Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-08-18
THE GROWN wNDIAMONDs OF FRANCE,
An Enormously valuable collection of
Precious Stones.

An EnormousIy Valuable collection Of
Precious Stones.
tSt. James's Gazette.
Governments, like private people.
when they are seriously in want of funds,
part with their jewelry, raising money on
1t or selling it outright France finds
herself, not for the first time, in this pre-
icament; and the Chamber of Deputies
has voted the "alienation"-by which in
this particular case is meant sale-of the
Crown diamonds. The approval of the
Senate is necessary before the sale can hc
preceded with but it is generally tn
derstood that the Crown diamonds of
rance are this time really to go, with
the exception only of some rare and pre-
cious treasures to which national clIarac-
ter seems to be attached. A commission
OF jewellers and connoisseurs of Jewels
appointed to value the Crown diamonds.
and TO say which, if any should he re.
tained recommen led that certain Num-
her of jewels or jewelled objects should
not be sold and their advice is TO be
complied with save in regard to the for
eign decorations and the insignia of the
Legion OF Honor sworn by Napoleon III.
"Ihese, says the report on the subject
recall no historical souvenir" They
can not, however, but recall the Third
Empire, with its disastrous collapse after
Sedan andit is for that reason, no
doubt, that France, as represented by its
actual Government, is glad to get rid of
them. The girdle in diamonds, which
the Empress Eugene caused to be made
ON the model of the one worn by Mile
Derval in "La Biche au Bois," possesses
less an historical than an anecdotal value
and the Parliamentary commission can
scarcely be blamed for proposing that il
be sent to the hammer Three objects,
instead of being sold in their present
form, are first to be melted down. OF
these, two are swords, which belonged,
one to the Dauphin, the other to Louis
XVIII. The third of the objects to be
melted is the imperial crown made in 1851
for the coronation which never took place.
1t is described as ''insignifcs Mt in work.
manship and of doubtful taste" Its val
lie is more than doubtful considered as
an historical relic Plus IX., it will be
remembered, had been counted upon to
perform the ceremony for which it was
made. But the Emperor's italian pol
icy, whether or not his hand was forced,
was not such as the Pope could approve
and throughout lis reign of eighteen
years Napoleon III. never found himself
III a position to induce the Pope to assist
III his coronation. The two royal swords,
and the imperial crown which was des-
tined never to be used are, after the
stones have been taken ont, to be melted
and sold as so much metal, in order that
they may not fall into the hands OF Ma
dame Tussaud or the proprieters of the
Musee Grevin. The Dey of Algier'a
sword, is to be preserved as-if France
only possessed it--would doubtless be the
legendary fan with which he WAS good
enough to strike the French Consul ami
thus furnish his enemy with pretext ior
invading, occupying, aud taking possess
ion OF his territory.
The Government does not, however,
propose to sell the famous "Regent,"
which was acquired by that Regent OF
Orleans to whom it owes its name for
El35, 600 sterling Diamonds, like coun-
tries, have their histories and poor i'll
deed is the diamond which has hone.
These attractive stones were, according
to an ancient Jewish legend; invented by
the fallen angels with the view OF tempt
ing the daughters of men IL purpose for
which can not be said they have proved
untitled. Apart, however from the great
aim with which they were brought into
the world, they have been associated with
villany or various kinds. The OrlcT
diamond is said to have been stolen by "a
French deserter from the eye of the fig
ure of Juggernaut and II like story was
told of the ''Regent" according
to another version, it was stolen not from
a god, but from slave who had found it
in mine, and was in the habit of carry.
ing it about i'll wound which he had
made expressly for its reception in one OF
his legs. This stone has the reputation
of being the purest, if not the largest, of
famous diamonds, The Kings of France
wore it in their crown. Napoleon. how
ever, carried it, with signifcaucc, in the
hilt Of his sword. Had he not done SO,
it would not for time have been lost to
France, as it in fact was when, ht Water
loo. it fell into the hands of the Prussians.
After the Restoration it went back to
France and, that it might not second
time become, if only temporarily, the
property of the Prussians, it was con-
veyed in 1870, when the capital was
about to be invested, from Paris to Tours,
and from Tours to Bordeaux. 1t has had
strange adventures, too, in France itself.
Thus, under the Consulate and the En-
III
Vanderberghe, who held it as guarantee
for the repayment of state loan, and
meanwhile lent it to his wife to wear at
evening parties, replacing it in his strong
box by an excellent imitation in crystal,
which is said on more than one occasion
to have been exhibited as the original to
the authorities charged with the duty Of
visiting it.
Portions of the Crown diamonds OF
of France have already twice been sold
in 1891 by Louis XIV, and in l774 by
Louis XVI; and at the time of the
Revolution they We're (partly from haired
of monarchical vanities, partly from want
OF money)to have been disposed of M
mass. The sale, however, was constantly
postponed and the Convention being
replaced blythe Directory, and by the Con
sulate and the Empire, taste for dia.
monds gradually came in to existence
though Napoleon, having once pledged
the Grown diamonds, was for long time
without the necessary funds for taking
them out. The Queen of Portugal who
in Scribes opera of Lies Diamants de
la Couronne," pawns the Crown diamonds
for sum large enough to pay off the
national debt, and replaces them by sham
ones made under her orders by pictur-
esque band of coiners, acts in accordance
with the spirit of the institutions over
which she presided. In a republic, how
ever, where Court ceremonies have no ex-
istence, Crown diamonds are for practical
purposes valueless and the best thing
to do with them, especially if the state
xpa 40 mo- 90 1e,,l L ~