He
relates, with very picturesque and lifelike details, his various
affairs with the diamond merchants; and announces the somewhat
remarkable fact, that the chief negotiators in the sale of diamonds in
India were boys not over sixteen years of age.
"
It is pleasant," says Tavernier, " to see the children of these
merchants, and of other people of the country, from the age of ten to
that of fifteen or sixteen, coming every morning and seating
themselves under a large tree in the market-place of the town. Each has
his diamond weights in a little pouch hanging at one side, and at the
other side a purse attached to his girdle, and containing, in some
cases, as many as six hundred gold pagodas. There they sit and wait
until some one comes to sell them diamonds, it may be from the
vicinity, or from some other mine. When anyone comes with something for
them he places it in the hands of the eldest of the boys, who is, as it
were, the chief of the band. He looks at it, and hands it to the one
next him, and so it passes from hand to hand till it return to the
first, not a word being spoken by any of them; the eldest boy then asks
the price, in order to make a bargain, if possible, and if he happen
to buy it too dear he has to take it on his own account."
When evening comes the boys bring together all the stones they have bought, examine them, and-
