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

The Way from Agra to this Mine.

From Agra to Halabas, costes 130

From Halabas to Banarous, costes 33

From Banarous to Sasaron, costes 4

From Agra to Saferon you travel Eastward; but from Saferon to the Mine you must wind to the South, coming first to a great Town, costes 21

This Town belongs to the Raja I have spoke of. From thence you go to a Fortress call'd Rodas, costes 4

This is one of the strongest places in all Asia, seated upon a Mountain, for∣tifi'd with six Bastions, and twenty-seven pieces of Cannon, with three Moats full of Water, wherein there are good Fish. There is but one way to come to the top of the Mountain, where there is a Plain half a League in compass, wherein they sow Corn and Rice. There is above twenty Springs that water that Plain; but all the rest of that Mountain from top to bottom is nothing but a steep Precipice cover'd with over-grown Woods. The Raja's formerly us'd to live in this Fort with a Garrison of seven or eight hundred men. But the Great Mogul has it now; having taken that Fort by the policy of the fa∣mous Mirgimola, which all the Kings of India could never take before. The Raja left three Sons, who betray'd one another; the eldest was poison'd, the second went and serv'd the Great Mogul, who gave him the command of four thousand Horse; the third possesses his Fathers Territories, paying the Mogul a small Tribute.

From the Fortress of Rodas to Soumelpour, costes 30

Soumelpour is a great Town, the Houses whereof are built of Earth, and co∣ver'd only with Branches of Coco-trees. All these thirty Leagues you travel through Woods, which is a very dangerous passage, as being very much pester'd with Robbers. The Raja lives half a League from the Town, in Tents set upon a fair rising ground, at the foot whereof runs the Gouel, descending from the Southern Mountains, and falling into Ganges.

In this River they find the Diamonds. For after the great Rains are over, which is usually in December, they stay all January till the River be clear; by reason that by that time in some places it is not above two foot deep, and in several places the Sand lies above the water. About the end of January, or the beginning of February, there flock together out of the great Town,

and some others adjoining, above eight thousand persons, men, women and children, that are able to work. They that are skilful know by the sand whe∣ther there be any Diamonds or no, when they find among the sand little Stones like to those which we call Thunder-Stones. They begin to make search in the River from the Town of Soumelpour to the very Mountains from whence the River falls, for fifty Leagues together.

Where they believe there are Diamonds, they encompass the place with Stakes, Faggots, and Earth, as when they go about to make the Arch of a Bridg to drain all the water out of that place. Then they dig out all the Sand for two foot deep, which is all carried and spread upon a great place for that purpose prepar'd upon the side of the River; encompass'd with a little Wall about a foot and half high. When they have fill'd this place with as much Sand as they think convenient, they throw water upon it, wash it, and sift it; doing in other things as they do at the Mines which I have already describ'd.

From this River come all those fair Points which are call'd natural Points, but a great Stone is seldom found here. The reason why none of these Stones have been seen in Europe, is because of the Wars, that have hinder'd the people from working.

Besides the Diamond Mine which I have spoken of in the Province of Carnatica, which Mirgimola caus'd to be shut up, by reason of the yellowness of the Diamonds, and the foulness of the Stones; there is in the Island of Bor∣neo, the largest Island in the World, another River call'd Succadan, in the Sand whereof they find Diamonds as hard as any in the other Mines. The principal reason that disswaded me from going to the Island of Borneo was, because I understood that the Queen of the Island would not permit any Strangers to carry away any of those Diamonds out of the Island. Those few that are exported, being carry'd out by stealth, and privately sold at Batavia. I say the Queen, and not the King, because in that Island the Women have the Soveraign Command, and not the Men. For the people are so curious to have a lawful Heir upon the Throne, that the Husband not being certain that the Children which he has by his Wife are his own; but the Wife being always certain that the Children which she bears are hers, they rather choose to be govern'd by a Woman, to whom they give the Title of Queen; her Husband being only her Subject, and having no power but what she permits him.