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NATURAL HISTORY OF GEMS.
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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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