The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1868-10-21

We all know how Julius Cesar, when be
was in love with the Mother or Marcus
Brutus, gave her pearl worth nearly guar
ter OF million Of our money; and how Mark
Antony drank one, dissolved In vinegar, the
value Of which amounted to nearly 500, 900;
while Clodlus, the glutton, swallowed one
worth 10000. The example of Cleopatra
found an imitator even in sober England
Sir Thomas Gresham, not otherwise famous
for acts of folly, still so mistook the meaning
of loyalty that he ground pearl, which bad
cost him els, 900, into q cup of wine, In order
thus fitly to drink the health Of bis great
Queenl This plagiarist again had many
rivals in the mad courtiers of Louis XIV,
who In their insane extravagance, were won't
TO pulverize their diamonds, and occasionally
used the powder to dry the ink Of letters
which they sent to their beloved ones. Is
diamond powder in the hair much worsef
The largest pearl on record is probably one
bought by that most romantic Of ell travel
lers and dealers in precious gems, Tavernier,
at Catifa, in Arabia, where pearl fishery
already existed In the days Of Pliny. Il Is
said-for the pearl Is unknown to our day.
to have been pear-shaped, perfect Ia Ill re-
spects, and nearly three inches long. He OBJ
tanned from the Shah of Persia the enormous
sum Of ELL 900 for the gem.
Mr.. Hopes pearl, which Is looked upon as
the finest now known, Is two inches long
and four inches round. 1t weighs 1900
grains, and like all such rarities, Is Of such
enormous and uncertain value that no one
would buy 1t at market price. The most
beautiful collection of pearls belongs, how
ever, to the Dowager Empress Of Russia.
Her husband was exceedingly fond Of her,
and as he shared, with other fancies, also that
of fine pearls with her, he sought for them
all over the world. They bad to fulfil two
conditions rarely met with: they must be
perfect In spheres, and they must be virgin
pearls; for he would buy none that had been
worn by others. After twenty-five years
search, he at last succeeded in presenting his
Empress with a necklace such as the world
has never seen before.
As this admiration for fine pearls has been
the common weakness of man In all ages and
in all countries, We need not wonder at their
playing prominent part In religious writ
ings. The Talmud has pretty story, teach
ing US that those who believed In II, esteem
ed but one object in nature of higher value
than pearls. When Abraham approached
Egypt, the book tells us, he locked Sara In
chest that none might behold her dangerous
beauty. But when he came TO the place Of
paying custom, the officer said: "Pay Gus
TOM" And he said: ~ will pay the Gus
tom." They said to him: "Thou earliest
Clothes" And he said: 81 will pay for
clothes" Then they said to him: Thou
earliest gold" And he answered them: 81.
will pay for gold" On this they further said
'tSurely thou Dearest fine silk" He replied:
81 will pay custom for the finest silk" Then
they said: "Surely 1t must be pearls that thou
takest with thee" And he only answered:
81 will pay for pearls" Seeing that they
could name nothing of value for which the
patriarch would not willingly pay custom,
they said: at cannot be that thou open the
box and let US sec what Is withinw So they
opened the box and the whole land Of Egypt
was illumined by the lustre Of Sara's beauty
far exceeding that of pearls.
Hence pearls are repeatedly used In the
Holy Writ also for the most solemn compar-
isons, and to denote the highest degree Of
perfection. In the Old Testament, wisdom
is praised as above pearls, and In the New
Testament, the kingdom of heaven Is COM
pared to pearl Of great price, which, when
a merchant had found II, he went and sold
all that he had and bought II. Even the New
Jerusalem was revealed to St. John under
the figure of an edifice with twelve doors,
each of which was single pearl.
And this precious gem, fit to adorn an
Emperor's crown, and to heghten the beauty
of the fairest of maidens, this pearl Of great
price, perfect in form and beauteous In lus-
tire, this jewel of the deep, sought for at the
peril of human life, and paid for with the
bread of ten thousands-it sickens and dies
and vanishes in day. Every now and then
we read of noble family, which prided -
self on the possession of magnificent anees-
trail pearls, panic-stricken by finding some
of their precious gems turning Of a sickly
color, and crumbling into dust II is but
fey years since the crown-jeweller of France
solemnly applied to the Academy Of Sciences
for remedy against this disease, caused
probably by the decomposition of the mem
branes which form part of the pearl, and
after all liable do decay and corruption, like
all animal matter, by contact with air. There
was no answer given, but the advice to pre-
serve the precious gems, as much as posi-
BILE, from the influences OF light and air; and
the Grown Of France has since lost some Of
its most highly -prized jewels. Behold, all
is vanity and vexation Of spirit. "-hitHGn's
Magazine.