COMMERCE OE INDIA. 



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plateau, near Kadapa, Nandyala, Ravalkonda, Ellora, 

 Sambhalpur and Panne lie rich diamond fields. The best 

 diamonds were retained for the adornment of Idols and Kings, 

 others were hoarded up in royal treasuries. Their number 

 can hardly be guessed, if we consider only the enormous 

 quantities of diamonds taken by foreign conquerors out of 

 this country. Plinius contains a great deal of information 

 about the diamond, whose pounding, by which they were 

 reduced to atomic dust, he declares to be one of the grandest 

 discoveries ever made by the human mind. That to the 

 diamond thus pounded were ascribed some absurd powers, 

 we were lately again reminded of in an important State trial. 

 According to Plinius diamonds could not be pounded unless 

 in the fresh and still warm blood of a buck. 



Crystals too were exported from India, for the Indian 

 crystal was highly esteemed. The Rajapippali mountain 

 range between the lower Narmada and Tapty yielded Onyx 

 and Sardonyx stones in large quantities, hence Ptolemy called 

 it the Sardonyx-mountain, Indian Hyacinths, Amethysts, 

 Smaragds, Carbuncles, Beryls, Sapphires, Chrysolites and Opals 

 were sent in large quantities, to the great western empire, 

 and this export trade in gems must have been very consider- 

 able. How highly precious stones were valued at Rome, one 

 example out of many will clearly show. The Roman Senator 

 L. Nonius, the son of Struma Nonius, and the brother-in-law 

 of P. Quinctilius Varus was proscribed by the Triumvir 

 Antonius, for the sake of an Opal, the former possessed. 

 Nonius escaped leaving all his treasures behind, but took 

 away with him his opal ring, which was valued at 200,000 

 sesterces or about £8,000 sterling. 



We must not forget the famous Murrhinian vases, which 

 though really not of Indian origin, were exported from 

 Barygaza together with onyxes. They were manufactured of 

 a mineral Murrha, composed of felspar, fluorspar and calcare- 

 ous spar, which was found in the mountains on the Caspian 



