extract erom tervernier’s voyage?.

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afterwards written to him defiring, that in cafe the Chcraf payed the -money m fpecie,he would get it exchanged for pagodas of gold and bring them to me. Upon hearingthis, they fent for the two Cherafs who had paid the money, who both agreed as tothe truth of my ftatement, on which the Cadi ordered his lieutenant to go with me tomy chamber, and fee that the feals had not been removed from any of the bags. Accord-ingly he did not leave me till I had declared that all was right and nothing wanting. Ithen returned with him to make the fame declaration before the Cadi and Cha-Bander,and thank them for the trouble they had taken, as alfo to fign a paper they had writtenin the Perfian language, by w'hich I declared myfelf perfectly fatisfied. The lieutenantthen told me I muft pay the charges of Boetes ’ interment, as alfo that of the perfon■who had fealed the bags, and the officer who had guarded the dcor of the chamber; allwhich amounted to nine roupees only, or four crowns and a half of our money, whichis much lefs than would have been charged in moil European countries.

CHAP. II .— An Account of the Author s Journey to the other Mines, with a deferiptionof the Manner hi which the Diamonds are found.

ABOUT feven days from Golconda, going due eaft, there is another diamondmine, which by ,the people of the country is called Gani, and by the Perfians Coulour.Jt is fituated near a large town through w'hich paffes the river I crofted in coming fromthe other mine, and at about the diftance of a league and a half from the town, are feveralhigh mountains in the form of a crefcent. The place where the diamonds are found,ls m a plain fituated between the town and the mountains, and the nearer they approachto the latter, the larger ftones they find; but when they afeend too high it producesnothing.

It is not more than a hundred years ago, fince this mine was firft accidentally difeoveredhy a poor man, who digging a fpot of ground in order to fow fome millet, found anative ftone weighing nearly twenty-five carats, which he being unacquainted with thev alue of, and feeing it fhine bright, carried to Golconda, where fortunately he ad-dreflfed himfelf to a perfon who traded in diamonds. This merchant on hearing fromthe countryman where he had found the ftone, was much furprifed at feeing a diamondnf that fize, as hitherto the largeft they were acquainted with weighed no more thanr °® ten to twelve carats. The noife of this difeovery foon fpread itfelf throughoutthe country ; and feveral of the town, who were people of property, began to dig upthe earth, where they found and ftill find large ftones in a greater quantity than at, anyother mine ; fo much fo, that at this prefent time, .they find many weighing from tento forty carats, or fometimes even larger, and amongft others the great diamond thatWeighed nine hundred carats before it was cut, which Mirgimolas prefented to Aurenge-2e h, as I have before obferved.

But while the Coulour mine is remarkable for the large ftones found it, it is to be re-gretted that in general they are not clear, partaking in their colour the quality of theoil in which they are found. If the ground is marfhy and damp, the ftone is of atack caft, if it be red, it approaches to red alfo, while in other places it borders ongreen, and fometimes on yellow, according to the foil, which is greatly diverfified be-Ween the town and the mountains. On moft of thefe ftones after they are cut, thereappears to be a greafy caft, which is occafioned by their continually putting their hand0 their handkerchief to wipe it.

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