The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-01-08

are thwarted at ali hazards.
! have seen the great pigeon blood
ruby IN the cars crown. even touched
II During the coronation festivities),
put no longer regard IL as the Greatest
IN the world. In the sliltan's treasure
house / encountered several stones of
approximately equal size and lustre.
and there must be a thousand smaller
ones in the three trays wherein that
sort of jewel is kept.
While rubies. Bookstores, diamonds,
Sapphires and cpals surrounded me en-
all sides. heaped up like peas in a
grocerS show windows, in crystal and
gold trays. the greatest emerald the
world ever produced is kept in a glass
case, silver bound and fastened TO the
faoor by hands Of steel.
This wonderful piece, said to have
belonged TO the Emrercr Nero. is a
little less than ten inches square, of a
beautiful. velvety green color, and flaw
less. The lord of the treasury told me
that the stone was taken out of its
setting. a gold frame with a long han
die, many centuries ago, and that since
then il has been an object of curiosity
only 1 asked whether this emerald
might be the enc used by Nero as a
long distance glass when viewing the
battles of the glaaiators. but his lord
ship did not know. At the end CT the
row devoted to loose gems was shown
big crysti vessel resembling
punchbowl. which was filled to the
OF them came from South America"
said the treasurer. The greater part
was fished up in the Sea OF Alexan-
dria.''
This collection, too, often journeys to
the palace, particularly when his ma
jesty narires a new wife, which hap
pens at regular and Irregular inter
Yais. On these ocea sions the new wife
is covered from head TO foot with EN-
eralds. and must remain in a certain
position all night TO prevent any Of the
stones from dropping of. If. in the
morning, all are found to adhere to her
skin. the sultan is satisfied that his
new wife will be faithful TO him. be
cause the emerald insures true love.
! have seen many sorts of diamonds.
but the sultan'S treS surer exhibited TO
me an absolute novelty. several hum
dred, none weighing less than twenty
I'VE karats that formed perfect
squares These wonderful stones are
set In an immense golden jug. about as
little intended for use, suppose, as the
average racing cup. Like King Peters
crown, that nearly downed the little
man, the vessel weighs twelve pounds
the annual revenue OF a province
represented by a senseless ehowpiece
that Is not even beautiful. In Turkey.
as in other monarchial countries, roy
atty has much TO an>wer for-the puD-
lie wealth locked up in idle trumpery.
ments StarVe-
The next piece, a miniature Indian
temple, is entirely. constructed Of gold
-eme.alds for windows. rubies for cor
nices, diamonds. turquoise and sardonr
yx for oFnamentation. ut is valued
at 1000 900 francs" said the lord of the
treasury-about as much as the sultan
owes Uncle Sam.
AS l proceed l find thai vases of pure
gold. set with precious stones. are no
less common lin the sultanS treasure
house than such Jersey made Japa nese
porcelains are i'm our auction shops at
home. Vases of all sizes and forms,
big bellied vases, long vases, thin ones.
vases OVerornamented and the plain
variety. No wonder Abdul Hanfd sent
them TO the treasure house; he proba-
bly, tired looking at them.
This refers to golden vases: that the
sultan deprived himself of the sight of
a certain vase of rock crystal forming
the gem of this part OF the collection,
cannot for the life OF me understand.
That Abdul Hamid's predecessors
We're as supeslstitious as the ma jesty
that be- is evident from their hundreds
upon hundreds OF amUlets. inscribed in
cabaiistfc letters ana SET with va
-iety OF beautiful stones. and that
ike the present sultan. they had their
suspicious" may be gathered from the
rich collection OF Dangers and other
personal weapons they left behind The
hits Of many OF them Consist OF a sin
gle enormous stone. 7 saw such formed
of white sapphires as big as a chickens
egg and having the luster Of diamond:
also sapphires of exquisite bright red
and others of beautiful blue Again
there We're sword and dagger knobs
formed of a single turquoise an inch
long by half an inch wide. Turquoise,
said the treasurer, brings success
have seen the armoriee and private
COLL - Ions
but none can hold a candle to Abdul
Hands presumably because his dy-
nasty Is not only one Of the Oldest but
was always the most thorough in the
matter Of getting something for moth
ing Centuries after centuries the
Grand Turk preyed on the richest and
most cultured Christian and hea then
nations, and no wonder the padisha of
CCnStantinople boasts of souvenirs from
al Zones and chimes
chief among them is the throne Of
Ismail Shah Of Persia, worth Sl5. 200, -
600. Sultan Selim j, having captured
II in 1914. it has been on exhibition TO
the favored few ever since. eating I'M
an immense fortune in interest an
nually- If the English ever occupy Con-
stantinople and confiscate this throne
10 recoup the holders of Turkish bonds
a great slump in rubies. pearls and en-
eralds Will follow, provided the throne
Is broken up. for the big chair is sim
ply covered with this sort of 'commodi-
ty- Even the nails holding down the
velvet seat are topped by turquoise
Around the back of the throne are
grouped coats of mail, shields and war
swords of great Turkish conquerors
each Damascus or Toledo master
piece; each adorned with rubies. en-
eralds and diamonds of prodigious size
Next the treasurer conducted me TO
the nall OF the regalia, where the robes
of state of the sultans from the first
half of the fifteenth Gentry to the pres
ent day are exhibited on Law figures
without face, of course. as the Mosiem
IS forbidden TO make human ina ees
me consummate splendor OF Oriental
cloth making, ancient and new. rs rem
resented there by the finest specimens
OF the art ever conceived. For such
cloth of gold and silver such broca des
velvets and silks, one would look i'm
vain outside Of this treasure house. and
perhaps some rajah palaces in farayvay
India- And no costumS is con,olete
without the sultan's ''favorite weapon. {"
usually lager and a crescent shaped
! sword mounted i'm gold and precious
stones, and of the most exquisite work.
manship imaginable
Notice, II you please, this saddle
cioth, said the treasurer. "It is worth
round million OF francs-1O. 600 select