps his hands, stands in an erect posture, holding
the diamond between his fore-finger and thumb; it is received by one of
the overseers posted on lofty seats, at equal distances, along the line of
the work. On the conclusion of the work, the diamonds found during the day
are weighed, and registered by the overseer _en chef_. If a negro has the
good fortune to find a stone weighing upwards of seventeen carats, he is
immediately manumitted, and for smaller stones proportionate premiums are
given. There are, besides, several other works on this river, and on other
streams, but the supply of diamonds falls now considerably short of former
periods, and their produce scarcely defrays the expenses.
The Diamond District of the Serro do Frio is about twenty leagues in
length, and nine in breadth; the soil is barren, but intersected by
numerous streams. It was first discovered by some miners, shortly after
the establishment of the Villa do Principe. In working for gold in the
rivulets of Milho Verde and St.
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