Travels .in India. Part. II. 



Mir^a-Moufon, whofe bufinefs is to rate every ûone. The Banian, whofe 

 name is Nalikan, is to fee whether the Stones be falfe or not, or whether they 

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

 view, before ever he does, whatever forreign Merchants mail bring to Court, 

 and to prefent their goods to him themfelves. 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 ruine. When they fee any thing 

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

 fell it to them for lefs by half than the thing is worth ; and if you refufe to 

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

 upon it at half the value ; knowing that Aureng^eb is not very covetous of 

 jewels, loving his Money far better. Upon the Kings Feltival-day, of which 

 I mail fpeak in another place, all the Princes and Nobility of the Court pre- 

 fent him with molt magnificent gifts. And when they cannot meet with Jewels^ 

 they fend him Roupies of Gold, which the King likes far better than Stones 3 

 though Jewels are the more honourable prefent. Therefore when this Feftival 

 draws nigh, he ilfues out of his Treafury, a great quantity of Diamonds, Ru- 

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

 livers to feveral Merchants to fell to the Nobility, who are bound to prefent 

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



There is alio another thing very difadvantageous to a Merchant Jeweller, 

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

 that knows of it, will ever buy them. Befides, while thefe three perfbns, who 

 are entrufted to view the Jewels, are confidering and examining them at their 

 Lodgings, feveral Banians refort thither, who are expert, fome 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, thefe people 

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

 the value. For in trade thefe Banians are a thoufand times worfe than the 

 Jews' -, more expert in al) forts of cunning tricks, and more malicioiifly mifchie- 

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

 ple ferv'd me. 



When I arriv'd at Geh'anahad, one of them came to my Lodging, and told 

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

 my goods in the Kings prefence. They would have rather that the King had 

 not been at Gehanabad, for they would have then endeavour'd to have bought 

 them themfelves, to gain thereby, by felling them again to the King, or the 

 Nobility upon occafion ; which they could never perfwade me to. The next 

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

 have of me, amongft other things, a Jewel of nine great Pearls, in the fafhion 

 of a Pear, the biggeft whereof weigh'd thirty Carats, and the leaft fixteenj, 

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

 the Jewel, the King took it ; but for the fingle Pearl, 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 faw, and kept it, telling me he would give me as good a 

 price as the King 5 and defir'd me not to (peak of it, for indeed he had a de- 

 fign to make a prefent to the King. 



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

 Kan 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 Perfians and the Banian had malitioufly inform'd him, that 

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

 Roupies lefs than I had valu'd it to him ; which was abfolutely falfè. There- 

 upon Giafer-Kan telling me, that if I would not take his Money, F might 

 have my Jewel again ; I took him at his word, affuring him, he fhould never 

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

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



thing 



