The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-09-03
HOW DIAMONDS SAVED US.

HOW DIAMONDS SAVED Us.
AT the time am writing about we were
a strong firm. / say were, because six
years ago we wound up the concern, and
a banking-hOuse of not quite fifty years
existence "a remarkably long business life
for the United States) was closed in the
most honorable way. The partners i'm the
house were two. 4 he elder and head of
the firm had sound mercantile education,
was eminently conservative. and was a
thorough master of his business. The
other partner had brilliant talents, bat was
prone to be overimIginative, and rather
held to the idea that romance, or the in
ventive faculty, when called into play in
business, was a necessity. The Junior had
a separate room. arranged rather like
cabinet of curiOsities than bankers office.
You could see neat brOnZes there, bits OF
majolica, pieces of armOr, and a few good
pictures. Twenty-Five years ago such
things in a business office were thought
rather out of place. A distant relative of
the senior partner of the house, / had the
entire confidence Of both members of the
firm, as had been from the age of twelve
in the house, and was twenty when the
occurrence | am about to tell happened. |
was very warmly attached to both the gen.
uemen, but was rather fond of our junior,
who made me his companion.
One summer evening, long after office
hours, private letter-book requiring in
deXing, shut myself up in the juniors
office and commenced work. 1t was rather
late at night when the younger member of
the firm entered. "Seeing light in the
Office he said. ''as / was coming from
the ferry, and forgetting that you
were at work here, | came in" and he
stretched himself on a lounge and lit a
cigar, then took a book and commenced
reading. In a half-hour my work was
finished, and, thinking he was asleep,
put away the books, closing the door OF
the safe with crash, in order to awaken
him.
Through" he said; and then asked,
" Keep up your French, do yOu|
g Yes, though whether | ever will be
able to correspond i'm that language so
far as to render myself useful for the
French and Belgian business, L don't
know"
''Ever read Beaumarchais?' he inquired.
g Yes, but only his plays. | am not
familiar with his life.''
"What a magnificent dual cXiStenceI'
How so?' | inquired.
''He was merchant and author. Carried
on the heaviest mercantile operations, and
wrote the cleverest comedies. Made out
line of invoices and phrase of comedy all
in the same breath, and perhaps with the
same pen. There was Roscoe, too, mer-
chant and historian; and Rogers, poet
and banker; Lamh, clerk and essayist-"
Maybe sO,'' | replied, interrupting
him; "but do not think ordinary men
can do two things at Once-there may be
exceptions" He laughed, and said, That
is good common sense. But there are
1r1ol aIietav,aac Nntu I ha
been reading this life of Beaumarchais.
and have been deeply interested in the
eXertions he made in behalf of our peO-
pie when he sent arms during the period
of our Revolutionary struggle" Which
good action ruined him. | said; and |
closed the safe. and was about going to
the door, when he babe me stay. Draw
ing a chair close 10 the table, after short
pause he said to me "Now, listen For
the last six months have had an idea in
my head-a secondary one. it is true, to
another which has absorbed nv mind for
years. God knows whether | have this
quality of mind or not, but must test it.
Now, this is what | am driving at. F'if-
teen years ago went to South America.
You know my wife is Brazilian" Here
he sighed and paused. There was a ru-
NOR that he did not live happily with his
wife. "Whle i'm South America | made
the deepest researches into the history OF
the aboriginal races. ! went far behind
the times of the old Aymares. Nance
Capac and Oello HuacO are to me as things
of to-day. Modern research has settled
that the Pharaohs of the Bible was as near
to us almost, chrOnologically, as Napol-
con was. Every day the work started in
Egypt by Demon and Lepsius shows us
that we are only at the threshold. South
Annnriaa is fha rnlana 20 IienpH-ars rnar1fs
earliest traces, and to find his primitive
works. This may not interest you much,
but the second part efmy idea will, trust.
Ii is the cOrollary of the first 1t was my
business TO study the political condition OF
the cOuntry-a rather intricate and tangled
work. "TwO South American States are
on the eve ofa contest - (he mentioned the
name of the two Republics which, from
measures of precaution, withhold), land
the government of, the smaller power.
which is not in the right, but the stronger
and the richer, have called on me TO pur-
chase arms and ammunition Tor them. |
can make hundreds of thousands of dol
lars out of the business. What is wanted
is that should send a consignment of
military equipments. The money of the
State is now on its way here, or | shall
have authority to draw on London for il.
If can accomplish what they want, | find
the means out of the profits to go TO South
America and open my glorious work. 1t
is Beaumarchais in the nineteenth century,
but with higher and nObler aims. / shall
make researches in the Peruvian plains,
and will eNhume a world of artistic splen-
dor far antecedent to the Egyptian period.
The Pyramids will be dwarfed when COM
pared with the magnificent monuments |
must bring to light"
Il know nothing" / replied, somewhat
confused, "about these things. | should
think that the absence of violent physical
phenomena in Egypt have kept their
monuments intact. while in South Ameri-
ca the earthquakes have long ago ground
all vestigeS of mans handiwork to dust"
"Quite true. so far as your knowledge
goes. But there are broad lands in Peru
that have never been shaken. Earth
quakes follow rhythmic rules. Some day
Nesuvius and Kma will be extinct, as
they have been once before, The fires of
the Cordilleras are but of Yesterday. One
hundred thousand years ago South Amer
lea had no earthquakes. Humboldt seems
TO think so. | have studied all the cosmi-
cal theories"
OF course | could not dispute about
what Humboldt had said, and [ made
casual and perhaps silly remark about the
wealth of gold or silver that might be dis
covered. "TuSh " he cried, =" that is the
least thing care about. A single diScov-
cry of some early deity, a head, gTander,
more majestic in form than Memnon,
would be worth more TO me than the gold
en- sun of the Incas. which was a plano
sphere of pure metal some 10000 feet in
circumference, and which, when the sun
crossed the line, 100000 of men placed
On its edge and on a peak of the Andes,
so that IL almost ecliDSed Gods luminary
But the Incas were to the ages that went
before, and which / would seek after as 10
ume, what San Francisco was TO Troy"
could not stop him. He developed his
piahs. With frankness which aston
lsked me he gave me details of his private
fortune, which were ample. The money
ne had IN the firm was TO be untouched.
] was 10 attend to the South American
business. Endowed at twenty wears on
age with no end of energy, and having a
circumspectness even beyond NV wears. I
combated the South American scheme.
At last it was daybreak before the matter