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Onyx, Nicolo

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228
NATURAL HISTORY OF GEMS.
common cloths, &c, all which arc brought down to Bary-gaza." Under the Ptolemies, the Indians themselves brought their own commodities to the city Eudamion on the Red Sea, where they met the Egyptian traders as at a common entrepôt, like Alexandria in later times. But this place, notes our author, had been recently destroyed by Caesar. Two centuries and a half later, we find from Vopiscus ('Aurelian,' 3), Firrnus, a merchant of Alexandria, who usurped the people in Aurelian's reign, having Ë'ø of his own trading direct with India. Scythicns also, to whom Epiphanius ascribes the true authorship of the heresy of Manes, was an Arabian trading regularly between Alexandria and the Indian coast.
Having at length obtained an account of the present state of the Onyx-mines in the " land of Havilah," the Malwah district, its great interest both to antiquary and naturalist will rnore than justify its insertion here :—
" From Euttunpoor we proceeded to the mines, distant one and a half hos, through a thick jungle. The whole road and all the nalas were strewed with Agates; but these are not of a good description, and are therefore not used. To the left of the road is a high hill, covered with jungle, and on the summit there is a peer's tomb. The only people residing there are a few sidees or negroes, who say that they were born and bred on the spot whither their fathers came from Broach. The mines that are now worked are situated on the sloping side of a small hill, covered with jungle, and extend upwards of four miles. At the time there and upwards of one thousand men at work, chiefly Coolies and Mussulmans. Each man collects a maund and a half of good stones daily. The shafts of the mines are about four feet in diameter, so that the miners in going up and down do not require the assistance of ropes, &c. They cut niches in the sides of the shafts for their toes to rest upon, and by
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