The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-03-04
LIONS AS NJ PETS.
Not Quite as Tame as Tables,
But Tame Fnough-The Bull
Dog ia Gentlemau.'

Va oto 1hu 1rsAAS
visiting Australia, he purchased g
pair of young lions male ard fe
male-and brought them to his home
in New York, where they have since
been kept in an apartment fitted up
expressly for them. Several of their
cubs have been sold for 1000 each
and he has been offered 5000 fol
either Of the parent couple, but he
declined to part with them and will
keep them until they die. His child
rem have learned to play with them
without the least apprehension OF
danger and q photograph OF tue pair
has bee IL inscribed: "Ihe souls that
love U.s." During all the time the
two old lions have been in his pos
session they have not shown the
least disposition to injure any one
and he never had any trouble with
their descendants, with the excep-
ton OF one incorrigible cub, which
Mr.. Cross describes as "the greatest
lunkhead he ever saw"
This obstinate young beast persist
ly resisted all Establishments, and at
one time, during Mr.. Cross absence
from home, amused himself by tear
ing out the bottom of his cage and
then refusing to allow his temporary
keeper to repair the damage. When-
ever the keeper made an attempt to
slip q board over the hole the cub
would strike at him vicicusly as a
notification that he as regarded as
a trespasser and the cage was left IN
disturbed. When the owEer returned
he was apprised of the insurrection
IN his menage!ie, and promptly
armed himself with a stout stick as a
preparation for war. He tried to
place a board over that same hole,
but the lion resented the intrusion,
and the subsequent engagement may
be described in Mr.. Cross own words:
MY experience had told me that a
lions vulnerable points of attack
were on the nasal cavity and paws,
and q few quick and earnest raps
across these will defeat the bravest
lion and make him turn tail. l went
for that obdurate cub with my stick ;
he surrendered, promptly if not grace
fully, and there was no further obje c
ton to the board or projected repairs.
This is the only misunderstanding
recorded in that department., but the
cub was sold at the first opportunity.
The members of his home m~enagerie
have been almost entirely exempt
from sickness since their residence in
America, but every attention has
been paid to their physical well-be-
ing. MI. Cross states that if lions
are to be kept in a healthy condition
they must have access TO the ground,
for otherwise they soon become vic
TINS of paralysis or incurab!e distem-
per. In dealing with his lions he
has found that they, like human be.
ing, oftentimes prefer to be left alone
and on such occasions he paid no at
tention to them, bat always reciprO-
Gated any disposition to be sociable.
Jewels of the Orient.
The history Of gems in the East is
the history of the governing princes,
for so often has the course of history
in the Orient been affected by in
trigues about precious stones that
they assume a state Importance. The
traditional diamond in The East is
the Great Mogul. The original
weight of this stone was S7S carats,
but by cutting it was reduced to 297
The stone disappeared at the
last Tartar invasion, when treasures
to the value of $3.50, coo, 900 were cap
tured by Nadir Shah. 1t is believed
10 be at present hidden away in some
obscure fOrtrt IS IN Asia Minor, and
it may be recovered at some future
lime.
Some idea of the abundance of pre-
,ious stones in the East may be
from the fact that when Nah
in the eleventh century, cap
;ured Sumnat, an idol statue was
broken open and found to contain
hree bushels of diamonds, and ru-
lies and emeralds. Ala-ud-deen OF
aimed from the Rajah of Marattus
pounds of diamonds and rubies
nd It's pounds of pearls. Shah
Tehan, the greatest of the Mogul
left a treasure of meal
ulable value at his death, q throne
'a'ued at $50, 00O, 600 and a Gro xn
worth $12, O0O, 900. The throne was
be celebrated Peacock throne, so
allied from the images of two Pea
ocks which stood before 1t, each
aade of precious stones SO matched
color and position as to resemble the
yatural colors of the bird.
The throne was six feet long and
our feet wide, of solid gold, and
rusted with diamonds, rubies and
meralds. Steps of silver led up to il,
7hile a canopy of gold, fringed with
earls, supported by twelve pillars
with gems, surmounted
be whole. Ga each side was a
acred umbrella made of velvet, en-
roidered with pearls, the handle
eing of gold, inIaid with diamonds.
t was the most costly work of art
yer made. Its only rival was the
erulean throne of the House of
in the Nizam
This was built in the seventeenth
entury, was nine feet long and three
tide, was made of ebony covered
18th plates of gold crusted with gems,
nd was valued at $50, OOO, 600.
A late traveller gives an account Of
he magniticence of the Persian crown
.wels. In the jewel room he found
reasures valued at $50, O0O, 900, among
hem tine crown, a mass of diamonds
lrmounted by a ruby as big as a
EMS egg. The kings belt is a wonder
f barbalc magnificenc, weighing
bout 20 pounds and composed of a
old mass OF diamonds, rubies and
meralds. AS Persia is the native
and of the turquoise. it is but nat
raj that the finest stone of this
escriptiOn is to be found in its co..
This royal specimen is four
inches long. perfect in color, and
Without a flaw. When the Shah was
a Europe, some years ago, he wore
variety of diamonds and other
recious stones that kept the detect
yes in a constant fever of fear lest he
.ould be robbed of some of them,
or one, even of the smallest. would
ave been a fortune for a half d-zen
hieves. The buttons of bis coat
1ere five in number, and each button
'as q diamond larger than the
.1ohinoor, while every part of his
seemed to be useful not as a
overing for his body, but as places to
arg diamonds on.