A good deal of my spare time, while Jane was hors de combat, was spent in the jewellers’ shops of the Chandni chowk, the principal merchants’ quarter of Delhi.  I do not think that anything very special in the way of a “bargain” is to be obtained by the amateur, although stones are undoubtedly cheaper than in London.  I saw little really fine jewellery, probably because I was obviously unlikely to be a big buyer, but many good spinels, dark topaz, and rough emeralds.  The stones I wanted I failed to get.  Alexandrites were not, and pink topaz scarce and dear.  The dealers generally tried to sell pale spinels as pink topaz.  Peridot are cheaper, I think, at home, and certainly in Cairo, and the only amethysts worth looking at are sent out from Germany.  The pale ones of the country come from Jaipur.  By-the-bye, the best-coloured amethysts I ever remember seeing were in Clermont Ferrand.

Delhi has always been connected with gems in my mind.  I am not certain why.  Partly, perhaps, because the famous Peacock Throne of Shah Jehan stood in the Palace here.  I cannot resist giving the description of it in the words of Tavernier, who saw it about 1655, and who describes it as follows:—­

“This is the largest throne; it is in form like one of our field-beds, six foot long and four broad.  The cushion at the back is round like a bolster; the cushions on the sides are flat.  I counted about a hundred and eight pale rubies in collets about this throne, the least whereof weighed a hundred carats.  Emeralds I counted about a hundred and forty.”

“The under part of the canopy is all embroidered with pearls and diamonds, with a fringe of pearls round about.  Upon the top of the canopy, which is made like an arch with four paws, stands a peacock with his tail spread, consisting entirely of sapphires and other proper-coloured stones;[1] the body is of beaten gold enchased with several jewels; and a great RUBY upon his breast, to which hangs a pearl that weighs fifty carats.  On each aide of the peacock stand two nosegays as high as the bird, consisting of various sorts of flowers, all of beaten gold enamelled.”

“When the king seats himself upon the throne there is a transparent jewel, with a diamond appendant of eighty or ninety carats weight, encompassed with rubies and emeralds, so hung that it is always in his eye.  The twelve pillars also, that uphold the canopy, are set with rows of fair pearl, round, and of an excellent water, that weigh from six to ten carats apiece.”

“At the distance of four feet, upon each side of the throne, are placed two umbrellas, the handles of which are about eight feet high, covered with diamonds, the umbrellas themselves being of crimson velvet, embroidered and fringed with pearl.”

“This is the famous throne which Tamerlane began and Shah Jehan finished; and is really reported to have cost a hundred and sixty millions and five hundred thousand livres of our money.”