EXTRACT FROM TAVERNIER’S VOYAGES.-

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dexteroufly endeavour to fwallow them. The chief of the merchants one day pointedout to me a miner that had worked for him feveral years, who had fecreted a ftone thatweighed a mengelin, which is nearly equal to two of our carats. He had hid it in thecorner of his eye, from whence it was taken on difcovering the theft. To prevent thisknavery, over every fifty miners, there are always from twelve to fifteen perfons em-ployed by the merchants, to fee that they ideal nothing. If they by chance find a ftonethat weighs beyond 7 or 8 mangelins they carry it to the head miner, who rewardsthem with a farpo which is a piece of linen cloath to make a cap, of the value offrom twenty-five to thirty-pence, which is generally accompanied with half a pagoda infilver, and fometimes a pagoda when they don’t give them rice, and a difh of fugar.

The merchants who refort to the mine to trade, remaining at their homes, everymorning about ten or eleven o’clock, the mafter miners after they have dined (for theBanians never ftir from their houfes till they have waflied their bodies and broken theirfaft) bring the diamonds for their infpedion. If the quantity^ is large and there beamongft them ftones of the value of from two thoufand to perhaps fifteen or fixteenthoufand crowns, they leave them in truft for feven or eight days or more with themerchant for his confideration. When he has examined the ftones, the feller againvifits him, and he muft then if he wifties to purchafe, conclude the bargain immediate-ly ; otherwife the owner takes them away tied in the corner of his girdle, or cap, orHurt, and he never fees the fame ftones again, at leaft they are mixed with others ifhe comes to vifit you with another collection. When the bargain is concluded, thebuyer gives a note for the amount, drawn on the cheraf, who is the perfon that paysand receives all bills of exchange. If it is agreed to pay in three or four days, and alonger delay is required, he muft pay at the rate of one and a half per cent, per monthmtereft. In general when they know the merchant to be fafe, they like better to re-ceive a bill of exchange for Agra, Golconda, or Vifapour, but more especially for Su-rat, where as being the greateft Indian port, they go to buy the merchandize exportedm foreign veflels, w'hich tells to their advantage.

It is a pleafing fight of a morning to fee the young children of the merchants andothers, from the age of ten to fifteen or fixteen, all aflembled under a great tree,tvhich is in the market-place ; each with a quantity of diamonds in a little bag

bung on one fide, and on the other a purfe faftened to his fafli, in which

fome have from five to fix hundred pagodas of gold. There they fit waiting,fill fome perfon comes to offer them diamonds for fale, either from that orany other mine. When any thing is brought, it is put into the hands of thepldeft, w'ho is regarded as the chief of the band; he after examining it, putslt: into the hands of the next, and fo on from one to another till it returnsto his own, without any one fpeaking a word. He then enquires the price of theMerchandize, in order to purchafe it if poffible, and if by chance he buys it toobear it is at his own lofs. When evening comes, thefe children collect together•til they have bought in the courfe of the day, and after examining the differentHones, feparate them according to their water, w'eight, and clearnefs, then affixing° n each a price nearly according with what they can fell them for to ftrangers,'bey, by comparing it with the price given, fee what advantage remains to them-■Hlves. Laftly, carrying them to fome of thofe great merchants w'ho have always largesftortnients on hand, the profit is divided amongft them, only he that is the head orchief receives one quarter per cent, more than the reft. Although fo young they

Me neverthelefs fuch good judges of the value of ftones, that if one of them fhould

Happen to purchafe any thing, on which he is willing to lofe half per cent, there is

always

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