These go on increasing in price in proportion, and each manjar weighs two taras and two-thirds, and two taras make a carat even weight, and four taras weigh a fanam.

ACCOUNT OF THE SAPPHIRES.

The best and most genuine sapphires are found in Ceylon, they are very strong and fine, and those which are in all perfection, and purity, and of a fine blue colour, are worth the following prices.

One which weighs a carat two fanaes ii fs. 2
One weighing two vi fs. 6
One weighing three carats x fs. 10
One weighing four carats xv fs. 15
One weighing five carats xviii fs. 18
A weight of six xxv fs. 25
One of seven xxxv fs. 35
One of eight carats l fs. 50
One of nine lxv fs. 65
One of ten carats lxxv fs. 75
A sapphire weighing eleven carats is worth xc. fs. 90
One of twelve cxx fs. 120
One perfect in purity and colour weighing thirteen carats cxxxv fs.135
One of fourteen carats clx fs. 160
One of sixteen two hundred fanoes cc fs. 200
One of eighteen ccl fs. 250
One of twenty ccc fs. 300
One weighing a mitical which is xi fanams and a quarter cccl fs. 350

There is also in Ceylam another kind of sapphires, which are not so strong, which they call quirin genilam,[362] and they are of a darker colour. These are worth much less, however good they may be, for one of the above-mentioned is worth as much as thirteen of these.

In the kingdom of Narsynga in a mountain above Bancanor and Mangalor there is another kind of sapphires softer and inferior in colour, which they call cringanilan;[362] they are somewhat whitish; these are worth very little, so much so that the most perfect of them which weighs twenty carats will not be worth a ducat. Their colour is also somewhat yellow.

There is another sort of sapphires which are found on the sea beach of the kingdom of Calicut in a place called Capucad,[363] the Indians call these carahatonilam, they are very blue and cloudy and do not glitter, except setting them in the light.[364] They are soft and break like glass. An opinion is held by some who say that in former times there was by the sea of this Capurad the house of a king and that its windows were of blue glass, and that the sea having covered it over the pieces of glass are thrown up ashore; but they are very large, and on the other hand they seem to be glass. These are worth very little among them.

ACCOUNT OF THE TOPAZES AND OF THEIR PRICES IN CALICUT.

The natural topazes are found in Ceylon which the Indians call pur ceraga, it is very hard stone and very cold and heavy like the ruby and sapphire, because all three are of one kind. Its perfect colour is yellow like beaten gold, and when their colour is perfect and pure, whether they be great or small, in Calicut they are worth their weight in fine gold, and this is their price usually; and if the colour is not so perfect they are worth their weight in gold of fanams which is less by half, and if it is almost white they are worth much less, and they make small diamonds of them.

ACCOUNT OF THE TURQUOISES, AND OF THEIR PRICES IN MALABAR.