110 Scientific Proceedings, Boyal Dublin- Society. 



Kotan are mentioned by Chinese authors who wrote 2000 years 

 ago ; and the system of dredging the rivers of that region for jade 

 is known to have been in practice for many centuries. Other 

 mines are situated at Karakash, in the Kuenlun range. These 

 have been visited and described by several Europeans of late 

 years. 



Eecently a rather general acceptance has been given to the 

 view advocated at great length by Fischer, that the discovery of 

 jade implements in Swiss lake dwellings is testimony of a pre- 

 historic immigration of Asiatic tribes into Europe, as there is said 

 to be now no known source of the material in Europe. This view 

 has been, I understand, lately contested by Dr. Meyer, of Dresden, 

 but I have not yet seen his work on the subject. 



In the year 1609, De Boot published his famous work on 

 precious stones. This, however, being merely a compilation as 

 regards the information given about India, there is nothing in it 

 which is not contained, in the already quoted authors. It may 

 also be added here, that the edition of De Boot's work, published 

 by De Laet in 1847, only adds to his account facts derived from 

 Methold. 



Jahangir. — In the Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri (1616),^ an account is 

 given of diamond mines in the Chutia Nagpur, province of Bengal, 

 which I have shown to be indentical with the Soumelpour, visited 

 and described by Tavernier, as will be mentioned on a future page. 

 There is no local tradition as to the precise site of these mines, 

 which, therefore, remain to be rediscovered; but the search was 

 certainly conducted in the bed of the Koel river. 



Methold. — Our next authority is an English traveller named 

 William Methold, whose account ^ of a visit to the diamond mines, 

 made by himself and others, is entitled Of the south-eastern parts, 

 viz., Golchond, and other adjacent Kingdoms within the Bay of 

 Bengala. The visit appears to have been made between the years 

 1622 and 1626, the latter being the date of the publication. 



The mines were situated 108 English miles from Masulipatam ; 

 they had only recently been discovered by the chance finding of a 

 valuable stone by a goat-herd : when seen by Methold they gave 



' Translated by Blochmann, Jour. As. Soc. Bengal : vol. xl. p. 113. 

 2 Purchas's Pilgrims, vol. v. p. 1003. London ; 1626. 



