THE HISTORY OF Jewels, And of the Principal Riches of the EAST and WEST. Taken from The Relation of Divers of the Most Famous Travellers of OUR AGE. Attended with FAIR DISCOVERIES Conducing to the knowledge of the UNIVERSE and TRADE. LONDON, Printed by T. N. for Hobart Kemp 〈…〉 Sign of the Ship in the 〈…〉 the New Exchange. 〈…〉 THE PREFACE. THere is nothing more admirable in this lower World than Precious Stones, seeing they are the Stars of the Earth, and shine in in competition with those of the Firmament, disputing with them for splendour, beauty, and glory. Nature produceth nothing more rich, and sufficiently confesseth it, in her most careful laying them up and hiding them in her private Cabinets and Repositories in the inner parts of the Earth, so that they are not easy to be come by; but their value and price make them worth the searching for, even through the bowels of the World. Amongst these the Diamond very well deserveth the first place, and surpasseth all in brightness and hardness, and cannot be wrought upon but by itself; the Blood of a Goat, contrary to the Opinion of the Ancients, having no power at all over it. The Ruby, whose lively Colour, and whose Fire, pierceth the Darkness of the Night, comes next the Diamond, and there be divers sorts of them. The Emerald with its lovely green delights our sight: After these come the Amethyst, the Saphyr, the Turcois, Sardonix, Chrysolite, Hyacinth, Opal, and others which deserve a particular esteem▪ The Sea hath likewise her riches as well as the Earth, she gives us Pearl, Coral, Ambergris, and Yellow, all which serve for Ornament, and are of considerable use in Physic. The Beast also do enclose riches in their bowels, and the Bezoar for its great commendation it receiveth, may very well be ranked with Precious Stones. Indigo, Silks, Shall Armoniac, Gum Lacca, Salpeter, and other such like things, are not the least Causes of Admiration, Metals, and chiefly Gold and Silver, currant nowadays in most parts of the World, the repose and torment of Mortals, their evil and welfare do hold likewise a considerable place amongst the Wonders of Nature, and should make us so much the more admire our Creator. We have divers Authors both Ancient and Modern, who have written of the nature of all these things, of their properties and use. But I have known none who have taken the care to observe exactly either the places whence they draw them, or how they are discovered, or their prices, or how they are prepared by any infallible Rule; of Diamonds, Pearls, and Rubies, in proportion to their quality and weight, which I find in my Opinion very worthy the inquiry of the Curious: for if we take delight to observe the situation of the Stars, and seek out the source of a River, I find no less pleasure to discover a Mine, to trace its Veins, and to know precisely those places of the Earth where the Diamonds are found, and where they fish for Pearl; and this is that which this History doth discover: For indeed the Diamond is only produced in Asia, and that but in a little corner of it; the Ruby in a Kingdom on the other side Ganges, little frequented by Europoeans; the Emerald in Peru a Region of America; the Turcois in Persia; the Pearl only in a few Seas of the East and West; the Coral in the straits; Yellow Amber upon the Coasts of Prussia; the true Bezoar only in the Indies, and so of the rest. In all these Inquiries I have laboured upon very good Observations and the nearest Relations of the most Famous Travellers of our Time; and this Work ought so much the rather to be received, by how much it seems to be seasonable, and shows the ways to those precious Mines of Asia, which hitherto have not been well known, and of those fertile Regions into which our most Powerful King hath a desire to establish Commerce, for the benefit and glory of his Subjects. A Table of the Chapters contained in this Treatise. CHAP. I. Of Diamonds, where mention is made 1. Of the Places from which they are brought. 2. Of the Manner how they seek for them. 3. Of the Knowledge of them and their price by a certain Rule. 4. Of the ways to come to the Mines. 5. Of the Kind's of Gold and Silver in the Indies. CHAP. II. Of Coloured Stones, where mention is made 1. Of the Places whence they are fetched. 2. Of the Price of Rubies. 3. Of Emeralds and the ancient Error touching their Bigness CHAP. III. Of Pearls, where mention is made 1. Of the Places where they are fished. 2. Of the manner how they fish for them. 3. Of their different Qualities. CHAP. IU. Of Coral, where mention is made 1. Of the Places where it is found. 2. Of the manner and time of fishing for it. CHAP. V. Of Yellow Amber, where mention is made 1. Of the Place where the Sea casts it out. 2. Of the manner how it is collected. 3. Of the Places where the greatest Traffic is for Coral and Amber. CHAP. VI Of Metals, Ambergris, Bezoar Indigo, and other rich Productions of the East and West. THE HISTORY OF Jewels. CHAP. I. Of DIAMONDS. AS the Diamond is the most rich production of Nature, and most prcous of all Jewels, so is it likewise the most Noble of all Commodities. Yet men do not enough admire it, because they know not the difficulties which must be encountered with in digging it out of those places where it is form, and freeing it from the gross matter that covers it. No man hitherto has exactly discoursed of this matter, or ventured to treat of it, but only upon relations, uncertain and of slender credit. But I have drawn this History from the most curious Observations of the most famous Travellers of our Age, whom I have discoursed with in divers places, and who have particularly busied themselves in the research of the Mines that afford the Diamonds and other Stones of colour; in which to speak true, they have omitted nothing, but have added remarks worthy to be transmitted to Posterity. 1. Let me therefore tell you, That none has been yet able in all the World to discover more than five places, from whence the Diamond is brought, viz. two Rivers and three Mines. The First of the two Rivers is in the Isle Borneo, under the Aequator, on the East of the Chersonesus of Gold, and is called Succadan. The Stones fetched from thence are usually clear and of a good Water, and almost all bright and brisk, whereof no other reason can be given, but that they are found at the bottom of a River amongst Sand which is pure, and hath no mixture or tincture of other Earth, as in other places. These Stones are not discovered till after the Waters which fall like huge Torrents from the Mountains, are all passed, and men have much to do to attain them, since few persons go to traffic in this Isle; and forasmuch as the Inhabitants do fall upon Strangers who come ashore, unless it be by a particular favour. Besides that, the Queen does rarely permit any to transport them; and so soon as ever any one hath found one of them they are obliged to bring it to her. Yet for all that they pass up and down, and now and then the Hollanders buy them in Batavia. Some few are found there, but the largest do not exceed five Carats, although in the year 1648, there was one to be sold in Batavia of 22 Carats. I have made mention of the Queen of Borneo, and not of the King, because that the Isle is always commanded by a Woman, for that People, who will have no Prince but what is legitimate, would not be otherwise assured of the birth of Males, but can not doubt of those of the Females, who are necessarily of the Blood Royal on their Mother's side, she never marrying, yet having always the Command. The second River is in the Kingdom of Bengala, and is called Nage, by the Name of a great Town, the Seat of a Prince, equally distant from Ougoulin, Pepeli, and Balacor, fifteen day's journey from all three. This Province hath a Raja, or a Duke in our Language, who is an Idolater, as are all his Subjects. This Raja, as also the Kings of Visapour and Golconda, are Tributaries to the Great mogul, and have been his Subjects, but took occasion to revolt from him, whilst they saw him busied against the Tartars. 'Tis from hence that the three Mines of Diamonds whereof I shall speak being found in the Countries of these Princes, are ordinarily said to be found in the Territories of the Great mogul. These Diamonds than are discovered in the Sand of a River, at the bottom and upon the Banks, after that the great Floods are passed, just as in the River of Borneo. They are fair, for the most part pointed, brisk, high, bright and large, and what we call nowadays of the Old Rock. But they are hard to come by, because the River affords but very few, and the juhabitants hold them at an high rate; and that which renders them still more rare, is the perfidiousness of those who sell them, who lay wait in the Woods for the Merchants who buy them, and fall upon them. Besides that, the Prince doth cruelly tyrannize over the poor people who come to search for them. In the year 1657 L'Escot of Orleans ventured to go thither, by reason that he had learned that the Raja had a Diamond of 42 Carats, he was courteously received by the Prince, who showed it to him and had a mind to sell it him, upon condition that L'Escot would pay for it in ready money: but the other having bargained beforehand and desiring they ●●ould deliver him the ●●one, and receive the mo●ey for it in any City of the ●ealm of Bengala, which ●●e Prince should like best, ●here the Hollanders had Bank, the Raja would ●ot consent thereto, and ●●e other went his way without buying of it. An Hol●●nder hath since got it from ●n unknown hand. The first of the three Mines from whence they ●etch the Diamond, is in the Land of the King of Visapour in the Province of Ca●natica, eight day's journe● from Visapour and five from Golconda. 'Tis but 20● years since it was discovered, and the City roun● about which it lieth is called Raolconda. Th● Stones are found in th● ground and on the Roc● Those which are taken fro● the Rock or the plac● thereabouts, are commonly of a good water. B●● for those which are take● from the Earth, their wat●● is somewhat of the Colo●● of that Earth where they a●● found, so that if the Earth ●e clear and a little gravel●y, the Diamonds will be of ● good water; and if it be ●at and black, or of an o●her Colour, they will likewise have some of the tincture of the same. But if there be any Black or Red Sand amongst the Earth, the Diamond also will have some of it. The Stones which are got from thence are for the most part Lasques, it is not because they are taken out so from the Earth, but it is because being stounded by the blow of the Lever that hits against the Rock, to dig out th● Gravel that is in the Vei●● where the Stone is found they assume an Ice just as Glass that is cracked; now t● remove it and make it clea● they cleave it, and the●● are the Stones they ca●● Lasque Stones, or Fl●● Stones; the which the Indians know better how t● perform than we, especially as to the business of cutting or cleaving, and finding the thread of the Stone Now if there remain any small point, they get it made with little fossets, to the end that the standing out of the fossets may cover the bruise or flaw; the truth is, if the Stone be clear, they do no more but polish it above and below, and shape ●t not, for fear of diminishing any thing from its weight. There are always more than an hundred and fifty Mills that work, and they put not above one Stone upon each wheel, till such ●ime they have found the way of the Stone, they water it incessantly, and when it begins to run, they take oil; their Wheels are of the bigness of our ordinary Plates, and each Wheel hath its Woman to turn it. The Traffic for Stones is free in paying two per Cent. to the King of whatsoever is sold, and no body dares do the least wrong to Strangers You may there see Children of ten or twelve years o●d in the Streets with thei● Weights at their Girdle, expecting the Miners, in hope to buy of them what Stone they have by stealth conveyed away. In the Evening 〈◊〉 these Children meet together, and setting the currant price upon each Stone they have bought, do divide the profit of it amongst them, and sell it all again to the great Merchants, who by little and little make large Collections. They match the Waters, and mix therewith always some Stone that has a point or flaw, which they cannot remove. They put their whole confidence in Strangers, especially the Francs, whereof very few come thither, and place such confidence in their faith, that they leave them sometimes great quantities of Diamonds of great value fifteen days together, without coming to see them, and by that means affording them all the leisure they can wish to consider well their merchandise, so that it is their own fault if they be cheated in it. The second Mine is called Colour in the Persian Language, and the Idolaters of the Country call it Gany. This is a large Town, near a great River, and they dig from the River to a Mountain about two Leagues from thence, and in the Mountain itself. This Mine hath been discovered but within 50 or 60 years, and is the place where they find the most part of the great Stones, whereas before that time they rarely met with any above twelve Carrats; but that at this day some are to be seen of threescore, an hundred, and of two hundred Carrats, Mirgimola Chief Minister of State, and General of the Armies of the King of Golconda, a man of great parts, much believed of his Master, who gave him the Title of Prince of Princes, though at length he proved a Traitor, presented the Great mogul, to whose side he turned, with a vast Stone of Nine hundred Carrats in weight: yet being full of flaws, it was reduced to 300 by Hortensius a Venetian Lapidary, who cut it, but could not do it so well, but there remained a flaw in it, which makes it something unhandsome. 'Tis also to be observed, that just as at the Mine of Visapour, the Stones in this also do partake of the quality of the Earth from whence they are brought; so that if the Earth be marshy and moist, the Stone inclines to black; if it be reddish, the Stone inclines to be red; for from the Town to the Mountain there is great difference of Mould: and upon the greatest part of these Stones, after they are cut, there appears always as it were a piece of grease, which makes you ever and anon put your hand to your Handkerchief to▪ wipe it off. We will observe by the way that whereas we make use of the day to examine rough Stones, and to judge well of their water, and of the points that may be found therein, the Inhabitants of the Country make use of the night, and in an hole which they make in the Wall a foot square, where they put a Lamp with a great Match, holding the Stone in their Fingers between their Eyes and the Lamp, they make an estimate of the water and clearness of the Diamond. We must not forget that the Celestial water (as they call it) is of all waters for a Diamond most unpleasing, and that it is impossible to know it so long as the Stone is rough; but after that it is a little discovered upon the Wheel, the infallible secret to judge well of its water, is to carry it under a Shady Tree, for under its green shade you may easily discover if it be blue. Formerly there have been reckoned at this Mine Sixty thousand Miners and upwards, but in the year 1660 there was not a Stone scarce worth looking upon, and not above Three thousand Laborers in the Mines, all the rest being dead with hunger and misery; for each Miner has but Five Crowns a year, and they are certainly the most miserable people upon Earth. The Land is also very barren, and if it could but produce Pulse, the people would not trouble themselves to gather Diamonds. Those who pay the Miners, make them work as much as they please, and take as much as they please of the Earth▪ without searching it; but after they have begun to search into it, they owe to the King a Pagode, which is worth two Crowns of our Money, for the whole time till they cease to work. The Third and last Mine was discovered in the year 1448, two days journey from Raolconda, and the place is called Gazerpoli; the Stones there are very clear and of a good water, but cannot be ground but with the Stones of the same Mine: Otherwise, if they should make use of Stones of another Mine, these last would be bruised: They are likewise apt to break upon the Wheel, and they who are not versed in the knowledge of Stones, may easily be deceived in them. A Portuguefe retiring to Venice, was desired, passing by Legorn, to sell one of those Stones which he had, for which they offered him Twelve thousand Crowns; he would not part with it at that rate, and bringing it to Venice to get it cut, it broke upon the Wheel into fifteen or twenty pieces. Besides these two Rivers and three Mines, there be also some other Mines towards the Cape of Comorin, of which I will make mention in a few words. In the year 1652 the Nababe, who is as the Grand Visier in Turkey, the Etmaldoulet in Persia, and Constable in France, and the same Mirgimola of whom I spoke even now, was at the Siege of Indecote, a very strong place in the Province of Carnatica, by reason of its situation; which he took notwithstanding in two Month's time. There were some French in his service, yet more English and Hollanders, who had deserted their Colours and come over to him, all able Gunners; the poor wretches of the Country having never heard the noise of these Engines, were quite surprised at it, and rendered themselves forthwith to their discretion. Indecote is 35 days journey from Masselipatan, inclining towards the Cape of Comorine, and 16 from Golconda. This is one of the fairest and best Countries of all the Indies, and every where all the Country is green, full of Rivers and Lakes, to water the Land where need requires. It was during this Siege that they brought to Nababe a great number of Diamonds of the six Mines he had caused to be digged towards the Cape of Comorin: yet there was ne'er a Stone of a good water, they were either yellow or black: and after that Nababe had viewed them, he forbade them to dig any more, and gave order that these people should return to their labour, by which they brought more profit to the King then by working in the Mines; being they found not one good Stone there. 2. I come now to the manner of finding the Diamond, and especially how it is performed in the Mine of Colour. The Miners sink a Pit of about fifteen or twenty foot square, and throw the Earth about it upon a clean place, almost of the same largeness, raising a little wall of a foot and half, to keep up the earth and water which they cast in there; after this they wash and stamp and tread the earth with their feet in two or three waters, to the end that all the fat and muddy earth may run through the holes made in the wall, and that there remain nothing but sand. The sand being dry, they beat it with Pestles of Wood, that they may better perceive and discover the Diamonds; heretofore they made use of Instruments of Stone, but they left them so soon as ever they were perceived to cause flaws in the Diamonds. At length they sit them down all on a row upon the earth in the posture of Tailors, and seek out with all acurateness the Stones amongst the sand. Whilst they be at this exercise, several Commissioners stand up with their eyes fixed upon the Workmen, for fear least when they find a Stone, they should swallow it cunningly down. When a Miner has found a big one, he runneth to the Master, who set him on work, to receive his reward for it, which is ordinarily a piece of Linen of a Crown value. 3. We are now to touch upon the price of Diamonds in proportion to their weight, which is not the least considerable article of this Chapter; and although some have writ copiously of this Subject, and set down what Rules ought to be observed, yet here I also present a very easy and most certain one in favour of the curious. Some imagine that the Indians and Merchants who employ Workmen in the Diamond Mines, are ignorant o● these Rules, as also of all Arithmetic, but without reason; for on the contrary they are so experienced therein, that having the Rules always in their head, there is not the least young boy of fifteen years of age who is not able to give an account on the sudden, without Pen or Paper, of the most difficult question that can be put to him. Besides, as it is more difficult to judge of the water of a Stone, and of the points and flaws that may be found therein, when it is rough than when it is wrought, these Indians show themselves much more knowing than we, to know the price of any Stone whatsoever, which they are able to tell presently, by calculating with themselves without Pen or Chalk, which is enough to make their sagacity to be admired; this is then the Rule they make use of as well as we, They take a Stone of 10 Carats, which they multiply by the number of 10, the Product whereof is 100 Afterwards they consider the Stone, whether it be clean and perfect, or if there be any defect in it; if it be perfect, say they, if we had one Stone perfect of one Carat only in weight, it would be worth for example according to its perfection, from 40 to 60 Crowns: If the water of it be not good, or if there be any flaw or ice, in a Stone of one Carat of the same nature, it would not be worth for example above from 10 to 30 Crowns; then they multiply again the aforesaid product of 100, by so much as they judge the Carat worth, and that which is the product of this, is the price of the Stone proposed. Let this then be the example of a perfect Stone of 10 Carats▪ at the rate of 60 Crowns the Carat. This an example of a Stone of 15, which may have some imperfection, at 20 Crowns the Carat. The Indians have the same Rule, only they transpose the multiplication; for they multiply first of all the price of a Carat of the Stone propounded by the number of Carats it weighs, and the product again by the number of the aforesaid Carats. Let this be the Example following. Another Example. 4. For the satisfaction of such as would go to the Mines, we must speak also something of the ways that lead to them; which modern relations, somewhat fabulous, make so dangerous and difficult, and represent them to us pestered with Tigers, Lions, and Cruel Men, but Travellers have found the contrary, excepting only some Wild Beasts, the Inhabitants being courteous to Strangers. As for Golconda, he must be very little acquainted with the Map, who knows not the situation of it; but from Golconda to the Mines, the way is less known, they measure the ways there by the Gossip, one Gossip making four French Leagues. They reckon from Golconda to Canapour, Gossip 1. From Canapour to Parquel, God's 2 ½. From Parquel to Caquenol, Goseling 1. From Caquenol to Canol-Condonor, Goes 3. From Canol-Condonor to Jettapour, God's 1 From Jettapour to the River, God's 2. This River is upon the Frontiers of the Kingdoms of Golconda and Visapour. From the River to Alpour, Goes 2 ¾. From Alpour to Canol, God's ¾. From Canol to Raolconda, where the Mine is, God's 2 ½. So that in all from Golconda to the Mine, it is about 15 Gossip, which comes to 60 French Leagues. From Golconda to the Mine of Colour or Gani, by the same Gossip, they count God's 13 ¾, which is 55 French Leagues; this is the way, From Golconda to Almaspinde, Goes 3. From Almaspinde to Kaper, God's 2. From Kaper to Montecour, God's 2 ½. From Montecour to Naglepar, God's 2. From Naglepar to Eligada, God's 1 ½. From Eligada to Sarvaron, Goes 1. From Sarvaron to Mellazerou, Goseling 1. From Mellazeron to Ponocour, God's 1 ¼. From Ponocour to Colour or Gany, there is only the River to pass. 5. It remains to speak of the Pieces which are currant in India, with which the Diamonds are bought, viz. Roupies and Pagodes; a Rupee is worth twenty eight pence of our Money; as for the Pagodes there be two sorts of them, the new and the old; the new are worth three Roupies and an half, and the old a Rupee more. In the Realm of Bengala, in the Country of the Raja, being they are Tributaties to the Grand mogul, Payments are made in Roupies. At the two Mines that are upon the Lands of the King of Visapour, about Raolconda, payment is made in new Pagodes, which the King gets stamped, because although he be tributary to the Great mogul, he causeth his own money to be coined, a Privilege which he hath above the King of Golconda, of which I shall speak hereafter. These Pagodes rise and fall according to the course of Trade, and according as the Merchants do bargain with the Princes and Governors. At the Mine of Colour or Gani, which belongs to the King of Golconda, payment is made after the same manner in new Pagodes, which are valued as those of the King of Visapour; but they must sometimes be bought from 1 to 4 per Cent. more, the reason is because they are of the best Gold, and they will have none but such. These Pagodes are coined by the English and Hollanders, who have had the Privilege from the King by grant or by force, I know not; now those of the Hollanders being fairer than those of the English, the Miners love them better than the others; which is the reason why they are bought for more by 1 or 2 per Cent. yet being the Merchants are aware of this false opinion they are imposed upon by, and because these people at the Mines are rude and savage, and that at the best the ways are somewhat dangerous from Golconda to the Mine, they stay commonly at Golconda, where the Merchants who cause them to dig, have their Correspondence, and whither they usually send the Diamonds, which are to be paid for at such time in old Pagodes stamped long since with the Coin of divers Princes who reigned in the Indies before the mahometans took footing there. Now these old Pagodes are worth as (I said) four Roupies and an half, a Rupee more than the new; which comes to six pence of our money more than a Ducat, though there be no more Gold in them than in the new ones, and weigh no more: the which might administer cause of wonder, if we did not know the reason, which is this, that the Cherafs or Money-Changers, to oblige the King not to get them coined over again, give him a great sum yearly, because they draw from thence a considerable benefit; for the Merchants do not receive any of these Pagodes, without having one of these Money-Changers to examine them, some of them being defaced, others of low rate, others which are not weight; and there ought to be allowed a quarter per cent. for what they want. When you pay the Miners, they receive not your Pagodes, but in presence also of the Changer, who certifies them of what is good or bad, and he again allows his quarter per cent. But to dispatch the sooner, when they would make any payment that is considerable, as a thousand o● two thousand Pagodes, the Changer in allowing him hi● right, puts them up in a little Bag, with a Bill of its mark, and when you would pay the Miner, you carry them to the Cheraf, together with the Bag, and finding its mark entire, he assures the Miner that he hath examined the whole, and that he will be responsible for what is not good. Now as for Roupies, they take indifferently those of the Great mogul, and those of the King of Golconda, because those which the King causes to be stamped, are to be according to the Great Mogul's Coin, as is agreed upon between them. And to show you that these Indians have more wit and more subtlety than any one would think, the Pagodes being little pieces of thick Gold, of the bigness only of the nail of the little finger, and it being upon that account impossible to clip them, they have the art to make little holes in them round about, from whence they may get two or three pence of the powder of Gold, after which they beat them down again handsomely, that it may not appear that any one has touched them. Moreover, when you buy any thing in a Village, or when you pass a River, if you give them a Roupy, they presently kindle a fire, and having cast it into it, if it cometh out white, they take it, if it cometh out black, they restore it to you again; for all the Coin in the Indies is without Alloy, and if any of it be brought thither out of Europe, it must be carried to the Mint to be new coined. We must add, that those people are deceived, who do imagine that it sufficeth to carry Looking-Glasses to the Mines, or Tobacco and such like Toys, to truck them for Diamonds; our Travellers find the quite contrary, and they desire there the best and fairest Gold. Besides, it is a thing undeniable, that as Gold is the most heavy and richest of all Metals, so is the Diamond the most hard and most precious of all Stones; and it is a Vulgar Error of Ancient Authors, to believe that the Diamond may be softened by the Blood of a Bull; which is contrary to the experience of Lapidaries. To conclude, and to forget nothing in this Chapter, 'tis to be observed, That the Diamond in the Miners Language is called Iri, and in Turkish, Persian, and Arabian, 'tis called Almas, but in all the Languages of Europe there is no other Name besides Diamond. I come to Coloured Stones, and particularly to the Ruby and the Emerald, which hold amongst Jewels a very considerable place. CHAP. II. Of Coloured Stones. THere are discovered but two places in the Indies from whence they bring Coloured Stones, viz. in the Realm of Pegu and in the Island of Ceylan. The first is from a Mountain about 12 day's journey from Ava, inclining to the N. East, which they call Capelan, and it is the Mine from whence they bring the greatest quantities of Rubies and Espinelles, otherwise Mother of Rubies, Yellow Topazes, Blue and White Saphires, and other Stones of different Colours, amongst which they find also some of divers Colours, yet very tender, which they call Bacan in that Country Language, Siren is the City where the King of Pegu hath his Residence, and Ava is the Port to his Country; from Ava to Siren they go up the River in great Flat-bottomed Boats, in which Voyage they spend at least thirty days. They cannot go thither by Land, because of the thick Woods full of Lions, Tigers, and Elephants, and in a word it is one of the poorest Countries in the World. Nothing comes thence but Rubies, and not in so great quantities as is believed, seeing that every year there comes not out to the value of an hundred thousand Crowns, and amongst them you'll very rarely find a Stone of four or five Carrats that is fair, considering the Prohibition against exporting any parcels which the King hath not seen, who keepeth the good ones, if he findeth any; so that there is a considerable profit in bringing one of them out of Europe into Asia: from whence we may judge whither the relation of Vincent le Blane be true, wherein he boasts to have seen some as he entered into the Country of the bigness of Eggs. 2. The price of Rubies, which cometh next the Diamond in dignity, goes thus: They weigh them by the Rati, and one Rati maketh 7/8 of our Carrát. A Ruby at the Mine of the weight of one Rati, hath been bought for old Pagodes 20. Of 2 Rati Pagod 100 Of 3 Rati Pagod 250. Of 4 Rati Pagod 500 Of 5 Rati Pagod 900. Of 6 Rati Pagod 1500. Of 7 Rati Pagod 2300. Of 12 Rati Pagod 1200. The second place of the Indies from whence they bring Stones of Colour, is in a great River of the Isle Ceylon; they are found in the sand at low water, three or four months after the rains have past, and the poor people are employed in seeking for them. The Stones which they ordinarily find there are clear, more lively than those of Pegu, and of a very high colour, especially the Topaz. As for Granats and Crystal they▪ find a great quantity of them. At such time as Don Philippo Mascarini was Governor of those places which the King of Portugal had in the Isle of Ceylon, the Chief of which was Columbo, he who since was Viceroy of Goa, he caused all the Movables of a Chamber to be made of Crystal, viz. Bed, Chairs, Table▪ Cabinet, etc. 'Tis true that in Europe there are also two other places from which they bring Stones of Colour, that is to say, from Bohemia and Hungaria; from this they bring Opales, and in the other there be Rubies, which they take out of the middle of certain Flints after they be broken; these Flints are like to the Stones of Firelocks inclining towards red, some as big as the fist, some less; but many of them may be broken before you find one Ruby. When the Son of the Emperor Ferdinand 2. was crowned King of Bohemia, General Wallestein presented the Governor of Raab at Prague with a great Basket full of these Flints, to the number of above two hundred: This Lord caused some of these to be broken, but not finding more than one small Ruby of the weight of half a Carrat, he made them leave the others unbroken. The curious Reader will not find it tedious, to know further from whence they fetch the Lapis and Granate, I cannot tell the reason why they have given the Name of Syrien to this, seeing it was never found in Syria, but far from thence thirty days journey from Labour to the North East, in the Country of a Raja, who depends neither of the Great mogul nor of the Tartar, in a Mountain, the Southern part whereof produceth Gold; that which respects the North, produces the Granat, and the East part affordeth the Lapis Lazuli, for the Turkoise every one knoweth that it is found in Persia in the Province of Chamaquay, the chief place whereof is Maschec, to the North of Hispaham, towards Candahar. There are there two Mines, one they call the Old Rock, the other the New; those of the New are but of a bad blue, inclining to white, and little esteemed, and it is free for any man to take as many of them as he pleaseth. But the King of Persia some years since forbade the digging in the Old for any besides himself, because having no Goldsmiths but such who work in thread, and are wholly ignorant how to enamel upon Gold, as people who know neither the design nor manner of it, they make use for the garnishing of their Swords and Poniards and other Works of these Turkoises, instead of enamel, and cause them to be cut and set in the Bearit of Rings, according to the Flowers and other Figures that do best please him. This showeth well enough and is elaborate, but without any curious Design. 'Tis an ancient error of many to believe that the Emerald is found in the East, and because before the discovery of the West Indies none could guests otherwise of it, still to this day the greatest part of Jewellers and Goldsmiths, so soon as ever they spy an Emerald of an high colour inclining to black, are wont to say it is an Oriental Emerald; wherein they are altogether mistaken, since that the East never produced any such. I grant that before the discovery of America, the Emeralds were brought from the East, but they came from the source of the West-Indies, from the Realm of Peru. For these people before we knew them, did traffic in all the Molucco Islands, whither they brought Gold and Silver, yet more Silver than Gold, being that there is more profit in the one than in the other, by reason of the Gold Mines that are found in the Eastern Parts. Still to this day the same Trade continues, and those of Peru pass yearly to the Philippine Isles with two or three Vessels, whither they bring nothing but Gold and a small quantity of Emeralds; and as for the Emeralds, within this few years they have left carrying any thither, but send them all into Europe. In the year 1660 they afforded them in the East for more than twenty per Cent. cheaper than they were valued at in France. These Americans being come ashore in the Philippines, those of Bengala, Arachan, Pegu, Goa, and other places, bring thither all sorts of Linen and a number of Cut Stones, as Diamonds and Rubies, together with divers Works of Gold, Stuffs of Silk and Persian Tapestry. But 'tis to be observed, that they can sell nothing directly to those of Peru, but to such who reside in Manilla they can, and these again retail them to the Americans; nay if any one obtain permission to return from Goa to Spain, by the way of the South Sea, he will be forced to put out his money to interest at fourscore or an hundred per Cent. to the Philippines, without being able to buy any thing, and to do with it after the same manner from the Philippines to New Spain. Now this was the way of trafficking for Emeralds before the West Indies were found out, they came into Europe only by this way and vast compass. Whatsoever was not good remained in that Country, and what was fair passed into Asia. The Holy Scripture makes mention of the Emerald, as of a precious Jewel, and placeth it amongst the rich Stones that the Highpriest wore in his Ephod, and those which adorned the Walls of the New Jerusalem. Heretofore the Emerald has been had in great esteem, and came after the Pearl: Nowadays none makes so much account of it, in regard of the great quantities are brought every year from the Indies. The truth is men so much account of rare things, that they quite undervalue such as they perceive common; and I will relate to you a Story upon this account. At the beginning of the discovery of the Indies, a Spaniard was in Italy, and demanding of a Lapidary the price of an Emerald, which he showed him, he considering it very well, and finding it a goodly one, told him it was worth a hundred Ducats: Whereupon the Spaniard being very glad, carried him to his Lodgings, and showed him a Cabinet full of them. The Italian, who saw so great a number of these Emeralds, told him that as for those they were well worth Crowns apiece. Thus it fares with all things which the abundance makes cheap, and whereto rarity adds a price. Pliny amongst divers excellencies of the Emerald, says, that there is nothing more delightful nor recreative to the sight; and reporteth that Laelia a Roman Dame had Head-Cloaths and a Gown embroidered with Pearls and Emeralds, in which she laid out to the value of Four hundred thousand Ducats. But she might have had as many nowadays for less than half the Money. Many are found in several places of America, and the Kings of Mexico, who esteemed them very much, were usually wont to pierce their Nostrils, and there to hang an excellent Emerald; they put them also upon the Faces of their Idols. The places where they have found them, and where still to this day they find the great. abundance, is the New Kingdom of Granada and Peru, near to Manta and Portviel, there is towards that place a Territory called, The Land of Emeralds, by reason of the great number known to be found there; but hitherto this Region has not been fully conquered. The Emerald is bred in Quarries, just as the Crystal, and runs along, as it were making a Vein, and grows finer and finer, or thicker and thicker, by degrees. We see some half white and half green, some all white, some quite green and most perfect; some we may see of the bigness of a Nut and bigger, yet none come near the bigness and figure of the Plate or Jewel which is at Genova, unless we believe Theophrastus, who allows four els in length and three in breadth to the Emerald, which the King of Babylon presented to the King of Egypt: And who doth further report that there was in the Temple of Jupiter an Aguglia Needle or Pyramid, made of four Stones of Emerald, forty Cubits long, and in some places four Cubits broad; and that at his time there was at Tyre in the Temple of Hercules a great Pillar of Emerald, perhaps it was nothing else but a Green Stone that was a Bastard Emerald, to which they gave this Name falsely: As some say that certain Pillars of the Cathedral Church of Cordova are of Emerald Stones, and were put there since the time it served instead of a Mosk to the Kings of the Moors, who reigned in those places. In the Fleet which came from the the Indies in the year 1587., there were two great Chests of Emeralds, from whence we may judge of the great quantity which is found in America. In a word, as there is nothing but the rarity that gives value to things, so the price of the Emerald would be much enhanced, if it were as rare as the Diamond. CHAP. III. Of PEARLS. THe Pearl hath been at all times so much esteemed, that the Gospel does not disdain by this to represent to us the Excellency of the Kingdom of Heaven, and it belonged formerly only to Royal Persons to wear them; without dispute 'tis one of the richest productions of Nature, and if we believe the Naturalists, Pearl is engendered of the dew of heaven in those parts of the Earth where it is most pure and serene: And the Cockle opening at the first Rays of the Sun to receive those precious drops, plungeth into the Sea with its booty, and conceives in its Shell the Pearl which resembles the heavens, and imitateth its clearness; this admirable Pearl, which men seek with so much industry: so that heaven does visibly contribute to its generation, and impresses the most Celestial Virtues and Qualities which Physic was ever able to boast of, and whereof she makes use for a Sovereign Remedy: yet for all that all the World does not agree as to this with the Ancient Naturalists, and the sequel of this Discourse will make appear that they are deceived in some things. But before we speak of the manner how they fish for Pearl and of their different Qualities, we must make report of the divers places of the World where they are found. First of all than they have discovered four Fishing Places for Pearl in the East, the most considerable is performed in the Isle of Bahrens in the Persian Golph; the which appertains to the Sophy of Persia, who receives thence a great Revenue. While the Portugals were Masters of Ormus and Mascati, every Vessel which went to fish was obliged to take a Passport from them at a dear rate; and they maintained always five or six small Galleys in the Gulf, to sink those Barks which took no Passports; but at present they have no farther power upon those Coasts, and each Fisher payeth to the King of Persia not above one third of what they gave to the Portugals. The second Fishing is over against Bahrens upon the Coast of Arabia Foelix, near to the City of Catif, which belongeth to an Arabian Prince who commandeth that Province. The most part of the Pearls which are fished in these two places, are carried into India, because that the Indians are not so hard, but give a better price for them than we; they are therefore carried thither, the unequal▪ as well as the round, the yellow as well as the white; every one according to its rate▪ some of them also are sold at Balsora, and those which are transported into Persia and Moscovy, are sold at Bandarcongue two day's journey from Ormus. They fish twice in a year in the Months of March and April, and in the Months of August and September; the depth where they fish is from four to twelve fathoms, and the deeper the Oyster is found, the Pearls are the whiter, because the water is not so hot there, the Sun not being able to penetrate so deep. The third fishing is by the Isle of Ceylon, at a place which is called Manar; the Pearls which are found there, are of a good water but small, and the greatest do not surpass two Carrats, and it is seldom that they are found of that weight, but in recompense of this there is great quantity of Seed Pearl fit to powder. The fourth and last Fishing in the East is at Japan; the Pearls▪ there are of a water white enough and heavy, but unequal: those of Japan sell them all to the Holland Company, for they make no account, as I shall let you know in order, of any Jewel. In the West are discovered five Pearl Fishings, the first is in the Island Margarita two and twenty leagues from the firm land; this Isle is thirty five leagues about and hath a good Haven towards the North; at the East point it is all encompassed with rocks: it is fruitful enough, but there is want of water: and the inhabitants go up into the Country to furnish themselves with it, yet there are great store of cattle, and it beareth Maize and other things necessary for those who live there. The second Fishing was discovered in the year 1496, by the Isle of Cubagua, a league from the former, in the Gulf of Mexico; it is in ten degrees and an half of Northern Latitude, an hundred and threescore Leagues from St. Domingo in Hispaniola, and an hundred from Santa Cruz, one of the Careeby Islands, and four Leagues from the Province of Aria, which is part of the Continent; it is much less than Margarita, without cattle or any other thing which may serve for the sustenance of man; particularly it wanteth water, but the inhabitants are furnished from the Continent, from a River called Comana, seven Leagues from New Cadis. This Island Cubagua was discovered by that famous Genovese Christopher Columbus, who having perceived a small Boat with some Fishers in it, and a Woman who had three rows of fair Pearl about her Neck, said to his Companions, That he thanked God he had now discovered the most rich Country in the World. He broke an Earthen Plate of divers Colours, and for a piece or two of it this Woman gave him very willingly a row of these Pearls, and for another Plate he received many others, and I darned of the Indians the place and manner of their Fishing for Pearls. The third is at Comana, near the Continent. The fourth is called Comanagote, twelve Leagues from the former. The fifth and last is at the Isle of St. Martha, threescore Leagues from the River La Hache▪ All the Pearls of these five Fishings are of a white water, weak, dry, faint, milky, or leady; not but that they find some fair ones, but they have not so live a water as those of the East; in recompense they are great ones, in weight from eighteen to forty two Carrats, and are almost all of the shape of a Pear. These Five Fishings of which I have spoken, are all in the North Sea, but they find also great quantities in the South Sea near to Panama, they are long rather than round, but not so fair as the other, and ordinarily are somewhat black; for the Indians opened the Oyster by Fire, till Vasques Nugnez taught the Cacique to open them without it; and since they find the Pearls whiter. Experience teacheth us that Oysters change their places as well as other Fish, and that they pass sometimes to one side of the Island and sometimes to the other. It is is a considerable curiosity to know how they fish for Pearls, seven, eight, or nine men at most go in one Bark, two of which descend to the bottom of the Sea, six, nine, or twelve fathoms doep. About the Isles of Margarita and Cubagua, the water is very cold, but the greatest difficulty in fishing, is holding the breath under water, sometimes a quarter of an hour or longer; and that these poor Slaves may the better endure it, they feed them with dry meats and in a little quantity, avarice putting them upon these abstinences; but besides this, they use other expedients, they put upon their Nose little Pincers made of Buffalo's Horn, which stoppeth their Nostrils: they stuff their Ears with Cotton Wool. Others hold Oil in their Mouths, especially those who cannot hold their breath long. Others hold their Mouth under their Armpits, and after that manner breath two or three times under water. There is a Sack of Stones or Sand tied to each of their Feet, to make them sink straight to the bottom, and another Bag tied about their Waste, to put their Oysters in; there is a Cord fastened under their Armpits, held by them who remain in the Boat, and they under water hold another Cord in their hands, which they draw, to give notice to those in the Boat, that they can now hold their breath no longer, and that they must draw them up quickly. When they have found a thousand or two of these Oysters, they sell them at adventure, without knowing what is within them, the Meat of the Oyster is without relish, and of very ill digestion; and is so far from being so good to eat as the meat of our Oysters of Spain, or those of England, that the very Fishermen disdain them, and seldom eat any of them. Acosta in the Fourth Book of his History, glorieth that he had eat of these Oysters; and found Pearls in the middle of them. When the night cometh, the Fishermen retire to the Island, and carry the Oysters home to him who employeth them. Upon the opening they find in some none, in others from one to six Pearls more or less, and in some great number of grains, which we call Seed-pearl. These Oyster-shels are within of a lively colour towards an Azure, they make Spoons of them and other Toys, such as we call Mother of Pearl. The Pearls are of very different forms, bigness, figure, colour, and polish, and differ also much in their price. It was an error of the Ancients, as of Isidorus and Albertus Magnus, to believe that the Pearl was bred by the dew of heaven, seeing that they are fished out of the Sea so deep, as twelve fathoms; as also to think that there is but one found in an Oyster, seeing that in some there are five or six, in which Pliny also disagreeth with them, while he relateth what Aelius Stilo writeth; how that in the war of Jugurtha they gave the Name of Vniones to all great Pearls; and that he had seen four or five in one Oyster. It is true, that seldom two of the same form, greatness, and colour, are found in the same Oyster; and for this reason, as the same Pliny writeth, the Romans called them Vniones. When it happeneth that two are found which resemble one another perfectly, it increaseth their price very much; and it may be those two famous ones of the Queen Cleopatra were of this sort; each of which were valued at an hundred thousand Ducats: with one of these that prodigal Princess won the wager she laid with Mark Anthony, that she would spend above an hundred thousand Ducats at one Supper; she dissolved it in Vinegar and drank it off at the latter end of Supper; the other was cut into two pieces and carried to Rome to the Pantheon, to adorn the Statue of Venus. The Pearls of those Oysters which stick to the Rocks, are greater than those which are in the Sand or Mud; and those which are found in the Mud incline somewhat to a dark colour; for the rest, as the Pearl seemeth to depend on the air as well as the water, if in that time when the Oyster breedeth the Pearl, the air be cloudy, it inclineth to be black; if the sky be clear, it is the whiter. The Pearls grow by little and little in an Oyster, as the Eggs in a Pullet, so that the greatest come forward towards the orifice or opening, while the small ones remain at the bottom, until they are brought to perfection. And lastly, the Pearls grow old and wrinkled, and by consequence become less beautiful, by losing of their lustre. Scotland also produceth some Pearls, but such as are not of the value and beauty of the Oriental Pearls. One curious and intelligent in these matters, furnished me with the following Rule for the price of Pearls according to their weight. A Pearl weighing 1 Grain, is worth 1 Crown. 2 4 3 9 A Pearl weighing 1 Carrat, is worth 16 Crowns. 1 ¼ 25 1 ½ 36 1 ¾ 49 2 Carats, 64 2 ¼ 81 2 ½ 100 2 ¾ 121 3 Carats, 144 3 ¼ 169 3 ½ 196 3 ¾ 225 4 Carats, 256 4 ¼ 289 4 ½ 324 4 ¾ 361 5 Carrats, 400 5 ¼ 441 5 ½ 484 5 ¾ 529 6 Carrats, 576 6 ¼ 625 6 ½ 675 6 ¾ 729 7 Carrats, 784 7 ¼ 841 7 ½ 900 7 ¾ 960 8 Carrats, 1024 CHAP. IV. Of CORAL. ALthough that Coral and Yellow Amber are not ranked amongst Jewels, yet they very well deserve a place in this History, because both of them have something admirable in them, and serve for Ornament, nay some Nations have the same esteem for these as we have for Pearls and Diamonds. There will then be three things to consider in this Chapter, the Places where they fish for the Coral, the manner how they fish, and the Countries where it is sold at the best rates. First, There are three Fishings for Coral upon the Coasts of Corsica and Sardinia, one called Argueil, which is the best and fairest; the second called Baza, the third is near to the Island of St. Peter. That which groweth upon the Coast of Corsica is of the fairest colour and longest. Upon the Coast of Africa there are two other Fishings, that near to the Bastion of France and that of Tabarca. The Coral of this is big enough and long, but of a pale colour. There is another Fishing upon the Coast of Sicily, near to Drepanum, the Coral of which is small, but of a very good colour. Another on the Coast of Catania, by Cape Quires, where the Coral is thick and of an excellent colour, but the Branches are very short. There is also another Fishing in the Isle of Majorca, where the Coral is of the same nature with that of Corsica, so that the Coral, if not only, is chiefly found in the Mediterranean Sea. Let us now come to the manner of Fishing for it: The Coral groweth under hollow Rocks, at the foot of which the Sea is deep, so that the Fishers proceed thus: They fasten crosswise two great Pieces of Timber, and place a great Piece of Lead in the middle, to make them sink; afterwards they tie Hemp about the Timber, and wreath it about negligently to the thickness of an Inch; they tie to the Wood two Ropes, one hangeth at the Prow and the other at the Poop of the Vessel; and so as they run along by the Rocks, they let go the Wood, and the Hemp windeth itself about the Coral. There is need many times of fifteen or twenty Boats to draw up the Pieces of Timber, but by plucking up the Coral thus by force, there falleth as much into the Sea as can be drawn out; and the bottom being ordinarily of Ouse or Mud, the Coral is corroded continually, as if it were wormeaten; so that the sooner it is drawn up, the less waste is made of it: some think Coral to be soft under water, though it be really hard; yet true it is that at certain months of the year there is drawn from the end of the branch by pressing it, a kind of Milk, like that out of a Woman's Breast, which may very well be the seed of the Coral, the which falling upon something or other in the Sea, accidentally produceth another branch of Coral, as it hath been really found upon a Skull and upon the Blade of a Sword. The Fishing of Coral is performed from the beginning of April to the end of July, and commonly two hundred Barks and upwards are employed to that effect, seven men and a boy in each. They are built all along the Coast of Genoa, are very light, and bear so great sail, that no Men of War can bear up with them; and it is by this means they escape the Corsairs. The Fishing is performed forty miles along the Shore, over against certain Capes that jet out; where they presume there is Rocks under water. There was lately to be seen at Marseilles, in a Shop where they deal in Coral, a piece of the bigness of ones Fist, which they cut in two, because it was somewhat wormeaten, and there was found within it a Worm which stirred, and lived some months, being put again into its hole. 'Tis observable that round about some branches of Coral there is bred as it were a Sponge resembling Cells, wherein there lie small Worms like Bees, so much Nature pleases herself in the diversity of her productions. We must finish this Chapter by a pretty curious Observation: Those of Japan contrary to all the rest of the World, make no account of Pearls or Precious Stones, and all their Jewels consist in a grain of Coral. Now as they carry by their sides a great Bag, such as our Mechanics wear, so is he the best man, that hath the biggest grain of Coral to slip in his Purse String of Silk; and to him who can bring them one of the bigness of an Egg, they will not only give a thousand Crowns, but fifteen or twenty thousand, or whatsoever he shall demand. Moreover, throughout all Asia, and especially towards the North in the Great Mogul's Dominions, and beyond the Mountains of Tartary, part of which hath lately conquered China; the bravery of the Common sort of People is of Coral, and they wear it as well about their Necks as upon their Arms and and Legs; and so much for Coral. CHAP. V. Of Yellow Amber. YEllow and White Amber are found no where in abundance, but only upon the Banks of Prussia, the Sea throwing it up time after time at certain Winds. The Elector of Brandenbourgh lets out all these Coasts, and the Farmers do there maintain Guards, who lie all along the Coast, to the end none may take it away, which is very Criminal; the Sea casts up the Amber sometimes on one side sometimes on the other. As I have made an Observation of Coral, in respect of Japan, so I must make another of Amber in respect of China. When any great Lord makes a considerable Feast, to show his magnificence and splendour, at the close of the Feast they bring into the Hall three or four Perfuming Pots, upon which they throw a large quantity of Amber, sometimes to the value of a thousand Crowns and upwards; seeing the more there is burnt of it, so much the greater splendour it adds to him who treats. Besides they make use of it after this manner, because Amber thrown into the Fire, giveth a certain Smell which is not unpleasant, and because the Flame excels all other Flames. Hence it is that Amber is one of the best Merchandices that one can bring into China, and whereof the Holland Company does reserve to themselves the particular Commerce, the Chineses coming to buy of them in Batavia. I leave to Naturalists to treat of the Proprieties of Yellow Amber, which is not the Subject of our Discourse. CHAP. VI Of Metals, Ambergris, Bezoar, Indigo, and other rich Productions of the East and West. ALthough nothing that appears in this Title may come into the List of Jewels, any more than Yellow Amber or Coral; yet I may touch upon them as things the most precious which we receive from the East and West. Metals are like Plants hidden in the Bowels of the Earth, and there is some resemblance between them in the manner of their production. Minerals. have branches and a trunk from whence they grow, and great and small Veins, which are bound together, and do seem to imitate Vegetables. These Minerals are produced by the virtue and force of the Sun and the other Planets, and in a long space of time are increased and multiplied in these obscure Caverns; but there is this difference in the Earth which brings forth Plants, and that which produceth Minerals, that this is fat and fertile, for the nourishment of that which it sendeth forth; but on the contrary the other is rude and barren, like the matter which it generates within. Metals were created for the use of Physic, for Agriculture, and for the Defence and Ornament of Man, not to speak of the Species of Gold and Silver, so necessary to the entertaining of Society and Commerce: Upon which one understanding enough said, That as a Father giveth a great Portion to his Daughter, by that means to provide her a more advantageous Match, so God hath given to the Earth great riches in Mines, to the end that Men might inquire into her with the greater care. Iron, Led, Copper, and Tin▪ are found in so many places of the Earth, that the Americans, who have divers Mines of them, neglect to dig them; I will not give these therefore any place in this discourse, and will content myself to say only this, that there is great quantity of Copper in Sweden, that the best Tin is brought out of Cornwall in the West of England; and that the Peruvians make use of no other Lead, Iron, or Copper, but what is brought them out of Europe, although they have Mines of their own. I will speak therefore only of Gold and Silver which are the most precious of all Metals, and of Quicksilver, which serveth to refine them both. Gold is the richest of all Metals, the heaviest and most malleable, that is to say, that suffers itself to be extended the most under the Hammer, and from all time Men have sought and loved the enjoyment of it. It is found in Asia in the Sand of divers Rivers, and for this Ganges and Pactolus have been rendered famous in History; and not to speak of Tagus and other Rivers of Europe, which carry Gold; the Arva, which falleth from the Mountains of Savoy, and joineth with the Rhone near Geneva, furnisheth Gold enough to recompense the pains of those who search for it; but the abundance of Gold is found in Mines, and these Mines are not everywhere, we have discovered but few in Europe; Scotland hath some, and Silesia and Hungaria, but they do not very much enrich their Masters: let us consider therefore the Mines of Aethiopia and India, and particularly of the Isle of Sumatra, which the Ancients called the Chersonesus of Gold. We may mention also the famous Mines of Potosi, which celebrate Peru above all the Regions of the Earth, and where so many Slaves are employed; for the Mines of Silver there are divers of them in Europe, and particularly in Saxony; there are of them also in Asia, but the Mines which are the most famous of all are in a Mountain of Peru, unknown to the Ynca's before the arrival of the Spaniards. This Mine is so rich, that the Mine which Hannibal found in the Pyrenaean Hills, out of which, as Pliny reports, every day was drawn three hundred pounds of Silver, cannot be compared to it; the description of this at large is to be seen in Josephus Acosta his Natural History of the Indies; and for the manner of refining Metals, so many have written, that I may be excused from describing it: there resteth therefore no more but Quicksilver, which is found in a certain Vermilion Stone, great quantity of it cometh from the Mountain of Guangavilca, near to the City of Guamagua in Peru; out of which they draw every year eight thousand Quintals of Quicksilver; there are also divers Mines of Gold and Silver in Spain, but the Inhabitants neglect to work them, contenting themselves with those which they have in the Indies. Ambergris is a Medicinal Liquor, full as odoriferous as the true Balm, but thicker naturally, and is brought into a Paste of a hot and good Perfume, which may be applied to wounds; it cometh not only out of the East-Indies but New Spain doth also produce it, and the Sea casteth it up upon the Coast of England and Ireland. Bezoar that famous Stone so well known in Physic, is found five day's journey from Golconda, towards the East of Summer in the Province of Renquery, and is engendered in the Paunch of Goats, some of which have twelve Stones in them. The Inhabitants of the Country easily know how many Stones the Goat hath in his body by this means, they stroke the belly of the Goat with their hands and rub it, till the Bezoars come all to the bottom of the Paunch, and then they may be felt and counted like little Stones in a Bag. They sell them by weight, the bigger the Stone the dearer. In the year 1660 there were sold of them to the value of an hundred thousand Francs, and the greatest part fell to the English; there come also Bezoar Stones from the Kingdom of Macassar in the Isle of Celebes, at five degrees of Southern Latitude, near the Molucka's, but they are found in the bodies of Apes, and are not so large as those of Golconda. Indigo, which is made use of for the most rich Colours, cometh from a Tree which is planted every year after the rains are passed, and when it is grown to the height of between two and three foot, they cut it at half a foot from the ground, and then take that which is cut and put it into great Pits with Lime, which becometh so hard, that the Pits seem to be but one piece of Marble. These Pits are ordinarily about fourscore Paces about, they fill them half or a little more with water, and then continue to fill them with the green of this Tree, and every day stir the whole till it settleth and becometh like to mud or clay, or clay mixed with water; afterwards they let the whole stand for some days, and then let out the water of the Pits. When all the water is out, they take the mud or settlement in their hands, and having steeped it in Oil, they form great or small pieces, according to their fancy, and dry them in the Sun. To deceive the Merchant, they set them sometimes to dry upon the sand, that so the sand sticking to them, they may weigh the heavier; but they pay well for it, when this deceit cometh to the knowledge of the Governor. This Tree is cut three times, but the oftener it is cut the Indigo becometh of less value, and there is more than twenty in the hundred difference in the price, the latter giving not so much colour as the first. The best Indigo cometh from Biana, from Indova, and from Corsa, three Villages at a day or a day and halfs journey from Agra, and it is that which is made up into Balls. Eight day's journey from Surat and two leagues from Amadabat, there is a Village called Sarquesse, from whence the flat dico cometh; there groweth also Indigo of the same nature with the last, and near the same price, in the Kingdom of Golconda: it is also brought out of the West, from the Isles of Antilles, where they make it very much after the same manner as in the East. Saltpetre cometh in great quantity from Agra and Patena, from whence it is brought twenty day's journey down the Ganges, to a place where the English and Holland Merchants come to lad. Great quantity of Silk cometh from Bengala and thereabouts, which is the best Country of India, there cometh also great abundance from the Province of Gillon or ancient Hyrcania in Persia, and from Sicily. Gum Lacca is brought from the Kingdom of Bengala, but the best cometh out of Pegu. A sort of Ants carry this Gum and fasten it about wild Shrubs, from whence is made great quantity of Wax. Sal Armoniac cometh from Amadabat, one of the greatest places of Traffic in the Indies, for Stuffs of Gold and Silk, as also Tapestry and other Works as beautiful as in Persia, but their Colours hold not so long. There cometh also from thence great quantity of Linen, of Painted Cottons, which are carried into Persia, Arabia, to the Abyssines, to the Red Sea, to the Isles ●● Madagascar, Sumatra, Java, ●●●●assar, to the Molucka's, and into Europe, and it would be the greatest ●●ading Town of all the Indies, if ●●at Surate did not equal it. As for Spices, viz. Pepper, Cloves, Nutmeg, and Ginger, the greatest quantity of them is brought from the Molucka Islands, about the Aeq●at●r. Cinnamon cometh from the Island of Ceylon, not to speak of the Isles of Antilles, which do also furnish us with Ginger. This is all I have at present collected of what is remarkable in the modern and faithful Relations of our Travellers upon the Subject of Jew●●● and other rich Productions of which I have given a short Account, ●● a Platform for a greater Work. FINIS.