20 8 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



ly defeats its pretention, the true Peruvian emerald being 

 equal in hardnefs to the ruby. 



Pliny* reckons up twelve kind of emeralds, and names 

 them all by the country where they are found. Many have 

 thought the fmaragdus to be but a finer kind of jafper. Pomet 

 aiTures us it is a mineral, formed in iron, and fays he had 

 one to which iron-ore was flicking. If this was the cafe, 

 the fineft emeralds fhould not come from Peru, where, as 

 far as ever has been yet difcovered, there is no iron. 



With regard to the Oriental emeralds, which they fay 

 come from the Eaft Indies, they are now fufficiently known, 

 and the value of each ftone pretty well afcertained ; but all 

 our induftry and avarice have not yet difcovered a mine of 

 emeralds there, as far as I have heard. That there were 

 emeralds in the Eaft Indies, upon the firft difcovery of it by 

 the Cape, there is no fort of doubt ; that there came emeralds 

 from that quarter in the time of the Romans, feems to ad- 

 mit of as little ; but few antique emeralds have ever been 

 feen ; and fo greatly in efteem, and rare were they in thofe 

 times, that it was made a crime for any artift to engrave up- 

 on an emerald f. 



It is very natural to fuppofe, that fome people of the Eaft 

 had a communication and trade with the new world, before 

 we attempted to fhare it with them ; and that the emeralds, 

 they had brought from that quarter, were thofe which came 



afterwards 



* Plift. lib. xxxvii. cap. 5. f TittO, 



