West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1886-03-12
HISTORICAL GEMS.
The wrench Crown Jewels and Their
Probable Pate.

The French Crown Jewels and Their
Probable Pate.
The gems and jewels OF France have
been famous for generations, and inter-
est in them is revived by the report that
the Chamber of Deputies have agreed
that they should be sold to provide
funds for aged workmen. The rich
aess and value of this great regalia have
been prominent in literature and poll
'ics ever since the remarkable report
made concerning them to the French
Assembly in 1891. In the list then
made there were carefully described
9,5i7 diamonds, SOC pearls. 1874 sap
phires, $50 emeralds, II topazes, ORR
entail amethysts, 3 Syrian garnets and
3 other stones not designated. The es-
innate value of these treasures, together
with the bijOu and mounted parures
belonging TO the crown amounted TO
nearly 3O,000,0OO francs, or about
$4,000. 900. The most famous of these
gems was the diamond known as lie
Regent, valued at II. 900, 900 francs, and
that other diamond equally famous,
called lie Sancy, valued at 100000
francs.
The mysterious theft i'm September,
1892, of this magnificent and matchlcss
collection was nine days wonder
Many of the finest of these gems have
never been recovered, and time has failed
20 reveal the authors of that gigantic
theft The Regent diamond was found i'm
a ditch beside one of the ALLEYS of the
Champ d Elysecs. Whom the Little
Corporal became Emperor he made
great efforts to restore the national
regalia to their former beauty and
value. The various countries of Europe
were searched for the lost gems. and il
Is said that many of them were re-
covered. Other gems were added to
the regalia, so that in 1910 there were
no fewer than 1898 precious stones re-
corded in the inventory of the crown.
In lS49 so many additions had been
made i'm the meantime, the caskct con-
tanned GASP gems and precious stones
OF all kinds, valued at over twenty
million francs.
The famous Regent was the founda-
ton of the fortune of William Pitt.
British Governor of Madras, who bought
IT OF Parscc merchant for $50 900.
Pitt took it to London, had it cut, and
then offered it for sale. The ROYAL
house of Great Britain declined TO pur-
chase it, and afterward it was bought
through the Duke of Orleans. Regent
of France during the minority of Louis
Nv, for $3.50, 600 francs. That was
in l7l7 and 1871 commission of eN-
perts placed its value at 10000. 600
francs, and even that sum is exceeded
by the valuation of the present time. 1t
found its way to Holland, where Napo-
leon cast eyes upon it, and, when his
fortunes improved, he recovered il. and
had it set in the handle Of the sword of
state. Since then it has been removed
and so arranged i'm its setting as to be
placed at will either in the crown or
used separately.
The jewels of the crown were displayed
to the public during the Universal Ex-
position at Paris in 1850. Since then
there have been valuable additions
made TO the Louvre collection. the
! most recent and noted being that of the
late Nine. Theirs, who possessed rare
! jewel, necklace of precious stones of
| the sixteenth workmanship, and re-
| garded as without Il rival in Europe.
except among the regalia preserved at
81. Petersburg. - Chicago Inter- ocean.