The age-herald., 1898-09-25
From the New York Journal.

From the New York Journal.
 This Is a story of the devotion of the whole world-Catholic, Protestant and heahen-to the kindness, beneficence and intellectual greatness of the present pope. Their gifts, tributes to his personality, felt as far as the east is from the west, have made him enormously rich. But first it has to do with two very interesting poten- tates, Paul Kruger-Oom Paul-of the Transvaal, and Turkeys lazy sultan.
 Ten years ago Abdul Hamid presented Leo XIII. with a ruby and diamond ring which surpassed in costliness any ring known to exist. The world spoke of this ring as one of its marvels. Paul Kruger. in the distant Transvaal, might have been considered the last person to be affected by this rumor. But on reaching his ears 1t moved him to form a resolution, and then with the patience which characterizes him, he waited. When the most phenome- naly large diamond which has yet been discovered in South Africa, valued at $1, 1,OOO,- : 900, was recently dug out of the teeming soil of the Transvaal, Paul Kruger imme- diately declared it was to be forwarded as his present to Leo XIII.
 "The noble pontiff," he remarked, "de- serves it. And, besdes,' he added, with a touch of his gruff humor 'ft will help us to hear no more of Abdul Hamid's famous ring" The personal fortune of Leo XIII. was mediocre enough until his sacerdotal jubilee ten years ago. Then it grew by leaps and bounds, and today the sovereign pontiff deserves to rank among the worlds millonaires. Jubilee has succeeded jubilee for the holy father-sacerdotal, episcopal, cardnalitial and each has been the occasion for an influx to the vatican of the costliest ad rarest gifts from every quarter of the globe. The exhibition of jubilee presents, opened in the apostolic palace in January, 1885, is being added to even today. It is es- timated by the vatican experts that the gifts received by his holiness from the be- ginning of 1887 to the end of July of this year are worth in round numbers some $27- 000,000 This sum, however, is not to be credited to Leo XIII as personal wealth.
 His holiness had the precious objects classified. Those that harmonized with col lections already existing in the vatican or Lateran palaces were for the most part des- tined on the close of the exposition to be handed over to those collections. Thus the magnificent vases of Sevres porcelain pre- sented to him by the president of the French republic, and worth ten times their weight in gold, will be added to the long rows in the vatican library, given by Louis XIV, Napoleon I. and other potentates. In the same way, the massive gold basin and urn sent by Queen Victoria, the bejeweled gold crozier, worth $250 900, sent by the Elm peror of Russia; the tiaras from the em- peror of Germany, and from the Catholics of Paris, have all their places ready marked out in the religious section of the Lateran museum. Vestments, with heavy gold em- broidery and rare laces; precious Russian malachite for altar stones, as well as rings by the bushel and crosses by the hundred weight, have also their destinations.
 The vast quantities of wines and liquors which poured in from various parts Of Italy, France, Spain. Austria and from more distant countries, including New Cal edonia, were sent by the pontif to swell the contents of the vatican cellars. These now contain 300 GOO bottles. of aor~7cau uH, Port, Borsosna, MaIaga, Alicante, Sherry Lacrimacristi and other exquisite wines of choice vintage, as well as 27000 bottles con- taining Cognac, rum, Curacoa black punch, Benedictine. Chartreuse and Italian liquirs. The sumptuous new church of St. Joachin, which was built by subscription of 25o00o, GOO francs, is likewise usually reckoned among the popes personal property. But it may be deducted, as he is going to offer it to a chapter of the clergy of Rome, and 1t will really cost him 00O out of pocket to complete the interior mosaic decora- tions.
 Of the multitudnous gifts presented to