The six voyages of John Baptista Tavernier, Baron of Aubonne through Turky, into Persia and the East-Indies, for the space of forty years : giving an account of the present state of those countries, viz. of the religion, government, customs, and commerce of every country, and the figures, weight, and value of the money currant all over Asia : to which is added A new description of the Seraglio / made English by J.P. ; added likewise, A voyage into the Indies, &c. by an English traveller, never before printed ; publish'd by Dr. Daniel Cox

CHAP. XII. The Authors Journey to the other Mines; and how they find the Diamonds there.

SEven days journey from Golconda Eastward there is another Diamond Mine, call'd in the language of the Country Gani, in the Persian tongue Coulour. It is near a great Town, by which the same River runs, which I cross'd coming from the other Mine; and a League and a half from the Town is a high Moun∣tain in the form of a Half-Moon; the space between the Town and the Moun∣tain is a Plain where they dig and find Diamonds. The nearer they dig to the Mountain, the larger Stones they find; but at the top they find nothing at all.

It is not above a hundred years since this Mine was found out by a Country∣man, who digging in a piece of ground to sow Millet, found therein a pointed Stone that weigh'd above twenty-five Carats; he not knowing what the Stone was, but seeing it glister, carry'd it to Golconda, where as it happen'd well for him, he met with one that traded in Diamonds. The Merchant in∣forming himself of the place where the Stone was found, admir'd to see a Jewel of that bigness, not having seen any one before that weigh'd above ten or twelve Carats. However his report made a great noise in the Country; insomuch that the Mony'd men in the Town set themselves to work, and causing the ground to be search'd, they found, and still do find bigger Stones, and in greater quan∣tity than in any other Mine. For they found a great number of Stones from ten to forty Carats, and sometimes bigger; among the rest that large Stone that weigh'd nine hundred Carats, which Mirgimola presented to Aureng-zeb.

But though this Mine of Coulour be so considerable for the quantity of great Stones which are there found, yet the mischief is, the Stones are not clean; the Waters having something of the quality of the Earth where they are found. If the Ground be mershy, the Water enclines to black; if it be red, there is a redness in the Water; in other places the Stones appear somewhat greenish, in others yellowish; such a diversity of Soils there is between the Town and the Mountain. Upon the most part of these Stones after they are cut, there appears a kind of greasie moisture, which must be as often wip'd off.

As for the Water of the Stones, it is remarkable, that whereas in Europe we make use of day-light to examine the rough Stones, and to judg of their Water, and the specks that are found therein, the Indians do all that in the night-time, setting up a Lamp with a large Wiek, in a hole which they make in the Wall, about a soot square; by the light whereof they judg of the Wa∣ter and clearness of the Stone, which they hold between their Fingers. The Water which they call celestial is the worst of all, and it is impossible to discern it so long as the Stone is rough. The most infallible way to find out that Wa∣ter,

is to carry the Stone under a Tree thick of Boughs, for by the verdure of that shade you may easily discern whether the Water be blewish or no.

The first time I was at the Mine, there were above sixty thousand persons at work, men, women, and children; the men being employ'd to dig, the women, and children to carry the Earth.

After the Miners have pitch'd upon the place where they intend to work, they level another place close by, of the same extent, or else a little bigger, which they enclose with a Wall about two foot high. In the bottom of that little Wall, at the distance of every two foot, they make small holes to let in the water; which they stop up afterwards, till they come to drain out the water again. The place being thus prepar'd, the people that are to work meet all together, men, women, and children, with the Workmaster in the Company of his Friends and Relations. Then he brings along with him some little Image of the God that they adore; which being plac'd upright upon the ground, they all pro∣strate themselves three times before it, while their Priest says a certain prayer. The prayer being ended, he marks the forehead of every one with a kind of Glue, made of Saffron and Gum, to such a compass as will hold seven or eight Grains of Rice, which he sticks upon it; then having wash'd their bodies with water, which every one brings in his pot, they rank themselves in order to eat what the Workmaster presents them, before they go to work, to encourage them both to labour and be faithful. This Feast consists of nothing else but every one his Plate of Rice, distributed by the Bramin; for an Idolater may eat any thing from the hands of one of their Priests. The Plates are made of the Leaves of a certain Tree, not much unlike our Walnut-tree Leaves. Besides this, eve∣ry one has a quarter of a pound of Butter, melted in a small Copper pot with some Sugar.

When their Feast is over, the men fall to digging, the women and children to carry Earth to the place prepar'd in that manner as I have already describ'd, They dig ten, twelve, and sometimes fourteen foot deep; but when they come to any water they leave off. All the Earth being carry'd into the place before∣mention'd, the men, women, and children with Pitchers throw the water which is in the drains upon the Earth, letting it soak for two or three days, according to the hardness of it, till it come to be a kind of Batter; then they open the holes in the Wall to let out the water, and throw on more water still, till all the mud be wash'd away, and nothing left but the Sand. After that they dry it in the Sun; and then they winnow the Sand in little Winnows, as we winnow our Corn. The small dust flies away, the great remains, which they pour out a∣gain upon the ground.

The Earth being thus winnow'd, they spread it with a kind of Rake, as thin as they possibly can; then with a wooden Instrument, like a Paviers Rammer, about half a foot wide at the bottom, they pound the Earth from one end to the other, two or three times over. After that they winnow it again then; and spreading it at one end of the Van, for fear of losing any of they Earth, the look for the Diamond.

Formerly they were wont to pound the Earth with great Flint-stones, instead of wooden Rammers; which made great flaws in the Diamonds, and is there∣fore now left off.

Heretofore they made no scruple to buy those Diamonds that had a green outside; for being cut, they prov'd very white, and of an excellent water.

Since they have been more nice; for there was a Mine discover'd between Coulour and Raolconda, which the King caus'd to be shut up again, by reason of some cheats that were us'd there; for they found therein that sort of Stones which had this green outside, fair and transparent, and which appear'd more fair than the others; but when they came to the Mill they crumbl'd to pieces.