The Digital Ark: Early Modern Collections of Curiosities in England and Scotland, 1580-1700
Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605 - 1689)
Other biography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Baptiste_Tavernier References in Documents:
so long, but of equal
thickness. Given by Sir
Brown
Elephants are brought into
Ceylan, Sumatra,
Cochin, Siam, Bontam, Melinda, &c. But they breed most
in the
Kingdoms of a) a)
p. 29.
&c
eat them, and sell their Teeth. The
draw,
and ship their Goods. In Winter, when it begins
to rain, they
are altogether mad and ungovernable, and so
continue from April to September,
chain'd to some Tree;
after that, they become tame and
serviceable again. (b) b)
more of the nature, and ingenuity; and of the way of hunting
and taming them, in c)c)
Voyage
Concha Margaritisera. See
a true, and good Figure hereof in
is naturally within of the same
colour with that of a Pearl. b) Quoted by
tius
It is sometimes seen with a
pearly Knob growing within it,
as in this here, near the
centre. But the Pearls themselves
grow within the Animal:
within the Flesh (as c)
Philos.
Trans. N.
101
(b)
affirms) as that sort of
Kernel in a Hog, called Grando.
Although more probably in the Stomach, as Bezoar, and
the like, in other Animals. (c) As Eggs in
the Belly of a
Pullet, saith d) d)
Voyage.
near the Island
seven
pounds. (e)e)
On. Zoic
Heretofore, the most rich fishing for Pearls,
was at the
Island a) a)
the chief
Fishings in the
GulphHappy, and in the Island
and
Camogete, Riodela Hacha, and Marthas.
They fish in twelve-fathome Water, five or six leagues off at
Sea, Spring and Fall. (b)b)
Indian-Voyage.
Coral is fish'd for from the beginning of April to the
end of July. Not in the Ocean, but the
a)
Ind. Voyage,
Chap. 21
only. In which there are eight or nine Fisheries, among
the Rocks, no where above forty miles from
Land. Three
upon the Coast of b)
Læt
Sicily, Catalonia, Corsica, and a) Of
white
Coral, there is great abundance in b)c)
Orig.
of
Forms, 136
Of the Nature and Generation of Coral, it is
affirmed
by the Honourable Mr. c) That whilst it grows,
it
is often found soft and succulent, and propogates it
Species. And by d) d)
Rom. p. 45.
Col. 2
had been us'd for many years, to dive for Coral in the
Red-learned thus much; That it would sometimes
Sea,
Kircher
let fall a Spermatick Juyce, which lighting upon any
(steady)
Body, would thereupon
produce another Coral. And e)
Dr.
Brown
further, by
others, That this Juyce is white or milky. Which
may
seem the more credible, when we consider, that the like
milky substance is found in divers Mines. (e)
Sometimes f)
Trans.
N.
100
inclosed as is observed by Mr.
lows of the Metallick Rock. (f)
And that Mr.
hath found in the Hollows of some Stones called Entrochi,
and Rock-Plants, or a kin to them, an evident concretion
of such milky Juyce. (g)g)
Trans.
129. p. 730.
l.
pen
They grow upon their Bed
(which is about three
inches broad, and four in length) in Crystals Sexangularly
pointed. Of
several sizes from the thickness of a midling
Pin, to a
¼ of an inch Diametre, but all of them short.
Not very
perspicuous, but a little greyish, like the Calcedony.
Saving one small cluster of them,
tinctur'd yellowish. They
cut Glass very deep and easily.
The principal Diamond Mines now
known, are four.
That of
200 years since. In this Mine, the Diamonds lie in
sandy
Veins in the Rocks. Of all, the clearest, and of the whitest
Water. They pound and wash the Vein for the
Diamonds,
just as we do some of our
Ores for the Metal. A second
found out 100
years since. They dig here not above 14
feet deep. Sometimes
above sixty thousand Men, Women
and Children at work. It
affords the largest Diamonds, but
not
clear: one sometimes above 40 Carats, i. e.
⅓d of an ounce.
And there was
one here found which weighed 900 Carats
(i. e. ℥vij
ss.) A Third, that of
dom of Diamonds are found in the sand of
the River, for the space of 50 Leagues. From hence
come those
fair pointed Stones called Natural Points:
but a)
lib. 2. c. 11,
12, 13, 14,
15
not great. The Fourth, that of
neo
How the
other particulars, see in a)b)
Boyle
Of Gems,
p. 11
Rough Diamonds are often naturally figur'd
into Trian
gular Plains: a mark to know a right one
by, (b) as well as c)
Læt
& Lap
hardness. Many also of
the best are pointed with six An
gles; some, with
eight; and some Tabulated, or Plain, and
Square. (c)
Diamonds receive no hurt, but are rather
mendd)
Lap. & G
ed, by the fire. (d) Some, saith e) being rub'd,
will
take up straws, as Amber and other Electrical
Bodies. e)
c. 43
And Mr. f)
speaks of one of his, which with a little
friction attracts vigorously. Of another, (g) which by f) Of Gems,
p.
109
water made a
little more than luke-warm, he could bring
to shine in the
dark.g)
'Tis the property of all true Diamonds, To
unite the Foyle
closely and equally to it self, (h) h)
G
its lustre, than any other Gem. That which is called the
Foyle, is a mixture of Mastick and burnt Ivory: The
latter,
being one of the blackest of colours; used by Painters for
Velvet, the Pupil of
the Eye, &c.
The Water of those which are drawn, not from the Rock, i)
Boyl, Of Gems,
p. 51
but the
Ground, commonly partakes of the colour of that
Soil or
Ground: (i) and some are found as yellow as a
Topaz. (k)k)
Between the Grain and the Vein of a Diamond,
there is
this difference, That the former furthers; the
latter, being
so insuperably hard, hinders the splitting of
it. Although
it seems, that a Vein, sometimes is nothing else,
but a
Cross-Grain. Our
they take a very small iron Wyre, and having daubed it
Diamonds; draw it upon the Diamond, by a Tool, to and fro like a Saw, so long as is needful
for that purpose.
This, and the Opalus it self, the softest of
Gems. (b) They
are now found principally in c) c)
VoyagesOpalus,
saith
fraction: (adds d) d)
de Gem.
c. 13Prisme) for if it be
broken it looseth
them. 'Tis true, that these colours are pro
duced by
Refraction: yet not as in a Prisme; as not
depend
ing upon the Figure, (for they will not be
produced in
other Stones of the same figure) nor so much as
any flaw
or flakiness in the Stone; but its peculiar Texture,
which
Tin and
Venis-Glass melted to
gether,
imitate an Opalus. (a) a) Phil. Trans.
hereof. (b)b)
places from
the
; for that it is found, most abundant,Indians , Perose
saith
c)
c)
ceol. S. 3
d) in
the Description hereof in
tuberous on the top with round Knobs, of several sizes,
from that of the head of a small
Brass Nailto that of a
Pin;
some of a blewish, others of darker Green. Within (some
what like the
Onyx) disposed into
Zones, mixed with
spots: both of a Greenish Black. 'Tis two inches broad,
and near three in length: a great one, if, as
it seldom exceeds the bigness of a
Walnut.
Found in great quantity in
Coast of Elector of
burgeb) b)
Ind. Voyage.
Thousand
Crowns yearly. Also plentiful on the Coasts of
Soffala, Mosambique
and
Vernatti
Islandcommonly
poyson their Arrows. They have of several sorts; the
most dangerous said (
a)
a)
Ind. Trav.
l. 3. c. 19
Trees in
Speciesof
Cantharides; which
seem to be mixed with a kind of
Corrosive Salt.