52                            DIAMONDS.
	though these harpies hoard up wealth through the medium of their artful constituents, they will, on all occasions, in order to evade suspicion, plead poverty and distress, whilst they carry on a clandestine trade of diamonds between Mirzapur, Banaras, Allahabad, and Jabalpur. Some years ago, one of these Mahajans was detected in defrauding the State of diamonds to the amount of Rs. 43,000 for a long series of years. He was impri­soned and threatened with punishment, and to avert this he refunded Rs. 16,000, and acknowledged having em­bezzled to the extent mentioned. It is well known that the Maharaja is robbed of large and valuable diamonds yearly. I believe only one European has ever tried working at the Panna mines, and this was in 1833, when a licence was granted him, and the following were the terms in his licence—On diamonds of 1 to 7 rattis, 15 per cent, on the value ; from 7 to 10 rattis, 33 per cent.; from 10 to 15 rattis, 50 per cent.; from 15 to 20 rattis, 66 per cent.; from 20 rattis and upwards, bond fide the property of the Maharaja, he having the option to reward the tuadars as he pleases. The expenses for working the mines at that time were as follow :— For one month, with 20 sets of labourers—
	It shows how cheap labour was in those days, whereas at this time bildars are getting Rs. 12 and 14 a month. The European (his name is not given, and I copy from an old Government record) says :— " In embarking in this enterprise the chief evil to be guarded against is theft; a strict eye should be kept over the labourers during the hours of their work, as they not only pilfer and conceal