Ball — A Geologist'' s Contribution to the History of India. 115 



there appear to be several points of resemblance between some of 

 the Andaman rocks and those which contain the valuable mercury 

 mines of California. 



" The diamond mines, being but a week's journey from Fort 

 St. George, make them pretty plentiful there ; but few great stones 

 are now brought to market there, since that great diamond which 

 Governor Pitt sent to England. How he purchased it, Mr. Glover, 

 by whose means it was brought to the governor, could give the best 

 account, for he declared to me that he lost 3000 pagodoes by intro- 

 ducing the seller to Mr. Pitt, having left so much money in Arcat 

 as security, that if the stone was not fairly bought at Fort St. 

 George, the owner should have free liberty to carry it where he 

 pleased for a market ; but neither the owner nor Mr. Glover were 

 pleased with the governor's transactions in that affair." ^ 



" Some customs and laws at the mines are : when a person goes 

 thither on that affair he chooses a piece of ground, and acquaints 

 one of the king's officers, who stay there for that service, that he 

 wants so many covets of ground to dig in ; but whether they agree 

 for so much, or if the price be certain, I know not. However, 

 when the money is paid the space of ground is inclosed, and some 

 sentinels placed round it. The king challenges all stones that 

 are found above a certain weight~I think it is about 60 grains ; 

 and if any stones be carried clandestinely away above the stipu- 

 lated weight, the person guilty of the theft is punished with death. 

 Some are fortunate, and get estates by digging, while others lose 

 both their money and labour." 



The remaining two authorities among those Europeans who 

 personally visited the mines they describe were,' Mustapha,- a 

 Turk, who traversed the "diamond-bearing region of Chutia 

 Nagpur in 1758, and Motte,^ who was deputed by Lord Olive 

 in 1766 to purchase diamonds at Sambulpur, on the Mahanadi. 

 The facts they record are chiefly of interest as proving the exist- 

 ence of the industry at those periods, and need not be further 

 dwelt upon here. 



1 A different version of the transaction by Mr. Pitt himself was published after his 

 death. 



- Oriental Eepertory, vol. ii. p. 261. London: 1808. 

 •* Asiatic Annual Eegister. London: 1799. 



«C1EN. PKOC. R.D.S. — VOL. IV. PT. II. L 



