Delaware State journal and statesman. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1855-1870, 1861-03-26
MAKING DIAMONDS.

Some twenty years ago au Emperor of Austria,
poor old Ferdinand l., who fancied that he was
''mechanical genius" and whose courtiers
| encouraged him in the belief, conceived the nc
ton that II would be possible TO melt the diamond
His Majesty was fond Of turning on the lathe,
and possessed some skill in working metals,
which had driven him to make o iewel-box, in
laid with gold, and various other things, still to
be seen at the museum of the Imperial Hofburg
at Vienna. Handling the crown jewels, ii struck
the ingenious Emperor that the diamonds were
unlike in size, and many of them exceedingly
difficult to it into the holes which his cunning
hand was preparing when suddenly the thought
flashed through his brain that it would be a
capital thing il he could melt all the little spnrk-
ling jewels into one big diamond.
professor Of chemistry was sent for and Or
dered TO melt the diamonds. The poor sdpdnt
was hOrror-sruck, and attempted to some faint
excuses, which had the effect of making Kaiser
Ferdinand still more impatient for the execution
of his great idea. All protests being hopeless,
there remained nothing for the man Of science
but to sit down in the imperial cabinet and begin
the task. 1t was a hard piece Of work. No
heat would affect the diamonds, and however
hard the bellows worked, the precious stones
remained untouched in their crystal purity. AT
last, almost in despair, the professor tried new
sort Of rejecting mirror, invented by tradesman
at Vieunn, which concentrated an unusually
la ge amount of the suns rays into very small
focus. Under this mirror the diamonds sudden
" changed color, and in a very short while
burned up with a bright flame, like piece OF
coal. The Kaiser saw it distinctly; 50 did the
man Of science There could be no mistake I;
the diamonds, if not carbon, burned very much
like carbon His Msjesty was very much down.
cast about the loss Of his beautiful diamonds (;
but the saVant-with no jewels Of his own tV
lose-was rather elated than otherwise at the
unexpected discovery.
On bis earnest eatreatY the Emperor consent
ed to sacrilice.two more diamonds for experimen
lal purposes and the proper preparations being
entered into this second ti.he, il was settled
without the possibility Of doubt tnat diamonds
consisted indeed of carbon, and nothing but car
bon. The news was forthwith proclaimed to the
scientific world; and before long, many more
experiments having been made, tho dietHm went
forth that the substance called diamond was
''crystalized colorless carbon"
The scientific world rejOiced over this great
discovery; but the poor Emperor felt very sad
at the oss OF his hopes and his diamonds. He
got more despouding than ever in his views Of
men and things, and after while made it his
great and sole occupation to sit at the windows
of his palace and count the horses and carriages
passing through the gate beow-there being a
thoroughfare through the courtyard of the I'm
perial Hofburg. This occupation HIS Majesty
pursued with great zeal for nearly score Of
years, till the day when the crown and the Hof-
burg were handed over to bis nephew, Francis
Joseph, and ho had to return TO the gloomy
Hradshin Of Prague. Meanwhile, the sapdns Of
Europe were busying their brains with taking
advantage of the imperial "idea, and trying
hard to find the means, not only Of changing
diamonds into carbon, but, giee versa, carbon
into diamonds.
Endless were the experiments made 10 this
effect, but the result was nil 10 every case. To
make any substance crystalze, it must first be
changed into fun, and in this none succeeded.
Dr. sstockhardt, of Leipzig, came nearest the
mark, and obtained some substance very like
diamonds, by the action Of electricity upon a
mixture of carbonic acid and hydrogen. NJ.
Cagniard de la Tour, French chemist, likewise
claimed the honor of having made diamonds by
galvanic action and NJ. Despretz announced
having done the same by the influence Of cleo
tricity upon certain compounds of carbon. All
these pretended discoveries, however, turned out
to be ultimately Of no real value, the product
being in all cases not the body called diamond
but some substance more or less diamond-like
The French papers which have just reached III
contain one more announcement Of the SAINT
kind and, If any scepticism had been engender
| ed by the past failures, there would really bi
hope for believing that the long-sought act o
making diamonds had at last, been discovered
According to these French reports, published
by NJ. Rossi, of Toulon, crystals, twenty ii
number, having all the properties Of diamond
were made by Professor Gannal They wer'
obtained by the action Of phosphorus, water
and bi sulphide Of carbon upon each other, fol
the space Of fifteen weeks The crystals mad,
were found to be so hard that no file would &C
upon them; they cut gla's like ordinary dia
monds, and scratched the hardest steel in bril-
liancy and transparency they were in no wal
inferior TO the best jewels, and some few posses
sed lustre surprising that Of most stones,
Last-not !east-the substance so proiucet
was cry stallzed N dodecahedTa, the erystallin
orm characteristic OF the diamond. In fact,
al that NJ. Rossi asserts should prove true, tner
is little doubt that Professor Gannal has rea
succeeded in making diamo' ds. KAISER Ferdln
anu is still alive, mOurnfully meditatng in hi
Bohemian retreat on the changes Of men an
thugs IN this ever changing world. lie has lei
of turning the lathe aud given up the maxim
of jewel boxes. Would it nnt he kindness we
deserved if Monsieur Gannal were to sond
c4uple Of his shining crystals TO the poor o.
Emperor?