BRAZILIAN DIAMONDS. The diamonds of Brazil also resembled those of India in quality, being on the average better than those of the present South African mines. It may be added that even the African diamonds that are found in "river diggings" average better in quality than those of the volcanic pipes which form the principal source of the world's supply to-day. There seems to be a superabundance of iron oxide in the rocks of the African mines and in the diamonds themselves, imparting yellow or brownish tints to the material. The "River" stones seem to have lost this color to a considerable extent, if they ever had it. Possibly long extraction with water has removed the very slightly soluble coloring material. Whatever the cause of their superiority "River" stones have always been more highly regarded than stones from the volcanic pipes. Brazil furnished the world's principal supply of diamonds until the discovery of the African stones in 1867. At present relatively small numbers of Brazilian stones reach the world's markets. Most of these come from the great Bahia district (discovered in 1844) rather than from the older mines of Brazil. The present Brazilian stones average of small size. They are, however, of very good quality as a rule. A few green stones are found in Brazil and these may be of an absinthe-green or of a pistachio-green tint. AUSTRALIAN AND AMERICAN SOURCES. While a few diamonds now come on the market from New South Wales, and while an occasional stone is found in the United States (usually in glacial drift in the north central States, or in volcanic material somewhat resembling that of South Africa in Arkansas) yet the world's output now comes almost entirely from South Africa and mainly from the enormous volcanic pipes of the Kimberly district and those of the Premier Co. in the Transvaal. SOUTH AFRICAN DIAMONDS. The nature of the occurrence of diamond in the "pipes" of South Africa is so well known to all who deal in diamonds to-day that but little space need be devoted to it. The "blue ground," as the rock in which the diamonds are found is called, seems to have been forced up from below, perhaps as the material of a mud volcano, bringing with it the diamonds, garnets, zircons, and the fifty or more other minerals that have been found in the blue ground. The fragmentary character of some of these minerals would indicate that the blue ground was not their original matrix. How the diamonds originally crystallized and where, is still probably a matter for further speculation.