'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.' [‎144] (463/1024)

Travels in I n d i a,
Part II.
rats that is abfolately clean, byreafon that the King tedly enjoyns his Subjefts
not to export them out of his Dominions ; befides that, he keeps to himfelfall the
clean Stones that are found. So that I have got very confiderably in m y Travels
by carrying Rubies out of Europe into Afia. Which makes me very much fufp e 6t
'the relation of Vincent k BUnc, who reports that he faw in the King’s Palace,
Rubies as big as eggs. ,
All Rubies are fold by weights, which are call d Ratis y that is, three grains and
a half" or feveii %ths of a Carat: and the payments are made in oldPagods.
A Ruby weighing one Ratis, has been fold for Pagods 20
A Ruby of 2 Ratis and one 8^, Pagods
A Ruby of 3 Ratis and one 4^ Pagods ' iS 5
A Ruby of 4 Ratis and five Sths^ Pagods
A Ruby of 5 Ratis, Pagods ^ 525
A Ruby of 6 Ratis and a half, Pagods 920
If aRuby exceed fix Ratis, and be a perfed Stone, there is no valketo be fet
U ^The Natives of the Country call all Colour’d-Stones Rubies, diftinguifhing
them only by the colour. Saphirs they call Blue-Rubies, Amethyfts they call
Violet-Rubies, Topayes Yellow-Rubies^ and fo of other Stones.
The other place where Rubies are found, is a River in the Ifland of Ceylun,
which defcends from certain high Mountains in the middle of the Ifland ^ which
fwells very high when the rains fall; but when the waters are low, the people
make it their bufmefs to fearch among the Sands for Rubies, Saphirs and Topazes.
All the Stones that are found in this River, are generally fairer and clearer than
thofe of Pegn.
I forgot to tell you that there are lome Rubies, but moreBalleis-Rubies, and an
abundance of Baftsrd-Rubies, Saphirs and Topazes found in the Mountains that
run along from Pegit to the Kingdom of Camboya.
Colour’d-Stones are alfo found in Pome parts of Europe, as in Bohemia and Hun
gary. In Hungary there is a Mine where they find certain Flints of differentbig-
nefs, fome as big as eggs, fome as big as a man’s fift,which being broken,contain
a Ruby within as hard and as clean as thofe or Pegu.
In Hungary there is a Mine of Opals, which Stone is no-where elfe to be found
in the World but there.
The Turquoife is no-where to be found but in Perfia. Where there are two
Mines. The one is called the Old-Rock-, three days journey from Meched, toward
the North-weft, near a great Town which goes by the name of Mchabomg. The
other which is call’d the New-Rock is fiv€ days journey off. ^ Thofe ofthe AV
Rock^xrz of a Paler blue enclining to white, and lefs efteem’d, fo that you may
have a great many for a little Money. Some years fince the King of /^com
manded that no Turquotfes {hould bedigg’d out of the Old-Rock* but onlyforliim-
felf 5 making ufe of thofe Turquoifes inftead of enamelling, to adorn Hilts of
Swords, Knives and Daggers ^ of which the Perflans are altogether ignorant.
As for Emraulds,it is a vulgar error to fay they come originally from the hak.
And therefore when Jewellers and Oold-fmiths, to prefer a deep-colour d km,
rauld enclining to black, tell ye, it is an Oriental Emrauld,they fpeakthat whu n
is not true. 1 confefs 1 could never difcover in what part of our Continent tnoie
Stones are found. But fure I am, that the Eaftern-part of the World never pro
duc’d any of thofe Stones, neither in the Continent, nor in the Mands. 1 rue it n,
that iince the difcovery of America fome of thofe Stones have been often brougnt
rough from Peruto the Philippine-lflmds, whence they have been tranfported in
to Europe ; but this is not enough to make them Oriental. Befides that, at t.
time they fend them into Spain through the North-Sea.
A
CHAE*.