Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1891-12-09
THE CARBUNCLE.
It's Popularity a Jewel Among the
Ancients.

NO precious stone has more romantic
and poetical associations than the car
buncle. From the earliest times Indiar
travellers have always had some won
derful story to tell of the extraordinary
size and unnatural brilliancy of the
carbuncles they have seen at the courts
OF the Indian kings; one king of Ceylor
owning a carbuncle bowl as big as the
palm of ones hand, and another as big
as hens egg, which sparkled with
such surprising luster as to illumine the
room with lightning-like flashes. It i.
an historical fact that the emperor OF
China has a carbuncle fitted as a bal
to his cap of state which weighs more
than an ounce, and was purchased OF
the king of Ceylon for one hundred
thousand strings of cash Curious tina,
we should even have borrowed our ex
preston leash" from the despised Chi
nese). This carbuncle was so effulgent
that it was designated by the name Of
the Red Palace illumination"
1t is related that Almamon, the re-
nowned caliph of Babylon, while ex.
ploring the famous pyramid built by
Cheops, found a chamber near the ton
In which was stone sarcophagus elab
orately carved. On raising the lid he
was almost blinded by the sudden light
OF an immense carbuncle which was
placed at the head of the body, as if il
were guardian spirit. This stone is
described as being as large as an egg,
and shining like the light of day. The
body was adorned with rich breast
plate of gold, studded with costly gems.
Doubtless it was the remains of some
great high priest of Scraps. 1t is re-
lated in the Talmud that the only light
that Noah had in the ark was furnished
by carbuncles and other precious
stones, which no doubt helped to make
his somewhat dismal surroundings a
trife ''rosier." This general belief in
the extraordinary luminosity of the car
buncle is constantly alluded to by the
poets. Ovid says, in his description OF
the palace of the sun:
The princely palace of the sun stood gor.
geous to behold,
On stately pillars builded high of yellow
FURNISHED gold,
Beset with sparkling carbunoles that like to
fire doth shine,
The roof was framed most curiously with
carvings rare and fine.
Milton describes the brightness of the
cobra's eyes, with "his head crested aloof
and carbuncle his eyes," and Churchill,
describing the cell of the witch Gran
dra. mentions the door as
Intervene with ivy's fiatterIng twines,
Through which the carbuncle and diamond
shines;
Not set by art, but there by nature sown
At the worlds birth, so star-like bright they
shone,
They served instead of tapers to give light
To the dark entry.
Mario Polo, the great traveller of the
early part of the fourteenth century
and the first European to penetrate the
Celestial empire, from which he trav-
eled over India and the Great Indian
archipelago, regions till then unex-
plored and concealed in the deep
shadows of ignorance, superstition and
fable, tells us some wonderful tales of
the immense carbuncles that he saw at
the courts of the various Indian kings,
some followed out into drinking-cups
and other costly appurtenances of king
~ luxury. There is an amusing tale
connected with Marco and some
precious carbuncles presented to him
by the grand khan and other Indian
potentates. After years of travel and
absence from his native land, he, in
company with two of his kinsmen (the
companions of his wanderings), arrived
at Venice, but so changed in appear
ance and dress that their own relations
did not recognize them. After bathing
and donning raiment more befitting
their rank and quality, they entered the
banquet cham Der, and spent the night
in recounting their marvellous adven-
lures by sea and land: the next day
they spent in bed. Rising in the even
ing, about dinner time, Marco asked his
wife what she had done with the old
coat that he had worn home. She re-
piled: 1T was SO dirty and old that
gave it away to poor stranger who
called for aims"
Polo instantly conceived the follow
ing plan to recover his lost treasure:
He went to the bridge of Rialto with a
wheel, which he kept constantly turu-
ing without any apparent purpose, as if
he were mailman; and to all inquiries
he simply answered: He'll come if
God pleases.'' The result NAV be i'm
agined. The report of his extraol di-
nary antics soon spread through Venice,
and amongst the curious came the man
he was wishing for, and Marco quickly
regained his old coat. That very night
he gave magnificent feast to all his
friends, and after the banquet was over
he produced the ''old coat" and. taking
his dagger, he cut and slashed it in
every direction, loosening the stitches
with which he had secured the priceless
carbuncles against the perils and dam
gers incidental to his wanderin IS, and
we have little doubt but that his friends
were persuaded in the finale that there
was method in his madness
From the earliest times Jewels have
been considered grateful offerings to
the gods, and we read that the temple of
the Goddess Astarte of Hierapolis. in
Syria, abounds in all kinds of precious
gems. the most valuable of which was
monster carbuncle set in the forehead
OF the goddess. The famous necklae&
OF Mary Queen Of Scots had a very
lustrous carbuncle as a pendant.
The ancient applied the terY,
"carbunculus" indiscriminately r., all
red and fiery stones. the word s;gnifv.
ing glowing fiery coal. Dup carbunoi.
Is first cousin to the gs.rnet, and be-
longs to the family known as ..pyropen
by the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. a Week.
One OF the London street car com.
panies has in use an automatic start
er Two powerful spiral springs, fas-
tened 70 the froat axle, are wound nm
through being applied for the cars