DIAMOND. 
385 
the return of the owner, who will never bring the 
same stones again unless mixed with others. 
It appears from Tavernier’s account, that the dia- 
mond traffic is carried on by persons of all ages, and 
that even children are taught to barter for them. 
u It is very pleasant,” says this traveller, e( to see 
the young children of the merchants and other 
people of the country, from the age of ten to fifteen 
or sixteen years, who seat themselves on a tree that 
lies in a void place in the town : every one of them 
has his diamond-weights in a little bag hanging at 
one side ; on the other his purse with five or six 
hundred pagodas in gold in it. There they sit, ex- 
pecting when any person will come to sell them 
some diamonds. If any person brings them a stone, 
they put it into the hands of the eldest boy amongst 
them, who is as it were their chief, who looks 
upon it, and after that gives it to him that is next 
him ; by which means it goes from hand to hand, 
till it returns to him again, none of the rest speak- 
ing a word. After that he demands the price, to 
buy it if possible ; but if he huy it too dear, it is 
upon his own account. In the evening the children 
compute what they have laid out; when they look 
upon their stones, and separate them according to 
their water, their weight, and clearness. Then 
they bring them to the principal merchants, who 
have generally great parcels to match ; and the 
profit is divided among the children ecpially, only 
the chief among them has a fourth in the hundred 
more than the rest. Young as they are, they so 
2 c 
VOL. III. 
