Kansas City journal., 1898-02-06
SOME OF THE CELEBRATE CROWNS OF THE WORLD.

all appearances the crown consists of a
broad circle OF gold ornamented by an en-
alneling of flowers. This, however. is but
the outward % case w within the coronet rests
with this circle of iron has ii that it WAS
fashioned out of the nails by which Christ
was fastened to the cross. The crown now
rests in the Cathedral of Monza. Italy and
is under the care of the monks of the
tahlishment. These holy men call atten-
ton to the fact that while no attempt has
ever been made to clean the baser metal.
still there is no sign of rust upon il, a fact
which. to their minds, conclusively proves
its sacred origin.
British Crowns.
England possesses but two crowns which
are ever used. One of these is the British
state crown, the other the crown of Eng
land. The former Is reserved for impor-
tant occasions: while the latter is used at
times demanding less magniiicence- Tho
state crown. the one used by Queen Vic
toria when ascending the throne, was made
especially for that purpose. and weighs
but thirty-nine ounces. 1t is valued at ST.
100000. The jewels with which 1t Is studded
We're supplied mostly from older diadems
of the realm, and include nearly 5000
stones. The cap is of crimson velvet. lined
with white silk. and has ermine bor-
der. To some of the gems blazing in this
insignia of royal power grewsome and ro-
mantle legends are attached. For instance,
the famous ruby given by Pedro the Cruel
to the Black Prince is said TO have come
The story runs that Pedro invited the Red
King of Grenada to his palace and mur-
dered his guest for the sake of the Won
drOus gem. Perhaps the sinister influence
which might attach itself to this jewel
is counteracted BY its companion. the i'm
| mense sapphire which is famed TO have
come from the ring of Edward the Con-
fessor- So great We're the virtues it was
supposed to have gained through its con-
tact with this holy man that it was gen.
orally believed that the stone endowed its
|
eases. In connection with the diadems OF
England might be mentioned the ancient
crown OF Scotland. which still may be seen
in edinburgh castle. 1t was made in the
fourteenth century, and was used at the
coronation of Mary, Queen of Scots.
derful piece Of workmanship. The czar
being regarded by his people as to a great
extent a religious as well as a temporal
lord. it is not surprising to find the badge
of sovereignty modelled after the patri-
archal miter. Five beautiful diamonds
| resting on a magnificent ruby form the
| cross which composes the summit. Dia-
monds and pearls of the utmost perfec-
tion and a sapphire which. 1t is claimed,
| has no rival. render this diadem one un-
surpassed in magniticence.
Emperor Williams Crown.
The crown possessed by the German en-
peror is of peculiar shape. The cap rests
upon eight shields. four ornamented with
| diamond crosses and the others with the
figure of the imperial eagle. while above
this four hoops sparkling with diamonds
support globe surmounted by n cross.
Singularly beautiful. both in shape and
ornamentation. is the crown OF the em-
peror Of Austria From the coronet there
arise eight jewsled ornaments, each tipped
by superb pearl The hoop of the cap
| is surmounted by an enormous sapphire.
| The lining is of ruby colored velvet. The
emperor is also the possessor of the sacred
crown of Hungary. This is, in fact. two
crowns. which have been welded together
| The first is 4 golden diadem ornamented
with pearls and precious stones, the other
| a Byzantine circle. At the back of the
| byzantine coronet is an enormous sap
stones OF some unknown kind. Lapidaries
| disagree as TO what these remarkahIe
gems may be. This crown has been the
subject of many extraordinary adventures.
| In lS+S it fell into the hands OF kosSuth
and mysteriously disappeared. Rumor had
IL that Kossuth had carried 1t off. broken
| it up. and sold the jewels in turkey.
| Others declared that it had been taken to
\ London. government commission was
| appointed to inquire into the mystery, but
| discovered nothing until ls03. when coun-
| tryman offered 10 disclose the secret OF
| its hiding place and led the searchers to
| n tree near Orsova in the roots of which
| Kossuth had caused It to be buried
| One OF the most beautiful crowns in EC-
| rope is that of the king of Denmark. This,
| while comparatively simple in design. is
| of most artistic workmanship. The leaves
by which the CirClet Is surmounted are
| curved and veined by precious stones. and
| each leaf is ornamcuted in turn by mag
| uitcent jewel
| King Without n Crown.
| The king of the Belgians is an uncrowned
! in the exact sense of the word. The chief
t.,