The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-11-26
The Fated KOh-I-NOOr.

But the credulity that it exemplifes
is not due entirely to ignorance. A
lady of great accomplishments, and
one who has had considerable expe-
rience in life-none other than the
wife of Capt. Burton, the renowned
African traveler-has just published a
book, in which she foretells much peril
to England, and especially to Queen
Victoria, if that sovereign persists in
retaining in her possession the cele-
brated Koh-i-noor diamond. That
stone has always had bad reputation.
1t is said, though without sufficient
reason, to have been discovered in the
mines of Golconda, and that in conse-
quence of some terrible deed of cruelty
perpetrated on its finder, his dying
curse still clings to it. Mrs. Burton
traces the history of the gem through
many possessors, all of whom suffered
some terrible disaster or came to a
violent death. The first lost his king
dom, the second died in exile, others
were strangled or assassinated in differ
ent ways. The fall of the once great
empire of Aurungzebe she attributes
to the Mountain of Light. When
Nadir Shah captured Delhi, he took
away with him to Persia treasure and
jewels Of incalculable value, among
them the Koh-i-nOOr. From the mo-
ment he reached Persia "every thing
went wrong" The emperor was soon
after assassinated, and his jewels stolen.
Its next pOssessor was poisoned; the
two next had their eyes put out, and
so on, disaster ever following the stone
till it came into the possession of Run
ject Sing, the Lion of the Puniab.
He died soon after; then his son was
poisoned, and at brief intervals his
grandson and great-grandsOn also were
assassinated. Anarchy followed then
came the conquest of the Punjab, and
so the diamond to its present destina-
ton.
This is all matter of history, and
has been recounted by previous writers.
But Mrs. Burton does not pretend to
90 only over the ground again. She
declares that she did not know the
history of the gem until she had had
dream, wherein it was made known to
her. She then looked into the ques-
ton, though it must be allowed that
she is not quite accurate in her account
of the fortunes of the former proprie-
tors. Many of them whom she does
not mention were prosperous and pow
erful rulers some died peaceable
deaths, and One-the monarch of the
Sikus-so far from regarding the dia-
mond as ill-omened, valued it as
holy relic, and bequeathed it to jug
gernaut.
But Mrs. Burton is firm believer
in omens, and entreats the queen to
discard the stone, which she sometimes
wears. She notes that Lord Dalhou-
sic, who sent it to the queen, died soon
afterward that the duke of Yelling
ton, who gave the first stroke to the
new cutting, lived but three months,
and that Prince Albert next fell
victim to the ancient curse. Now, it
is not difficult to understand how be-
lief in the ill-omen of this diamond
should have prevailed in the east.
Apart from the facts connected with
its history, its extreme value-since it
is by far the purest diamond now in
existence-would have induced some
to malign it in order TO possess it.
But it is not so easy to account for the
credulity or superstition, call it what
we may, which we find displayed in
woman of such high culture, talent
and practical knowledge of the world