Another day I went to the Central Kimberley Diamond Mine. After going
over the mine, my party and myself all "assisted" at the counter in one
of the large sheds in picking out diamonds from the heap of small stones
just brought up and laid out from the day's washings. It is rather a
fascinating occupation, turning over the heap with a little triangular
piece of tin held in one hand, and continually "scraped" along the
board. I found several diamonds. We were told, after we had been
working diligently for an hour or two--there were six of us--that the
value of the diamonds we had found, and placed in the manager's box, was
probably £1,200. This seemed to us a good afternoon's work. The entire
district of Kimberley seems to teem with diamonds, and yet there is no
cessation in the demand for them, and they are still rising in price.
Accidents are frequent at these mines, but excellent provision for
meeting these misfortunes is made in the admirably conducted Kimberley
Hospital (where there are no less than 360 beds for patients), which I
visited during my stay. It is under the management of a very remarkable
woman, Sister Henrietta, and reflects the greatest credit on everyone
connected with its conduct, and support. The number of native cases
treated at the Hospital during the year 1887 was 2,975.

Kimberley has risen with immense speed, commencing from what is
generally known as a "rush," to a large and prosperous centre of wealth,
trade, and commerce. There, where only a few years since, was to be
found a collection of tents and small huts, I found a city with handsome
buildings, churches, stores, institutions, and law courts, and, above
all, a well ordered society. Some of the buildings which I might
specially mention, are the Town Hall, the Post Office, the High Court,
and the Public Library, which has been in existence about seven years,
and is superintended with such excellent results and most gratifying