The earliest mention of the use of belt drive for powering gem-cutting comes from which of the following travellers' accounts?

Correct option is C

The correct answer is (C) Tavernier and Fryer

Explanation:
• Jean-Baptiste Tavernier was a 17th-century French gem merchant and traveler who visited India several times. He provided detailed accounts of the diamond trade and the technical processes involved in lapidary (gem cutting and polishing).
• Tavernier, along with John Fryer (an English physician who traveled to India in the 1670s), described the use of mechanical devices in Indian workshops.
• They noted the use of a 'belt drive' or a continuous loop of cord/leather to transmit power from a large wheel to a smaller spindle used for cutting and polishing precious stones.
• This observation is a significant piece of evidence for the history of technology in pre-colonial India, showing that while artisans relied heavily on manual skill, they also utilized sophisticated mechanical principles for precision work.

Information Booster:
• Tavernier is famous for bringing the 'Hope Diamond' (then the Tavernier Blue) to Europe from India.
• His book 'Les Six Voyages de Jean-Baptiste Tavernier' is a major source for Mughal economic history.

Additional Knowledge:
• Peter Mundy (Option A): An employee of the East India Company known for his descriptions of the famine of 1630-32 and social life.
• Bernier (Option B): A French physician to Prince Dara Shikoh, famous for his comparisons of Indian and European feudalism.
• Manucci (Option B): An Italian traveler who wrote 'Storia do Mogor', providing a vivid (though sometimes gossipy) account of the Mughal court.