Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-02-21
About Diamonds and the Pleasure Of Possessing
.Ia.f them, .......sI

The Paris correspondent OF the New Orleans
Picdyune, writes o two.column letter to that
journal on the above theme, from which we
take the following almost incredible story oil
the treasures, pleasures, and measures OF the
Duke of Brunswick-the "most profound ada
mantologist in all the world"
He has n his possession three millions OF
dollars worth of diamonds. He has just pub
lIshed catalogue of his diamonds, and in the
appendix there ia q notice of the most celebra-
ted diamonds in the world. This catalogue
numbers not less than 268 quarto pages. Il
gives, with great detail, list OF his white
transparent, first white, second.white, steel
white, blue-white, light.blue, black blue, light
yellow, bright-yellOw, amber-yellow, straw,
champagne, deep-rOse, rosy, light-rose, opales-
cent, pcmegranate, violet, greenish, green, sea
green, brown, light-brown, deep-brown, dusk.
black, opaque black, London.fog, sandy, frosty
black. spotted, cracked, split, scratched, i'll cut
un cut, square, round, oval, oblong, octagon
pointed, pigeon.eyed, almond, Chinese-eyed
diamonds.
l 1t relates how this once adorned Turkish
| sabre, that o royal diadem, another an imperia
collar, third grand electoral hat;-this black
diamond was an IDOLS eye, that brilliant, rosy
diamond was taken from the Emperor Baber a.
Agra, in 1896 (it weighs 4lcarats, aud is worth
S69 ,000), those were the waistcoat buttons ol
the Emperor Don Pedro; this diamond ring
with the Stuart coat OF arms and the cipher I'M
S." belonged to Mary, Queen Of Scots; that
pair of ear rings hung once on Marie Antoinette.
The Duke Of Brunswick has In his possession
fifteen of the ninety known diamonds, weigh
ing thirty. six carats, but he has not a diamond
worth 100000. He has plenty of diamonds
worth $40 900, $50, 900 and $45, 900 aplecej he
has two worth 100000 each, and one worth
$50 900; but he has not one worth $500 900.
He is in treaty now for two diamonds, one of
which is worth $685., 900, and the other $780,
900, and which rank, In the order OF precedence
established BY adamantologists, in the sixth
rank, which is next to the Regents diamond,
| and the former in the eighth rank--thatis, next
after the OrlofP diamond, OF Russia.
| In his list of celebrated diamonds he places
| in the front rank q brilliant white diamond
weighing $50 carats, and belonging to some
East India prince, and worth $2,500,0OO; next
comes the Koh-i-noor, which weighs ls6 carats,
and which he sets down as worth 81 ,3S3, ,64O;
next comes the Rajah Of Matara's (Borneo) di.
smond-it is Of the most beautiful water con-
conceivable; the Governor Of Batavia offered
the Rsjah $l50,00O, two briggs of war, armed
equipped, and provisioned for six months, and
| large quantity of cannon balls, powder and
congreve rockets; the Rajah refused them ALL
and preferred keeping his diamond, which pass
es for talisman; 1t is worth 81 ,339 ,455.
Next comes the great Mogul, which is of 9
beautiful rose color, and of the shape aud size
Of half hens egg; it is worth $784,0 900, &C
cordipp to the Duke of Brunswick's valuation
though Tovernier, the traveller, sets it down al
being worth $2,344, SIS; the Regents diamond
of France (and which, by the way, belonged to
Lord Chatham's grandfather, who brought i
from India, concealed in the heel of his shoe,
comes only in the fifth rank; 1t weighs 1861.
lcarats--it is worth $739, $40; 1t Ia the pures
diamond known; it required two years to Gu
II. before it was cut IL weighed 4l0 carats; th
\ ohippinRs of il were sold for $40, 900.
The Duke of Brunswick says the Orloff dia
mond Of Russia Is worth only $344, 1860, an
not SIS, SIT, $50, as some persons have pretend
ed :and he SAYS the Sancy diamond, which Primo
Paul Demidoff purchased at @400, 900, Is wortl
only S29, ,l70; but then the Duke of Brunswicl
reckons its historic value 40 nothing, althoug
II once adorned the sword of Charles the BolC
was found after his death on the battle field @
Nancy, was sold In Switzerland, carried to POI
tupal and there sold, belonged to King Antonii
to Henry I'LL, was swallowed by q noble 4
: whom he confded it--swallowed by the faith
ful noble, rather than to deliver Ii to robbers
and was found in his body, which was dsinter
: red for the purpose of discovering It. 800
: The Duke OF Brunswick dares tleave Par
4 at any period Of the year; his diamonds kee
him chained there. He dares not sleep froI
I home (some people reckon this liberty Of pillo
one Of the great franchises Of (Paris) o sing
q night. Then, be lives in q house constructs
not 40 much for comfort as security. IL is burs
lar, proof, surrounded on every side by biz
wall. itself surmounted by a lofty iron railiD
defended by innumerable sharp spear head
which are 80 contrived that II person touch
anv one of them, chime of bells begins il
, stantly TO ring an alarm. The iron railing ce
( him $l4,l27 th
te He keeps his diamonds in safe built in
~ thick wall; his bed is placed against it, that
~ burplar NAV break into it without killing, or
Ieast waking him, and that be may amuse hi
self with them without leaving his bed. III
safe is lined with granite and iron, the loc
/, lbaye a secret which must be known before th
VI can be opened; if they are opened by violen
a dis,harge of firearms takes place, which "
IN inevitably kill the burglar, and at the same I'll
chime Of bells In every room Of the house I
set ringing. i04?.
He has but one window in his bedroom;
aash Il of the stoutest iron, the shutters are
Mt thick sheet iron. The ceiling of his room
Mated with iron several inches thick, and 81
= the floor. The door opening into Il is OF 81
in sheet iron, and cannot be entered unless one
In. master of the secret combustion Of the lock
A case Of dozen six-barreled revolvers, loa
= and capped, lies open upon the table, vii
III reach Of his bed. Would you like to be In