The third mine, the most ancient in India, was situated near Sumbhulpoor,
in Gundwana, at that period included, according to Tavernier, in the
kingdom of Bengal. The diamonds were here found in the sands of the
Mahanuddy, near its confluence with the Hebe; but our traveller strangely
travesties the name of this river into _Gouel_, and, indeed, generally
makes such havoc with names that there is often much difficulty in
discovering what places are meant. However, when the great rains, which
usually took place in December, were over, the river was allowed the
whole month of January to clear, and shrink to its ordinary dimensions,
when large beds of sand were left uncovered. The inhabitants of
Sumbhulpoor, and of another small town in the vicinity, then issued
forth, to the number of eight thousand, and began to examine the
appearance of the sands. If they perceived upon any spot certain small
stones, resembling what are called thunder-stones in Europe, they
immediately concluded that there were gems concealed below; and having
enclosed a considerable space with poles and fascines, began to scoop up
the sand, and convey it to a place prepared for its reception upon the
shore. Hamilton and other modern authorities, however, observe, that the
diamonds are found in a matrix of red clay, which is washed down among
heaps of earth of the same colour from the neighbouring mountains, and
that in the sand of the same rivulets which contain the gems considerable
quantities of gold are likewise discovered.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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