354 Oriental Accounts of [Aug. 



translation of either, and I shall follow his example in merely gleaning 

 the facts which appear curious, or peculiar to oriental ideas. 



The Diamond. 

 A. almas ; g. aSapas ; s. hiraka ; h. hira. 

 In Arabic and Persian works of natural history, Aristotle is ge- 

 nerally quoted as the chief authority whence information is drawn, 

 and the most vague and fabulous tales of the origin and qualities of 

 natural substances, are laid to his account ; many no doubt with 

 justice, but more without any authority whatever. Thus, of the dia- 

 mond, some authors assert, that when Alexander visited the mountain 

 Zulmdt, (others call it Sarandip,) where the inaccessible valley of dia- 

 monds is situated, he directed pieces of flesh to be thrown in as the only 

 means of procuring the gem : — vultures picked up these with the preci- 

 ous stones adhering to them, and dropped them in their flight, on vari- 

 ous parts of the earth, where alone they are now discovered ! It must be 

 confessed at least that we have no theory of the origin of the diamond 

 to offer in lieu of this oriental hypothesis. 



The Aqul-i-ashreh does mention in general terms, that there are 

 mines in the south-east of Hindusfhan. The Jawdhir-nameh is more 

 explicit, and notices a new mine opened in southern India, at Kom- 

 pila, between Mahali and Bijapur, near Masulipatam. 



The Jawdhir-nameh describes the mode of digging for the ore, and 

 washing the sand or gravel. The similarity between the diamond and 

 rock crystal, both met with in the same matrix, has given to the latter 

 the appellation of kacha, or unripe, and to the real gem, that of pakka, 

 or ripe, diamond. 



The diamond is supposed by some to be a preservative from light- 

 ning, and to cause the teeth to fall out when put in the mouth, but 

 this is objected to by one author, on the ground, that diamond pow- 

 der has been used for tooth-powder with no bad effects. 



The triangular (tetrahedral) form of the pulverized fragments is 

 noticed : also the natural cleavage, which is adroitly taken advantage 

 of by the native hakdks, in forming table diamonds, by striking the 

 stone between two sharp-edged tools. 



Some knowledge of the combustible nature of the diamond might 

 almost be inferred from a passage in the Ajaib-ul-makhlukdt. " If 

 it be exposed to the strong heat of a wind furnace, it will be melted*," 



* The original passage is as follows, and I am not sure that I have given the 

 correct translation : — 



