Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1854-10-05
A LOVE OF A SHAWL.

las week; a@d as we passed one 81
the glass cases in the southwest cor
ner Of the lower floor, we were at
tracted by the earnest exclamation
of a lady-apparently an english one
saying to her companion:
"What a love of a shawl"
TO her it was so, no doubt; but
we might have looked at it, or rath-
ertoward it, dozen times without
noticing its beauty.
The lady's companion was fine
looking, dark-skincd gentleman,w with
a very black mustache and black
hair covered with a red cap.
He was Turkish merchant from
Constantinople. Our curiosity was
awake now. We had heard Of the
shawls of Thibet, made by years of
patient hand labor, in the families Of
Princes or the nobility, and that their
value was often counted like gold or
diamonds, by weight and fineness,to
the amount of thousands Of dollars,
but we had never seen one of the
articles.
GLOW much,' said the lady, "is
it worth?"
The Turk gave an uneasy shrug
of the shoulders, and a very dissat
isfed cutl of the lip, before he an
swered.
~ am told, Madame, that thing
in this country has no regular COM
mercial vaIue-that it is worth what
it will fetch. Icannot tell what this
is worth. l know its cost"
GLOW much?"
1.-TWO thousand seven hundred
dollars"
1t certainly was love of shawl.
We put on our spectacles, but the
view through the glass case was I'M
satisfactory. Fortunately just then
our friend Hubble, Custom-House
Officer at the Palace, came up where
we were standing wrapt in-not the
shawl-astonishment at what we saw
and heard. The lady and the Turk
walked away to look at four other
shawls of the same character, but not
quite so costly. We addressed the
officer.
"Col. Hubble, is this shawl in
bond?" ct is" "What is it in
voiced at for duty?"
Let me see-this is the fine one
-$2,7OO. Would you like to look
att closer? 1t is a perfect GEM
He unlocked the case, and we ac-
tually handled a shawl more yalua-
bic than some good farms; more cost
~ than some pretty good country
stores we'll filled with "dry goods
and groceries"
This shawl is of the finest fabric
and needle work, known as 'India
Cashmere" and was made in Thibet
by the patient industry Of the most
celebrated artists of India, Hadii
Mehemmed Hassan, for a prince Of
the royal blood. Shawls of this class
arc never made in manufactures, but
in private families, generally in the
houses of the nobility, for their own
use and ars only procurable by spe-
cial favor, as some favorite piece OF
needle work, made under similar
circumstances, would be in this coun.
try.
Col. Hubble assured US that moth
ing has ever been seen in this coun,
try before that was even an approach
to this in texture and general excel,
lencc Of perfect workmanship. A
part of the work in the corners tell,
its history in Turkish characters
that is, the name Of the prince foI
whom it was designed, and when ant
where made. lis size is over ON
and halfby three yards within thu
border. Its value, as the owner sait
is what it will fetch. We hope, in
stead Of sending it back to Constan
tinople, as he intends, after the clos
Of the exhibition, that he will prov,
the value by offering it to the ladie
of New York at auction. We thinl
we can assure him a thousand dol
lars son speculation for the frs
bid. Certainly in a city where OPP
era tickets sell for two hundred an
fifty dollars apiece, such shawl a
this will find purchaser at ha
price.
The other shawls are very beau
tiful, though valued at only abou