River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-11-13
GROWN JEWELS OF FRANCE.
The Famous Diamonds Of the French
Crown---A Weight of Gems Sold at
Auction.


momds. Nj. benjamin Raspail, radi-
cal member bearing a radical and
remedial name, reported to the French
chamber Of deputies shortly before its
adjournment bill for the sale of the
crown jewels, which it will be remem-
bered, were one of the attractions OF
the exposition last year. These Jewels
are no longer available for the purpose
for which the monarchy collected them
at great cost; the expense OF keeping
anu guarding them is burden, and
they are exposed to risks Of various
sorts.
1t is not easy to folm any idea
Of the intrinsic value OF these Jewels or
of the price they will bring il brought
TO the hammer. According 20 the
inventory taken by command of Louis
XVIII, there were more than GA 600
precious stones i'll the collection of a
weight OF 1891 carats and value of
~, lS0,o52. The present estimate of
the Value of the crown alone, which
contains the Regent diamond and $500
other stones is 81 $40, 400. There is a
set of pearls said to be worth 1898 600,
jewel of the royal order of the Holy
Gnost in diamonds worth $77 900, a set
Of diamonds and sapphres valued at
$4,000, an imperial sword representing
SIS, l4O IN money, a grand cross Of the
legion of honor which cost $1,000, and
so on. The gem of the collection, OF
course, is the Pitt or Regent diamond,
which is ranked fifth in the list of the
worlds great diamonds, though there
are suspicious that the Braganza, which
stands unapproachably alone in size at
the head CT the roll, is really white
topaz, suspicion strengthened by the
refusal OF the Portuguese government
to allow it TO be inspected. In the
rough the Pitt weighed no carats. 1t
was found in 1902 in the mines of
Partael, twenty miles from Wazulipa-
tam, by slave, who, 10 conceal ii,
placed it in cash which he cut IN
his leg, pretending to have been
wounded by accident and wrapping a
bandage round the limb. Running
away with his precious discovery he
offered it to a Christian sailor as the
price of the Christian sailors assistance
i'll regaining his liberty. The Christian
sailor lure1 him to the vessel, took the
stone, and threw the Hindoo overheard
drowning him. The diamond thus OBJ
tanned brought the scoundrel no luck,
for he sold it TO a merchant named
Jamchund for 1000, squandered the
money, and hanged himself. Jamchund
IN turn disposed of the precious stone
TO Thomas Pit, governor of Fort ST.
George, for 9l2 500.
MIR. Pitt had it cut into a fine brill
liant, the process occupying two years
and costing $4,000, but the fragments
split of were worth $4,000 or $4,000.
The weight of the stone was thus re-
duced To 1861 carats-the Kohidnor
weighs 1921 the stone became and
continues TO this day to be the most
perfect brilliant in existence, being
without rival in shape or water.
III 17lS Pitt sold the diamond glee-
fully to the Duke OF Orleans, regent Of
France, for 1915, 900. In 1892 the con-
stituent assembly ordered an inventory
of the crown jewels to be taken, but
just as it was completed, on the night
OF Aug. 10, forty thieves, acting in uni
son, broke into the house, Palace Louis
XIV, where the jewels were deposited,
ana carried them of. Only two of the
thieves were caught; the others escaped
and the diamonds could not be found
AT that moment one Lamieville, bar
Der, lay in prison i'll the Conciergerie
under sentence of death Tor coming.
He broke out of prison and shortly
alter informed municipal officer, and
one Sergeant Marctau, who had been
kind to him during lis confinement,
that ba had CUapbna,I
thieves talking of the place where the
jewe's were To be concealed till the
ardor of pursuit had abated. The
places were the hollows of two large
beams in a certain house in the alley
known as L Alice DIES Veuves. The SER
geant went there, found the Pitt ana
other Jewels and restored them to the
government, Lamieville receiving par
don and a commission in a regiment
of the line. according to another
story the diamonds were Cdched in
hole in the Champs Elysees, and their
hiding place was disclosed to the pre-
feet of police by an anony nous CORES
pondent) Fabre d'Eglantine accused
Roland of being in the plot others
charged it to Dauton.
poleon pledged the regent diamond as
1t was called after its purchase by the
duke of Orleans, to the Dutch as a Sc
curily for the funds wherewith he CON
solidated his power, and after he re-
deemed it was placed in the pommel
of his sword. The Prussians took it at
Waterloo, but it was restored to France.
The Sancy diamond was among those
stolen in 1892. 1t is brilliant of 54
carats, and is supposed, though the
story Is doubtful, TO have been worn by
Charles the Bold, as talisman, and to
have been taken from his dead body
when &c was killed by Swiss halber-
dier at the battle of Nancy, in January,
1475. A Swiss soldier who stripped and
plundered the ducal corpse, look the
francs to a priest, who made twelve
cents on the transaction. 1t was among
the cr( wn jewels of Portugal, and was
pawned for 1000 livres to Harlay dc
Sancy, who subsequently bought it for
100000 One of his descendants sent
it by a faithful servant to be pawned to
raise funds for Henri Ill. the man was
set upon and killed, not, however, till he
had swallowed the diamond that was
thereafter to bear his name. 1t was
taken from his stomach when the body
was opened by order of the prince,
VINO felt sure of his fidelity. James IL.
OF England sold it to Louis XIV. for
f25, 600; it was stolen from the French
treasury, with the crown jewels, in
1892; after its temperance it was sold
by the Duchess de Berry to the Demi-
dofis. Count Paul lost it at fancy
ball at Count Walewski's, but it was
found again.
Twelve famous diamonds, known as
"the twelve Mazarins," from the fact
that they were newly cut by the cardin-
ais order, disappeared from among
the French crown jewels at the revolu-
ton of 1880, and were not again heard
of till 1877, just before the marriage of
King Alfonso XII. and the Princess
Mercedes, when an Amsterdam dealer
offered them for sale at Madrid, being
commissioned to dispose Of them by an
owner who wished to remain unknown.
Among the jewels which NJ. Raspail
wishes to have dispers d is beautiful
ruby cut in the form of dragon with
outspread wings. The priceless "blue
diamond" of the regent stolen in 1872
has never been heard of since, though
there are jewelers. who think they have
found il in magnificent stone belong
ing to an English noble man of wealth.