chap, xiv DIAMOND MINES 41
these
captains are not of delicate constitutions, and content themselves with
a piece of cheese or a slice of beef which has been in pickle for two
or three years. And truly they are to be imitated in that respect. It
is altogether different with some other nations, who often place on
vessels captains who have never seen the sea, and whom favour alone
immediately elevates to this post. In addition to which, when they
embark they generally require elaborate cuisine appliances, plenty of
sheep, calves, fowl, and turkeys, which consume much water, and soil
the vessel with their droppings. Economy is the great support of
commercial Companies, and it is an article to which those who are
Directors should give their particular attention.
CHAPTER XV
Concerning diamonds, and the mines and rivets where they are found; and especially of the Author's Journey to the Mine of Rammalakota.1
The diamond
is the most precious of all stones, and it is the article of trade to
which I am most devoted. In order to acquire a thorough knowledge of it
I resolved to visit all the mines, and one of the two rivers where
diamonds were found ; and as the fear of dangers has never restrained
me in any of my journeys, the terrible picture that was drawn of these
mines, situated in barbarous countries to 'which one could not travel
except by the most dangerous routes, served neither to terrify me nor
to turn me from my intention. I have accordingly been at four mines,2 of which
1
This is Raolconda in the original; for its identification with the
modern Ramulkota, properly Rammalakota, see p. 43 below.
2
The four mines appear to have been—1, Rammalakota (Raolconda); 2,
Kollur (Coulour or Gani); 3, Soumelpour; and 4, the locality on the
Kistna between Rammalakota and Kollur, which, as pointed out on p. 61,
may have been a deserted mine near Damarapad and Malawaram. The point
is not quite clear, as in chap, xviii two mines near Rammalakota are
mentioned, but there cannot be said to be descriptions of more than
three mines in the text. There is ample reason for believing that the
diamond mines existing in India in Tavernier's time were far more
numerous than he had any conception of (see Economic Geology of India, pp. 1-50, and Appendix to this volume). The two rivers he mentions
