CELEBRATED DIAMONDS 73
excessive
Dear for such Stones that 'tis Dangerous med-ling with 'em." November
6th he wrote the Knight again, enclosing the model of a stone he had
lately seen which he described thus:" Itt weighs Mang. 303 and car-atts
426. It is of an excellent christaline water without fowles, onely att
one end in the flat part there is one or two little flaws which will
come out in cutting, they lying on the surface of the stone, the price
they ask for it is prodigious, being two hundred thousand pags: tho' I
believe less than one (hundred thousand) would buy it." He then speaks
of it as superior to any diamond known, asks the Knight to keep the
matter private, and to give him his opinion. Under date of August 1,
1702, Sir Stephen Evance acknowledged receipt of the letter and model,
but wrote discouragingly, saying that on account of the war, the French
King had his hands and heart full and as " There is noe Prince in
Europe can buy itt, soe would advise you not to meddle in itt." Pitt
bought it however, and later describes the transaction while defending
himself against the insinuations made by some of his colleagues and
Surapa, a black merchant, that he had obtained possession of it
unfairly. According to this account, Jaurchund, an eminent merchant in
those parts, brought to him about December, 1701, a large rough diamond
about 305 mangelins, and some small ones. Mr. Pitt and others bought
the smaller ones, but he was afraid to venture upon the large one, for
which he says Jaurchund asked 200,000 pagodas, but for which he was not
inclined to offer over 30,000 pagodas. After a few days the merchant
took it away. He returned about February and tried again to sell it to
him, finally lowering his price to 100,000 pagodas without success.
