EXTRACT FROM TAVERNIER’S VOYAGES.

2 39

pur carats, of fine water, of a pommel fhape, three quarters clear, excepting a littleflaw on one fide, which feemed to be of fmall depth. The other quarter was damag-ed with red points,

As I was examining the (tone, the Banian obferving the attention with which I fur-veyed it, faid to me, don’t trouble yourfelf to examine it now, you fhall fee it to morrowmorning at leifure when you are alone. When a quarter of a day has paflfed, (it is thusthey fipeak), you will find me at the outfide of the town, when if you wilh to have theftone you can bring me the money, at the fame time telling me what fum he wouldtake for it. For it mult be obferved by the bye, that after a quarter of the day haspaflfed, thefe Banians, men as well as women, return to the city or town where theyfive, having previoufly quitted it, as well to fatisfy the ordinary calls of nature, as to'vafh their bodies and attend their priefts at prayer. The Banian had appointed me tomeet him at this time, not being willing that any perfon fhould fee us together. I didnot fail to attend, taking with me the fum he had demanded, except two hundred pa-godas which I fet apart; but at laft after fome difpute I was obliged to give him ano-ther hundred. At my return to Surat , I fold this ftone to a Dutch captain, by whichI gained an honell profit.

Three days after I had made this purchafe, there came to me a meftenger from Gol-conda on the part of an apothecary named Boete , whom I had left at Golconda to re-ceive and take care of a part of my money, which in cafe the cheraf paid in rupees heWas to get changed for pagodas of gold. The day fucceeding that on which he receivedpayment, he was taken with fo violent a diarrhoea, that he died in a few days. In theletter which he wrote me, he informed me of his ficknefs, and of his having receivedmy money, which was all in my chamber concealed in bags, and not expe&ing to livemore than two days, he urged me to haflen my return, as not thinking it perfectly fecurem the hands of the fervants I had left w'ith him. As foon as I had received his letter, Irepaired to the governor in order to take leave of him ; at which he was much fur-priied and.afked me if I had expended all my money? I replied, that I had notVet fpent half of it, and had ftill twenty thoufand pagodas left. He then faid, hewould if I was willing employ it for me, at the fame time aflfuring me I fhouldl°fe nothing by any pur chafes of his making. He alfo afked me to let him feetvhat I had bought, although previoufly very well informed on that head, from thecuflom of the fellers being obliged to give him an account of what they fell, inorder that the king may not lofe the two per cent, payable cn all that is bought.I then ftiewed him what I had purchafed, at the fame time declaring what it hadcoft me, which was entered in the book of the Banian who receives the King’s duty.| Jl kewife paid him the two per cent on the amount, which having received, he faid hetaw plainly that the Franguis were honeft people, of which he was ftill better perfuadedon my producing the ftone of 48! carats; faying, Signior, that is not entered in theb °ok of the Banian, and there is no one in the city knows of my buying it, neither wouldyourfelf have known it, but for my own conreffion, for I do not wifh to defraud theof his duty ; there is what is due according to the price I gave for the ftone. Thegovernor feemed much furprifed and pleafed with the whole proceeding, praifed memu ch, told me I had acted like an honeft man, and that no other merchant in thecountry, either Mahometan or idolater would have behaved in a fimilar manner on fuchan occafion. On that he fent for fome of the richeft merchants in the place, and after re-at,n g the circumftance, defired them to bring the fineft ftones they had got, which they•Accordingly did, and b.y that means I difpofed of my twenty thoufand pagodas in an hour0r The bargain being concluded, and the money paid, he told the merchants that

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