The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-12-27 00:00:00

THE CLEVELAND GEM.

They have named thousands of children Grover
(says the Ottawa Citizen) since Cleveland was elected
president, and this is another sin the Rev. Mr.
Burchard and the Black Cat are responsible for.
Had Blaine been elected there would have been
more " Jims "—coloured and white—within the next
year than would have sufficed 21 years from now to
turn the tide of victory in favour of Mr. Blaine's
youngest when he runs for president. The cats and
dogs and umbrellas and collars and neckties will
be all called Grover style—and every Democrat
will complete his wardrobe by purchasing some;
but we do not think they will all buy a "Cleve-
land diamond." We are. now informed that the
largest diamond ever cut in the United States is
at present in the hands of Simon Dessau, of Maiden-
lane, New York, in an unfinished state, but al-
ready rejoicing in the title of the "Cleveland
gem. The stone was found in South Africa eleven
years ago, and was immediately purchased by a
London syndicate, who, in the most approved style of
large diamond purchasers, locked it up in a safe until
some wealthy potentate should buy it. The London
syndicate had large offers—and the London syndicate
refused them one and all. After eleven years of
mute, inglorious, safe residence, the diamond was
purchased by the Maiden-lane dealer. It weighed
78 carats in its uncut condition, and when faceted
will probably represent 50 carats. Its value will be
little less than 50,000d015. A reporter recently
visited the establishment, and had a talk with one
of the firm concerning this set-me-up-for-life gem,
with the following result—" Father and I bad a
disturbance about it," said Mr. Dessau's son. "He
wanted to name it Cleveland before Cleveland was
elected. I desired to call it Blaine. At last I said
'l'll compromise with you, and if Cleveland be elected
we'll call it the Cleveland gem.' During the election
I spoke of the diamond as Blaine, while father in-
variably alluded to it as Cleveland. I used to say,
Blaine wants a facet on his left side,' while father
was accustomed to remark,' Cleveland's looking re-
markably white and pure this morning. He's a real
gem.' At last the result was known, and I, who had
clung to Blaine with as much persistance as Jay Gould,
saluted our diamond as Cleveland, and the Cleveland
gem it will be till the end of the tale." Governor
Cleveland was shown a photograph of the stone, and
was highly delighted with it. It is said that a sub-
scription will be made by the wealthy Democrats of
Buffalo to purchase the gem and present it to his
godfather before his inauguration. The "Cleveland
gem will be exhibited at the New Orleans Exhibition.
It will be shown to Governor Cleveland as soon it is
cut, before any member of the trade casts his envious
eyes upon it.

Red ink is made by taking two ounces of best
Brazil wood, one-half ounce pulverised alum, one-half
ounce crystals of bi-tartate of pottassia, and sixteen
ounces of distilled water. Boil down to one-half and
strain. Then dissolve in it one-half ounce of gum
arabic, and add one and one-half drachms of cochi-
neal, dissolved in one-half ounces of alcohol of
specific gravity .839.
The latest thing in clocks comes from Russia. It
is a little timepiece about eight inches high on a base
five inches in diameter, and covered with a glass
globe. All the works are plainly exposed. The pen-
dulum is a solid brass wheel supported at the centre,
or hub, by a slender wire. It does not swing, but
revolves from left to sight and right to left. Being a
400-day clock, the winding of it is a small item. It
will not vary five minutes in running 400 days. No
temperature affects it.
The name of the inventor of the thermometer is
unknown, and the earliest mention of it as a scientific
appliance, then fifty years old, was in a work by Dr.
R. Fludd, published in 1638. As to the instrument
as it now exists, Robert Hooke suggested the use of
the freezing point, Halley the boiling point and the
substitution of mercury for spirits, and Newton blood
heat. Fahrenheit, although a German by birth, was
a protégé of James 1., and died in England. Reau-
mur's thermometer iL its final forth owes its origin to
De Luc; and although the centigrade thermometer
is almost universally attributed to Celsius, it was
really invented by Lirmreus. Celsius's instrument
had its scale the reverse way, the boiling point being
0 degs. and tlia freezing point 100 degs.

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