The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-11-06
THE EMERALDs OF soMNATH.
An Oriental Tale of tho Wonderful Gems
OF India.

wonderful Gems
OF India.
A traveller in India who recently WIS.,
tied the palace of the Nawab of MUIR
shidabad, thus describes the famous
jewels of that descendant of the vice
roys of Bengal:
The prince led us through the halls Of
his palace to the chamber where the
last treasures of his dynasty were
guarded by dusky sepoy with dark
Sowing face. We were asked to be
seated beside the Nawab in an ante
| room, while the iron doors that shut
| the treasury were rolled back, and the
more notable jewels were laid before
us on the liable.
We were shown first some beautiful
armlets of table diamonds, rather fiat
and lustreless from the eastern fashion
of cutting; then cases of topazes, anne
thysts and chrysoprase; then a curious
| aigrette of diamonds of all colors-pink,
yellow, red, dark brown and purple.
To these succeeded old sword hits and
sheaths of gold and Jewels, precious
Baskets, rings and bracelets in delicate
golden filigree, and the finest chased
work of the East.
Finest of all, and most remarkable.
are the Murshida bad emeralds several
score in number, as large as shillings.
mounted in gold in the form of buttons,
and three stones. each as large as q
lady's visiting card and full of green
mysteries in their cleaning depths,
AS these three gems were laid on the
saFsG the Nawab made sign to the
secretary, who in fowery Oriental
phrases, like some Sadi or Jelalladin,
related the story of the emeralds and
how they came to his masters house.
"When the fierce Mahmud of Ghazni,"
he said, swept down with his wild
hordes like the locusts of Arabia on the
rich plains and fertile valleys of India,
he beat back and subducd the idolatrous
liindus on all the rivers of the Puniab
and swept down with resistless force to
the thrice sacred shrine of SOmnath
Two motives drove the wild warrior of
Ghazni to knock at that sacred temple:
First, to destroy the idols of the unbe-
levers; then to CLEAN the vast treasure
swept together from a thousand GolcOn-
das to the most sacred shrine in the
east. The temple doors were broken
open. The holy halls were filled with
wild mountain warriors. They swarmpd
hither and thither through the temple
among the calmly despairing Brah-
mans, and found nothing, not a gem,
not piece of gold, but only great
stone pillar daubed with paint, the
Mahadeo, Or Great God, of the idol
worshiping Hindus. Mahmud of GhaZni
was wroth, and swOrc in his anger to
destroy the shrine and to break down
the idol and to offer his fragments to
Allah, the one merciful and compass
sionate God.
"Then the Brahmans broke out in
cries and wailings, and prayed Mahmud
to spare their god. From a secret
crypt in the temple they brought forth
gold and offered him the weight of
three men in golden mohurs if he would
spare the stone pillar and not destroy
their shrine.
But Mahmud was inexorable Rails
ing his sword and striking once, he
wondered at the hollow ring of the pill
lar, and struck a second time with his
steel against the stone. Then the pillar
of stone fell open, and from the OPEN
ing poured out gold and diamonds, and
rubies and sapphires, and topazes and
emeralds, these three great emeralds
amongst them. countless treasure of
gems.
Then Mahmud gathered the treasure
and the gold and the precious stones
and took them with him to Ghazni
where they lay for centuries in his
treasury. Then after centuries the
hordes of the Mussulman again swept
over India and brought with them the
Jewels and the emeralds of Somnath.
For years the jewels lay in the gold
heaped treasures of Delhi till the
spider had spun her web over them, and
the lizard had made his nest in the hol-
low cups of gold.
Then the power of the mo.uls weak
ened and the dynasty of Delhi was hard
pressed by foes, so that the Padishah
called to him to Delhi his faithful vice
roys from Kashmir and the Punjab,
from the Deccan and far Bengal
strong men and careless of their Xuzu.
rain, and they divided his jewels be-
tween them he of the Punjab taking
the diamonds, Kashmir the sapphres
and the Nawa b of Bengal the emcralds
of Somnath. And so even after the dis
aster of Plassey, by the special favor of
Allah. the emeralds remained in Muir
shidabad, and passed from Nawab to
Nawab till they came to his highness
my master. "-Jewelers' Weekly.
The Health Corset.
A certain woman who strongly advo-
Gates a reform in dress declares that
"corsets have filled more graves than
whisky" and a cynical wag replies that
whisky is never put on the bargain
counter" The scientific world has ever
denounced the corset, but woman's
world has ever declared the iapossi-
bility of relinquishing it. Into the
breach caused by this wide diversity of
opinion steps the ''health bodice"
which will insure a vast amount of
comfort to any wearer, whether the
young mother, the growing girl, or the
womari who INDUCES in the luxury of
the tea gown. 1t is an idealizcd slip
bodice made of fine white twill trimmed
with embroidery, becomingly full and
a 4 Il