Ball — Description of two large Spinel Rubies. 393 



Delhi by Nadir Shah with the loot, of which jewels formed so large 

 a portion. But there are reasons for thinking that possibly it did 

 not form part of the Delhi loot, but may have reached Persia 

 earlier. 



The Darya-i-nur is often mentioned, and has been figured by 

 Kotzebue,^ together with a companion stone called the Taj-e-Mah, 

 otherwise sometimes called the Persian Koh-i-nur. In form the 

 latter resembled Jahangir's diamond very closely. According to 

 "Watson,^ these two diamonds were in the possession of Aga Mu- 

 hammad, when he was murdered in 1797. Whether he had obtained 

 them from Shah Rukh is not stated. They were given by the murderers 

 to the General Sadek Khan Shekaki, and -he subsequently made 

 his peace with Fath Ali Shah, by handing them over to him. 



If this be the case, then, this particular Darya-i-nur could not have 

 belonged to Shah Shujah, but another stone, so called, probably 

 from what Karim Khan^ relates about it, did so, and afterwards fell 

 into the hands of Ranjit Singh.* It is still also called Darya-i-nur, 

 and is in the possession of the Nawab of Dacca at present. It is a 

 flat stone measuring 1 J in. by 1 in. ; being mounted, its thickness and 

 weight are not known, as I am informed by the owner. Its early 

 history I have as yet been unable to trace fully, and furthur space 

 cannot be given here even to what has been ascertained on the 

 subject. 



I have elsewhere* ventured to suggest for consideration that the 

 Persian Darya-i-nur, if it only weighs 186 carats, may, perhaps, be 

 identical with Eabar's diamond which he gave to Humayon, and which 

 has never since been referred to by contemporary authors as being in 

 the possession of the Mogul Emperors, though it has been asserted that 

 it must have descended to Humayon's successors. But what appears 

 to be more probable, perhaps, is, that Humayon himself took his 

 diamond to Persia in the year 1540, when he had to fly from India, 

 being driven out by Sher Shah, who succeeded him. He regained his 

 throne only in the year 1555, and died in 1556. 



1 "Reise nach Persia," 1819, p. 182, PI. 9, and Eng. Tiansl. 1819, pp. 299, 

 300. 



2 "A History of Persia," 1866, p. 107. 



3 "Hist, de I'Asie Centrale," French trans, by C. Schafer, Paris, 1876, 

 p. 67. 



* Sctonberg, "Travels in India and Kashmir," London, 1851, vol. i., 

 p. 323. 



5 Tavernier's "Travels," Eng. ed., 1889, vol. ii., p. 443. 



