The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-02-01

Italy, and is under the care OF the piohhs
of the establishment These holy men
call attention to the fact that whlie no
attempt has ever been made to clean Uhe
bnser metal, still there is no sign OF rts0
upon it-a fact which conclusively proves
it's 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 Tor
important occasions, while the latter ID
used at times demanding less magnlu-
cence The state crown, the one used py
| Queen Victoria when ascending the
throne, was made especially for that pur-
pose, and weighs but thirty ounces
1t is valued at 81, 800, 600. The jewels
with which it is studded were supplied
mostly from older diadems of the realm,
and include nearly 5000 stones. Inc cap
is of crimson velvet, lined with Wnl1e
silk, and has an ermine border. 10 solile
of the gems blazing in this insignia OF
royal power gruesome and romantlc
legends are attached For instance, one
famous ruby given by Pedro The Cruel 10
the Black Prince is said to have come lnto
the formers hands by foul means. Inc
story runs that Pedro invited the heu
King of Grenada to his palace and muir
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 it's companion, the In
mense sapphire which is claimed to nave
come from the ring of Edward the Con-
fessor. So great were the virtues 1T was
supposed to have gained throughsits con-
tact with this holy man that 1t was gen
orally believed that the stone endowed It's
possessor with power over various olseas.
es. In connection with the dladems OF
| England might be mentioned the ancl3nt
crown of Scotland, which still may pc
seen in Edinburgh Castle. 1t was made
in the fourteenth century, and, or course,
was used at the coronation of Mary,
| Queen of Scots.
The Russian imperial crown is u Won
derful piece of workmanship. The Gar
being regarded by his people as to great
extent religious as well as q temporal
lord. it is not surprising to find the badge
of sovereignty modelled after the patrl-
archal mitre. Five beautiful diamonds
resting on magnificent ruby form the
cross which compOses its summit. pa
monds and pearls of the utmost perfectlon
and sapphire which, it is claimed, mas
no rival, render this dladem one uhsur-
passed in magnificence.
The crown possessed by the German
Emperor is of peculiar shape. The cap
rosls unon ei.st-ssh.e11s, fars~ oI ss-~'AnteQ
with aIi. .nond crosses and the others WlGn
: the figure of the imperial eagle Wn!le
above this four hoops sparkling with d1a-
> monds support gloDe sufHouhoo" Wy i"
golden cross.
) Singularly beautiful, both in shape and
characterization, is the crown OF the Elm
, neror of Austria From thercoronet there
: arise eight Jeweiled ornaments, eacn
topped by a superb pearl The hoop OF
the cap is .surmounted ny an enorinous
: 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 q golden
diadem ornamented with pearls and prec-
} ious stones, the other Byzantine CIRCLE
: At the back of the Byzantine coronet Is
an enormous sapphire surrounded by four
oblong green stones of some unknown
kind Lapidaries disagree as to what
these remarkable gems may be. This
crown has been the subject of many ex-
) traordinary adventures. In 1S4o 1t fell
into the hands of Kossuth and mysterl--
ously disappeared: Rumor haa IL 'na'
Kossuth had carried it off, broken 1t up,
and sold the Jewels in Turkey. Others
declared that it had been taken to Lon
don, A Government commission was ap-
) pointed to inquire into the mystery, but
discovered nothing until 1858. when
countrylnan offered to disclose the secret
of it's hiding place, and led the searcherF
to a tree near Orsoya, in the roots of
which Kossuth had caused it to be buried.
! One of the most beautiful crowns in
Europe is that OF the King of Denmark.
This, while comparatively simple in de-
sign, isi of most artistic Workmanship.
The leaves By which the circlet Is sur
mounted are curved and veined by prec-
ious stones, and each leaf is ornamented
in turn by magnificent jewel.
, The King of the Belglans is An
| uncrowned monarch. There is no corona
ton function in the exact sense of the
word. The feature of the ceremony con-
sists in the Kings swearing to preserve
, the constitution and laws of the country.
Spain had in early times no royal dia-
dem, nor does its crown today figure in
} the coronation services, the sovereign
: taking an oath similar to that which
forms the chief feature Of the Belgian in
stallation.
5 of papal tiaras, some of enormous value,
J 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 Isa-
! bella of Spain. It is valued at moro than
5 81, OOO, 900, and weighs over three pounds.
Another treasure is the papal tiara pre-.
sented by Napoleon to Plus VII. One OF
9 it's gems is the largest emerald known.
The Sultan possesses no crown, corona
4 ton being unknown in Turkey. In
g place OF this is substituted the 1nvesttture
I of the monarch with the sword of 9th
8 man. The sabre is grit around the new
: Sultan with the words "Take 1t with
9 faith, for ye have received it from God. u
s Outside of Europe the crown becomes 8
Y rarity. The crown of the Shah of Persia,
1 if such it may be called, is of an alto
Q gether exceptional shape and size. In
] deed, it is most frequently described by
r those who have seen it as bonnet. 1t is
Q composed of cloth of gold. adorned with
/ strings of hanging precious stones, with
here and there tufts of feathers ornament
ed by diamonds, rubies, emeralds and
pearls.