The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1870-10-28
The French Crown Jewels.

One of our French correspondents
writes: Where are the crown jewels?
is the question asked at present by
some of those people no think that
some care should be taken of the
morrow, and that France may yet see
brighter days even if her capital
should fail. The poor Empress was
accused of a desire to spirit them
away, and, although she gave the lie
to the calumny by ordering an inven-
tory to be made and the whole col
lection to beturneds over to General
Trochu, so soon as that gentleman
was appointed to the dictatorship Of
Paris, still lingering fear of official
robbery remained in the minds of all,
and to this alone must be ascribed the
arrest of. Princess NIathilde and the
sequestration of her sixty-two trunks
at Dieppe. She was released, of
course, as-soonT as her seventy-tWo
millions francs worth of ait treasures
were discovered to be the coinage of
a too fertile Imagination, but the pub
lie was not satisfied, and so the Gov
eTnor- OF. Paris hasaseen fit.tO announce
to his fcllow-citiZens that the Bank of
France is not the place of deposit of
this portion of the nations's wealth,
but that every. one may rest assured
that.it is in a safe place, sswhich, for
obvious reasons, he>-decIines to dis
close.2a fr- .ass 1s.-r O ~ -.r-E.v T{F
It would indeed be rare "treas-
ure troYe . should Paris be given up
to "loot," and the German army
would be reeompeused financially for
much of its privation and suffering if
itcould divide up this plunder, which
insl791 was estimated at more than
q, 100000 francs. ar .
Formerly the crown jewels were in
charge of the keeper of the Garde
Meuble Royale, but by decree of the
National Constituent Assembly, ada-
ted 26th and 9th May, and 22nd June,
1891, MessTs. Dion, Christin and De-
lathe were appointed COmmissaires
GdbOc and furnished to the "OoRSti-
tUante " a detailed Inventory of the
CT de gC1I royal treasures.
This inventory was divided into
classes; the first, including precious
stones, only under the designati on
generic-of "Crownl Diamonds" Of
this the first chapter of diamonds
gives a value e..
l. TO- 0U5JO0
The second chapter, pearls. Er. 9C6,7o0
The third cnapfer, cOlred stones, FIR. $50, ,664
The 18th CHI, parures I'm 'nted set) FIR. 1884, 400
- Total + I. -zJJzgl0f
Among these single diamond,
known as the Regent, is estimated at
twelve millions of francs. Since 1871
the market value of precious stones
in general is considered to have tripl-
ed itself. There are 9j47 diamonds,
| 513 pearls, 230 rubies, Il topazes,, $50
emeralds, l34 sapphires, ) amethysts,
| S Syrian garnets, 8 cOlOred stones not
classified.
The second category of the invento-
ry comprises sets of miscellaneous
/ ieWelry-E old Roman, etc.,-
rock crystals, engraved stones, antique
ornaments pictures and other mOnu-
ments of art and science, all belonging
/ to the administration of the National
Museums, and united in one of the
most admirable galleries of the LouV-
re. These treasures are independent
of the fine art collections in the Pal
ace, and may possibly be concealed,
in the event of sack of the City-a
most improbable event, by the way
but many chefs dGuCre- will doubt
less perish, OF be carried away by the
victors, a proceeding which will only
! be an imitation of the dOings of the
French themselves, whenever they
occupied any foreign capital, during
the conquests of the first Napoleon.