The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1870-11-03
IDAHO WOLRD.
THE GREEN VAULT.

THE GREEN VAULT.
v,srr TO THE CROWN JEWEL ROOM OF DRESDEN
n,,, WV TT "a pnorEcrED-JEMs AND JEWELS
PRoFUs1oN.
A correspoudent writes: At Dresden w
ut ~ coo yvhat some one disrespectfully call
'"Tha Plav House of the Saxon Kings" Guld
booEs cali II "The Green Vault, though VIII.
nerfectlv respectable series of first hoo
,ana rtmahts should be termed a "vault" is be
.vpnd conjecture. We were admitted through
The arcbway of the palace-called, by courtesy
tha oate-by q stuntcd sentinel, who showed
not the slightest disposition to place any obsta
Gle in our way, which did not strike me at al
at the time, and did strike me as very remark
able Just afterward, as we shall see The
courtyard of the palace is paved with dlngy
brick, the walls are peeling off, and the to",
ensemble most unroyal. We were admitted
through side door into small hall or vestl-
bule, furnished meagerly with desks and CHAIRS
A little. old, owlishlooking man blinked at our
permits, allowed us to transcrlbe our names
in the visitors book, took with careful clrcum.
spection bunch of keys from their accustomed
hook, unlocked door, and le roila' Fancy
ALADDIN's CAVE,
Swept and garnished, hung with continuous
range of mirrors, lit by large window, all the
diamonds, rubies, emeralds, turquolses' sap,
phires topazes, garnets and amethysts, instead
of being heaped about in ill-bred ana 0ewllder-
ing confusion, carefully ticketed and lald on
beds of regal velvet behind glass doors. Fancy
caskets studded with precious stones, a neck
lace composed of twenty-five brllllants, each
one nearly an inch long and hall men Wide'
crowns, tiaras, scabbards, swOrd-hllts, Shout
,derknots. stars and crosses and orders of dia-
tm6nds. with only sufficient setting to give them
stress. and individual stones of intrinsic lnteg-
rity and worldwide reputation, besides the
black brilliants and pink topazes, the lnSus ma
'turg of that species of creation. All, well
ever since the sight of that immense prOtusiOn,
all precious stones seem cold and common and
vulgar beside the artistic fretwOrk of pure
gold. "Well," I said, "here's this owl and
the stunted sentinel at the gate, and the open
door, and the archway and liberty. What's to
hinder us helping ourselves and shining like
royalty in our own land!
"Ben," said monsieur lie dOcteur, "Mean-
while there is q carbine pointed at each of our
heads from loop-holes in the ceiling, imper-
iceptible to view.
SINGLE SUSPICIOUS MOVEMENT
Would send US where brilliants are neither [
needed nor coveted "Ahr' | answered alb ,
stractedly. / remember just then We passed q
into other rooms, not quite SO carefully guard s
ed where the air seemed to contain more OK 4
ygen, and breathed freely. 1t would be i'm J
possible to recall, and certainly to transcribe Il
in q limited space, all the |
WONDERS OF ANCIENT ART 8
And invention which crowd the four apart |.
ments into which we were next ushered. There !.
were dozens of cabinets, beautifully carved :
and executed, of amber, that brittlest of sub :
stances; rice-cups, looking like purest porce- y
lain, relic of the lost arts in China; chalice
of Bohemian ware, of which Bohemian glass y
is but an imperfect imitation. The mineral =
used in its composition is no more to be found :.
and it is believed that this chace is the only -
one of the kind in the world. There is a ia p
nous clock here which at one time rivaled the n
one in Strasburg cathedral by some accident l.
it has become disarranged, and, strange to say,
co one can be found scientific enough To UNDER
stand its interior workings, aud SO restore it N
% its original use So it stands mute monu- M
nent of mans skill and mans ignorance ne
What interested me most was 4 bit of ivory III
arriving, executed by pupil of hr
BENvENUTo CELLINI. pr
1t is only foot long and half foot wide, a ~,
nd contains within this minute space, la de- L.
rees The carving represents the angels n t'|
ushng the devils down into hell. The tri- I y"
mphant looks of the conquering ones, the nc.
oft, fine outlines of their faces, the graceful ""
urves of Their floating garments are exqIis a,o
ely translated, and NO less vivid are the mad, S
ngular, fendish faces of the devils, their eve Tue
alls starting, their teeth clicking, their bat cai
Ike wings extended, their whole forms instinct e''
nth angry hate and wild despair Further llit
nan that he is a pupil of Cellini, nothing is iul
nown of this artist, who, in our day at least sle'
so namelessly famous. Something else in. ice
crested me only little less-a basket of flow acc
RS fashioned BY lady at Easter time, not a.e
ANY years ago, from -four and water, and a,e
aked into marble purity and hardness. Each clo'
ny grass and field flower is faithfully copied OH
'gether with ivy, vieets and lilies, and the oy
feet is more pure and perfect than any words the
mine could designate; witness the rare IA. the
'r accorded to its artistic merit by the posi-. the
on 1t occupies in this conservative museum of ana
t. q - i'''i' ia
PERPETUAL MOTION.-Chicago papers an. q