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2 DIAMONDS.
was of opinion that those of Soumelpour, a distinct locality, were the oldest workings in India.
In
this account I have attempted to give references to the most important
authorities* on the subject of Indian diamonds and diamond workings
both ancient and modern, but my knowledge of the ancient literature of
India is too limited to enable me to give a resume of what may
be recorded on the subject in native writings. The late Professor
Blochmann had, I know, culled from many sources notices in Arabic,
Persian, and Urdu on the subject of the mineral productions of India,
but these have, unfortunately, never been published.
According
to Captain Burton, the Indian diamond was first made famous in Europe
by the French jeweller, Jean Baptiste Tavernier (born 1605, died 1689),
who made six journeys to India in order to purchase precious stones.
Tavernier himself, however, alludes to a previously existing trade,
which at least dates back to the time of Marco Polo. Before the year
1728, the production of diamonds was practically limited to India and
Borneo, but in that year the first diggings were opened in Brazil.
Tavernier
did not visit Borneo, he tells us, in consequence of having been
informed that the queen of that island would not permit the removal of
any gems out of her dominions. But the courageous old traveller seems
to have been ready to go anywhere in the pursuit of his trade,
undeterred by risks and dangers. He seems to have fared well in India,
and
*
One of the most complete accounts of the diamond deposits of India is
by Karl Hitter (" Erdkunde Asien," vol. vi. Berlin, 1836).
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