Cox informs us that a man had been suffocated in one of these wells, two days before his arrival, yet the miners renewed their attempts without any further accident.

The property of these wells is in the owners of the soil, and descends to the heirs general, as a sort of entailed hereditament, which no distress can induce them to alienate. One family, perhaps, will possess four or five wells, but the generality have less.

Each well is worked by four men; and their wages are regulated by the average produce of six day's labour, of which they have one-sixth, either in oil or money.-In deepening an old well the miners always rate their demand per cubit, according to its depth and danger from the heats or mephitic air.

About two miles westward of Gocauk is a view of one of the finest cataracts in Asia; for after gaining the summit of a steep winding hill, the Gutpurba river appears perpendicularly rolling from the upper to the lower country. This river, in the rainy season, is said to be one hundred and sixty-nine yards broad, and the perpendicular fall of the water is one hundred and seventy-four feet two inches. "The river," says Mr. Moor,

comes, as far as we could see, from the westward, with a considerable declivity, and rushes with such impetuosity over the edge of the precipice, that the curve of the descending torrent is so great as to carry itself quite clear of any interruption; and somewhat more than midway there appears to be a shelving ledge, formed by the fail of a rocky fragment, beyond which the river pours, and where a person, except from his apprehensions, might sit or walk in safety.

"The cavern, or bason, into which the river falls, is very capacious, with ragged sides, formed entirely of rock, and of greater height than the water-falls, owing to the declivity of the river's bed above the cataract; which declivity seems to have been caused by the incessant action, of such a vast body of water upon its rocky bed. The sides of the river in that part we have called a bason, is a continued rock for several hundred yards, and ponderous fragments are seen lying beneath, which have been rent from the solid side by some cause equally lasting and violent; and that the rocky precipice over which the river rolls, is continually wearing away, very clearly appears, for in it may be seen deep, large holes, spirally and circularly formed by the friction of eddies; the edge of the precipice, also, exhibits, in some places, the incomplete remains of these frictionformed holes, whence the rock has fallen.

"It is indeed terrific," continues our author, "to look from the edge of the precipice into the cavern below, which we accomplished by laying on our bellies, and creeping until the eye just peeped over; but the strongest head could bear such a sight but a very few seconds. We had no opportunity of examining the depth of water below, but could see that, throughout the extent of the cavern, from such a violent concussion, it was always in a state of ebullition. When at the bottom, the spray is felt to a considerable distance, and the noise may be heard several miles.”

Mr. Moor concludes his observations in these words: "Although we saw the cataract at a very unfavourable time, being the dryest part of a dry season, it was still sufficiently grand to convey to our minds a very exalted idea of its wonderful

sublimity in the monsoon, when the river is at its plenitude; and we will venture to recommend it to any traveller, visiting these parts between the months of July and December, to make a point` of seeing this cataract, as the most magnificent spectacle afforded to a contemplative eye, throughout the whole peninsula of India."

FOSSILS.

OF all the bodies of this class that the Indies afford, the diamond deservedly claims our first attention, as it exceeds all other gems in value, hardness, and lustre. The diamond, in its most perfect state, is clear and pellucid as the purest water, and is eminently distinguished from all other substances by its vivid splendor and the brightness of its reflections. However, it is

sometimes found tinged with a yellow, blue, red, or greenish cast, by the accidental mixture of some metalline particles; but the tinges are usually slight, and in these states it is extremely dif ferent from other gems of those colours, being of infinitely greater lustre. The diamond is found of various sizes, but generally small, the large ones being very seldom to be met with * ; and as

The largest diamond ever known to have been found in the world was that in the possession of the Great Mogul, which weighed two hundred and seventy-nine carats, each carat being four grains. Tavernier computes the value of this diamond to be eleven millions seven hundred and twenty-three thousand two hundred and seventy-eight French livres, equivalent to seven hundred and seventy-nine thousand two hundred and

YOL, V.

its size is uncertain and irregular, it shape is much more so; but its varieties of figure are never found to affect the internal structure of the body, which from a minute examination with a microscope, appears to consist of several parallel plates or tables extremely thin, and laid over one another with the utmost regularity.

Diamonds are found chiefly in the kingdoms of Golconda, Visapour, Bengal, and. the island of Borneo. The mines are generally adjacent to rocky hills and mountains, and sometimes the diamonds are found scattered in the earth, within two or three fathoms of the surface. In other places the miners dig through rocks to the depth of forty or fifty fathoms, till they come to a sort of mineral earth, in which they find the diamonds enclosed. This earth is sometimes of a yellowish and sometimes of a reddish colour, and adheres to the stone so strongly, that it is difficult to get it off. A sufficient quantity of this earth being dug out of the mine, it is thrown into a cistern of water, where, having soaked for some time, it is stirred about till the clods are broken, and the gravelly matter sinks to the bottom. After this a vent is opened, and the cistern supplied with clean water, till all the earthy substance be washed away, and nothing but gravel remains. What thus settles at the bottom is spread to dry in the sun, then sifted, and afterwards carefully searched with the hands to find out the diamonds; at

forty-four pounds sterling. That of the Great Duke of Tuscany, weighing one hundred and thirty-nine carats, and that in France called the grand sancy, weighing one hundred and six carats, (the name sancy being a corruption of cent six) which is one of the crown jewels, are two of the heaviest that we know of in Europe.

which the workmen are so expert, that the most minute bit of a stone can hardly escape them.. It sometimes happens however, that the earth is so fixed about the diamonds, that before they are rubbed on a rough stone with sand, their transparency cannot be discovered.

In the kingdom of Golconda, or in that of Visapour according to some maps, are the mines of Raolconda, which have been discovered above two hundred years. The earth here is sandy and full of rocks, and in these rocks are found several little veins, half an inch or an inch broad, out of which the miners, with hooked irons, draw the sand or earth that contains the diamonds, breaking the rock when the vein terminates, that the track may be easily found again and continued. To separate the diamonds from this earth, it undergoes several washings, and other operations, as we have already observed. The miners are obliged to work almost naked, and have likewise inspectors to prevent their concealing the diamonds; which yet, notwithstanding all this care, they sometimes find opportunities of doing. Tavernier says, he saw one detected who had put a small stone into the corner of his eye; but swallowing a diamond is a surer and more usual method amongst them. If the miners meet with a stone of fifteen or sixteen carats, they are allowed a reward, besides their usual pay, which is very little. The king has two per cent. for all the diamonds that are sold, and also a duty from the merchants, according to the number of hands employed in digging.

There are other mines at Gani or Coulour, in the kingdom of Golconda, where they find diamonds from ten to forty carats and upwards; but