'Collections of travels through Turky into Persia, and the East Indies. Giving an account of the present state of those countries, as also a full relation of the five years wars, between Aureng-Zebe and his brothers in their father's life time, about the succession. And a voyage made by the Great Mogul (Aureng-Zebe) with his Army from Dehli to Lahor, from Lahor to Bember, and from thence to the Kingdom of Kachemire, by the Mogols, call'd, the Paradise of the Indies. Together with a relation of the Kingdom of Japan and Tunkin, and of their particular manners and trade. To which is added a new description of the Grand Seignior's Seraglio, and also of all the Kingdoms that encompass the Euxine and Caspian Seas, being the travels of Monsieur TavernierBernier, and other great men.' [‎136] (455/1024)

Travels in India.
Part II,
but if he buy it to dear/tis upon his own account. In the evening the Children
compute what they have laid out,then they look upon their Stones, and feperate
them according to their water,their weight,and clearnefs. Then they bring them
to the great Merchants, who have generally great parcels to match .* and the pro
fit is divided among the children equally ^ only the chief among them has afourth
in the hunder’d more than the reft. As young as they are,the y fo well underftand
the price of Stones, that if one of them have bought any purchafe,and is willinp;
to lofe one half in the hunder’d, the other fhall give him his Money. They (hat
hardly bring you a parcel of Stones, above a dozen, wherein there is not fome
flaw or other defedt #
When I came to the Mine, I went to wait upon the Governour, who told me
I was welcome} and becaufe he made no queftion but that I had brought Gold
with me, ("for they talk of nothing under Gold at the Mines,) he bid me only lay
it in my Chamber,and he would undertake it fhould be fafe. Thereupon he pre-
fented me with four fervants to watch my Gold day and night, and to follow,my
orders, bidding me withal fear nothing, but eat,drink,and ilebp,an& take care of
my health; but withal he told me I muft be careful of not cheating the King.
Thereupon I fell to buying,and found profit enough,abovg twenty in the hunder’d
cheaper than at
I have one thing to obferve which is more than ordinarily curious,concerning
the manner how the Indians, as well zsMahumetans as Idolaters, drive their bar
gains. Every thing is done with great filence,and without any talking on either
iide. The buyer and the feller fit one before another like two Taylors,and the
one of the two opening his Girdle, the feller takes the right-hand of the purely
fer, and covers his own hand and that with his Girdle .* under which,in the pre-
fence of many Merchants that meet together in the fame Hall, the bargain isfe-
cretly driven without the knowledg of any perfon. For then the pur chafer nor
fellef fpeak n either with their mouths nor eyes, but only with the hand, as thus.
When the feller takes the purchafer by the whole hand,that fignifies a thoufand,
and as often as he fqueezes it,he means fo many thoufand Pagods or Roupies,ac
cording to the Money in queftion. If he takes but half to the knuckle of the
middle-finger, that’s as much as to fay fifty .♦ The fmall end of the finger to the
firft knuckle fignifies ten. When he grafps five fingers,it fignifies fivfe-hunder’dj
if but one finger, one-hunder’d. This is the myftery which the Indians ufein
driving their bargains. And many times it happens, that it the fame place,where
there are feveral people,one and the fame parcel fhall be foldfeven or eight times
over, and no perfon know that it was fold in that manner every time.
As for the weight of the Stones, no perfon can be deceiv’d in them,unlefs he
purchafe them in hugger-mugger. For if they are publickly bought, there is a
perfon on purpofe paid by the King,without any benefit from particularperfons,
whofe place it is to weigh the Diamonds j and when he has fpoken the weight,
the buyer and feller are fatisfi’d in his words, as not being a perfon any way ob
lig’d to favour any perfon. > c . rrn q r! ; ;
Having difpatch’d all my bufinefs at the Mine, the Governour appointed me fix
Horfe-men to convoy me through the Territories under his Government, which
extends to a River that feparates the Kingdom of Vifavonr from that of Golconda.
’Tis a very difficult thing to crofs that River,it being deep,broad and rapid; be-
fides that, there are no Boats. But they ferry over Men, Carriages, Oxen and
Coaches upon a round VefTel, ten or twelve foot in Diameter, made of Ofier-
twigs, like our Flaskets, and cover’d without with Ox-hides as I have already
related. They might eafily ufe Boats, or make a Bridg} but the King of Gol*
conda will not fuffer either, becaufe the River parts the two Kingdoms. Every
evening the Ferry-men on both fides are bound to carry to two Governours on
each fide the River, an exatt account of the Perfons,Carriages and Merchandizes
which they ferri’d over that day.
Coming to Golconda, \ found that the perfon whom I had left intruft withmy
Chamber,was dead; but that which I obferv’d moft remarkable, was,thatIiouna
the door feal’d with two Seals, one being the Cad?s or chief Juflice’s, the other
the Sha-Banders, or Provoft of the Merchants. An Officer of Juftice, togeter
with the Servants I had left behind, watch’d thje Chamber night and day. ws