The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-30
soME oELEBRATrD cRoWNs.
R~oumapin's IL waae or eua auetni-portugai'
IL worth %, ooo,O goethe "1ren Crown.o

R-ouuania's IL Ssade OF eun auetni-portusarr
IL worth 90, 900, ~ "Irsn Crown.o
"who would not risk his life for a crown r.
one Of the French conspirators was reported to
have exclaimed to Napoleon. when that mighty
man shrank back from the coup d'etat which
would either place him upon the throne OF
Franco or submerge him In overwhelming dis
astSr. II the question wero asked to-day. the
ordinary mar. would reply that 1t depended
much upon the crown, for Of late years many OF
the lesser dIadems Of Europe havo actually
| gone a-begginR., Considered merely from tho
standpoint Of intrinsic value there arc many
and various kinds Of crowns extant in tho
world at the present time. For instance, tho
crown Of Roumaniais composed of gun metal,
made In fact out Of aybit of old cannon captured
at Plcvna: that of Portugal has gems in 1t which
have caused IL to DO valued at SO, 100000.
The Iron Crown of Lombardy. which, by the
by, is the Oldest diadem In Europe. is only six
inches In diameter. The question usually asked
by those who behold II for the FIRST time is.
Where is the iron : for to all appearances the
crown consists OF q broad circle OF gold orna-
mcnted by an enamelling Of flowers. This. how
ever. Ia but the outward case; within the cor
onet rests the iron itsolf. 1t Is fashioned
out of one 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 tho establishment. These
holy men call attention to the fact that while
no attempt has ever been made to clean the
baser metal. still there Is no sign of rust upon 1t
"a fact which conclusively proves its sacred
origin.
England possesses but two crowns which are
ever used. One of these is the British state
crown, the other the crown of England. The
former is reserved for important occasions.
while the latter is used at times demanding less
magnifcence The state crown, the one used
by Queen Victoria when ascending the throne.
was made especially for that purpose, and
weighs but thirty.nino ounces. 1t Ia valued at
81. 800. 900. The jewels with which 1t Is studded
were 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 an ermine border. To some of the gems
blazing in this insignia of royal power grue-
some and romantic legends are attached.
P PSS %in tbs g Cruel dhs to t fs%q Black rq Pfint siy IS sa iS
to have come. into the formers hands by
S 3fSi T Ne lied TH Kin story 81 d Tqn 8 shs q rs Rsd 1sla n;
and murdered his guest for the sake of the
wondrous gem. Perhaps the sinister influence
phiro which is famed TO have come from the
the virtues it was supposed to have gained
through its contact with this holy man that II
its possessor with power over various diseases.
In connection with the diadems of England
land. which still may be seen in Edinburgh Cas-
tie. It. was made in the fourteenth century,
and. Of course, was used at the coronation of
The Russian imperial crown is q wonderful
piece Of workmanship. Tho Car being regarded
by his people ms to q great extent Il religious as
well as q temporal lord, 1T is not surprising to
find the badge Of sovereignty modelled after the
resting on u magnificent ruby form the cross
which composes its summit. Diamonds and
Which, It is claimed. has. no rival, render this
diadem one UNSURPASSED IN magnifcenGEs ,,roror
is Of peculiar shape. The cap rests upon eight
shields. four ornamcnted with diamond crosses
e enale ehe w Gihers above wn,n this 1he f feur h Ss rs' sp rn I
with diamonds support n globe surmounted by
SinguIarly beautiful, both in shape and orna-
mentation.i is the crown Of the Emperor Of Aus
tria. From the coronet there, arise eight Jew
The hoop Of the cap GI'i is ,T snarmoSnted By an enor:
nous sapphire. The lining is Of ruby colored
t HslT Sacred dh CROWN Empe or Ha Us a1TS 'h TlIRs of IS. IS fae e.
two crowns, which, have been welded together.
pearls and precious stones, the other a :Byzan.
tine circle. At the back Of the byzantine cor;
SSnet is an aR, Sapphire surrounded cn3s \ q
known kind Iapidaries disagree as TO what
these remarkable gems may be. This crown
R Rss S q 'h IN s9 1sls t q fel min nto e. hSnds Of kos ss.
suth and mysteriously disappeared. Rumor
/ Auu a. thnb ihNi N"i ~ IL NJ ~
up, and sold the jewels in Turkey. Others de-
elared that 1t had been taken to London. A
Government commission was appointed to in.
quire into the mystery. but discovered nothing
close 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: +.
that of the King of m This. while COM
paratively simple in design. is of most artistic
workmanship. Tho leaves by which the circlet Is
surmounted are curved and veined by precious
stones. and each leaf is ornamentcd in turn by a
magniicent jewel.
The King of the Bclgians is an uncrowned
monarch. There is no coronation function in the
ceremony consists in the Kings swearing to pre-
servo the constitution and laws of the country.
Spain had in carly times no royal diadem. nor
does its crown to-day figure in the coronation
services, the sovereign taking an oath similar to
that which forms the chief feature of the Bel
gian installation. .
papal tiaras, some of enormous value, which.
from the beautiful workmanship and precious
stones that adorn them. are rendered priceless.
Among this collection is one presented to Plus
TX. by Queen Isabella Of Spain. 1t is valued at
more than ~ 900. 600, and weighs over three
pounds. Another treasure is the papal tiara
presented by Napoleon to Plus VII. One of its
gems Is the largest emerald known.
The Sultan possesses no crown. coronation
being unknown in Turkey. In place of this is
substituted the investiture of the monarch with
the sword Of Gilman; The sabre Is girt around
faith. for we have received 1t from God
Outside of Europe the crown becomes q rarity.
Tho crown of the Shah OF Persia. IL such it may
and size. Indeed, it Is most frequently described
by those who have seen IL as n bonnet. IL is
composed of cloth of gold. adorned with strings
OF hanging precious stones, with here and there
rubies. emeralds and pearls.