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Travels in India. Part. II. 



Mir^A-Moufon, whole buiinefs is to rare every ltone. The Bani^ whole 

 name is Ndikan, is to fee whether the Stones be folic or nor, or whether they 

 have any defeft. Thele three men have obtain'd a Licence from the King, to 

 view, before ever he docs, whatever forreign Merchants (hall foklg to Court, 

 and to prefent their goods to him therafelves. And though they are under an 

 Oath not to take any thing from the Merchants, yet they extort whatever 

 they can get from them, though it be to their mine. When they lee any thing 

 that is lovely, and likely to bring great profit, they would perlwadc you to 

 fell it to them for lets by half than the thing is worth 5 and if you refute to 

 let them have it, when they are in the Kings pretence, they will let a price 

 upon it at half the value 5 knowing that Aarai^cb is not very covetous of 

 jewels, loving his Money tar better. Upon the Kings FcitivaFday, of which 

 I (hall (peak in another place, all the Princes and Nobility of the. Court pre- 

 tent him with moir magnificent gifts. And when they cannot meet with Jewels 

 they fend him Roupies of Gold, which the King likes far better than Stones \ 

 though jewels are the more honourable prefent. Therefore when this Fetrival 

 draws nigh, lie ilfues out of his Trealury, a great quantity of Diamonds, Ru- 

 bies, Emraulds, and Pearls, which he who is entruited to prize the Stones, de- 

 livers to fcveral Merchants to (ell to the Nobility, who are bound to prefent 

 the King ; by which means the King gets the Money and his jewels again. 



There is alto another thing very diiadvanrageous to a Merchant Jeweller 

 which is, that when the King has teen the Stones, no Prince or Nobleman 

 that knows of it, will ever buy them. Belides, while thctc three perfbns, who 

 are entruited to view the Jewels, are conlidermg and examining them at their 

 Lodgings, leveral Banians retort thither, who are expert, tome in Diamonds 

 fome in Rubies, fome in Emraulds, and others in Pearls, who write down the 

 weight, goodnefs, cleannefs, and colour of every piece. So, that when a Mer- 

 chant goes afterwards to any Prince or Governour of any Province., thele people 

 fend them a note of what he has, and the price, which they let down at half 

 the value. For in trade thele Bpnidns are a thoufand times worfc thr.n the' 

 Jews-, more expert in all torts of cunning tricks, and more malicioufly miichie- 

 vous in their revenge. Now you fball hear what a trick thefe unworthy peo- 

 ple ferv'd me. 



When I arriv'd at Gekanabad, one of them came to my Lodging, and roll 

 me, he had order from the King to tee what I had brought, before I expos'd 

 my goods in the Kings pretence. They would have rather that the Kin^ had 

 not been at Gebanabad, for they would have the.) endeavoured to have bought 

 them themfeives, to gain thereby, by idling them again to the King, or the 

 Nobilitv upon occafion ; which they could never pertwade me to. The next 

 day they came to tee me all three, one after another ; and they would needs 

 h;.' • -f me, amongft other things, a Jewel of nine great Pearls, in the fafhion 

 ef a Pcar a the biggeft whereof weigh'd thirty Carats, and the leaft fixteen; 

 together with another fingle Pearl like a Pear, of fifty-five Carats. As for 

 the Jewel, the King took it; but for the fingle Pear), they finding that what- 

 ever they could fay, I would not be wrought upon to fell them any bargains., 

 fo order'd it, that before I had fhew'd my Jewels to the King, Giafer-Kan 

 the Kings Uncle law, and kept it, telling me he would give me as good a 

 price as the King 5 and defir'd me not to fpeak of it, for indeed he had ade- 

 fign to make a prefent to the King. 



When the King had made choice of fuch of my Jewels as he pleas'd, Giafir- 

 K in bought of me feveral pieces, and at the fame time agreed with me for 

 the great Pearl. Some days after he paid me, according as we had agreed, ex- 

 cept for the Pearl, upon which he would have abated me ten thoufand Rou- 

 pies. For the two Perjians and the Baman had malitioufly inform'd him, that 

 at my firif arrival, they could have bought the Pearl for eight or ten thoufand 

 Roupies lets than I had valu'd it to him; which was abfblutely fahe. There- 

 upon GUfer-Kan telling me, that if I would not take his Money, 1 might 

 have my Jewel again ; J took him at his word, afftiring him, he fhould never 

 fee it again as long as he liv'd. And I was as good as my word. And indeed 

 tiiat which made me the more retblute was, that I was refolv'd to carry fome- 



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