Ancient Ideas on their Origi?i and Virtues, 49 



inscription occurring on the obverse of the principal 

 gold coin of the Shah Akbar ; this has been 

 translated as follows : — 



" The sun from whom the seven seas obtained Pearls^ 

 The black stone from his rays obtains the jewel ; 

 The mine from the correcting influence of his beams obtains 



gold, 

 And gold is ennobled by the impression of Shah Akbar." 



It may be mentioned incidentally, that this same 

 Shah ** ennobled " a diamond by having his name 

 engraved upon it, as duly recorded in the author's 

 work on diamonds. See *' The Great Diamonds of 

 the World," chap, xxxvi., p. 232. 



The most wide-spread notion respecting the 

 origin of Pearls, as briefly mentioned in our in- 

 troductory chapter, is that which regards them as 

 formed by dew and rain received into the gaping 

 shell of the Pearl-oyster. This explanation of their 

 origin is well set forth by Pliny, whose passage on 

 the subject is thus quaintly rendered into English 

 by old Dr. Holland :— 



" This shell-fish, which is the mother of Pearle, 



differeth not much in the manner of breeding and 



generation from the oysters, for when the season 



of the yeere requireth that they should engender, 



seeme to yawne and gape, and so doe open wide ; 



and then (by report) they conceive a certaine moist 



dew as seed, wherewith they swell and grow bigge ; 



D 



