Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-12

thentic history begins with the ownership of
the great Emperor Charles. From his time
they have been the most sacred treasures or
those who have followed him upon the
throne until the French revolution, which
led to the downfall of the holy Roman en-
pire that had existed for a thousand years
Napoleon attempted to secure them during
his conquest of Europe. but they were con-
cealed in a religious institution near Nurem-
burg until peace was restored.
Besides these holy relics Is basin OF
oriental agate, seventy-five centfmeters In
diameter, of Byzantine origin. and part OF
the loot which was brought home by the
is held up to the light the word "Christus"
may be traced in the veins of the stone. 1t
Is the largest piece Of agate in existence
and is without flaw. It. is used as a
baptismal bowl for the imperial princes.
Knights Of the Golden Fleece.
The head of the holy Roman empire was
also the grand commander of the Knights
of the Golden Fleece. the oldest and the
most famous of all the orders of chivalry. 1t
was founded in the year 1880 by Duke Philip
the Good of Burgundy in honor of the holy
virgin and for the purpose of defending
and propagating the Roman Catholic faith.
The name and the symbols were selected
with a view to stimulating the members of
the order to special deeds of bravery and
enterprise in imitation of the Argonauts.
According to the original rules. the number
of members was limited to thirty-ene. and
they must be noblemen of unblemished
reputation, irreproachable character. sans
peur ct sans reproache," and members of
Pope Leo x. the Emperor Charles v in
creased the membership to fifty in order to
reward some of his supporters, and his SON
and successor. Philip the Gloomy of Spain.
secured pontiffcal permission to add ten
more to the list of knights. SO that the num-
Der now is sixty. There has never been but
one Protestant elected. That was the late
King George Nv of England but he was
M Qhlq fo a 10 ho W.
admitted to the order. The chapter meets
once in fifteen years on St Andrews day..
subject to the call of the chancellor Many;
years ago there was a split In the chapter
between the Spanish and the Austrian lines
Both the King of Spain, the head of the
Bourbon family, and the Emperor of Aus,
tria. as the head of the Hapsburgs. claim
to be the commander and have continued to-
confer the order upon their fayorites until
the lawful membership is now considerably.
exceeded and the list Is in a good. deal of
confusion. No meeting of the chapter has
been held for many years, as neither of the
disputants cares to take the risk of a de-
cision. -. ,
The Austrian branch, however. has the
advantage Of possessing the records. all the
symbols Of office and the regalia to be worn
by the chancellor. which. are exhibited at
the treasury. It includes mantles.. caps. he'll,
NETS. scepters. chains, swords, banners:
other insignia. all Of which are made Of
the most precious materials and loaded with
jewels. The insignia to be worn by the
head Of the order Is a mass of precious
stones.
The Crown Jewels.
In the adjoining room is collection Of
diamonds, rubies, pearls and other Jewels
belonging to the Hapsburg dynasty, which
is probably unsurpassed by those of any
other nation. The crown jewels of Austria
are never worn, except at corOnations. They
are always kept here in the treasury for
the people to admire guarded by squads
of stalwart soldiers, who stand motionless
at the. corners of each case. The treasury
Is open from II o'clock until every day of
the week, and the average number of WISH
tors runs up to more than 100 day. Every
body is required to pay an admission fee
of 10 cents, and there was never SO fine
show for so little money. Each successive
empress for 800 years has deposited her
jewels In this collection when she has
ceased to wear them, or has beQueathed
them upon her death. Those of Maria
Theresa are the most numerous and valu-s
able, including the famous Florentine dia-
mond, which is one of the largest in exist
ence. weighing a little more than 1873
carats. 1t Is now set in hat buckle that
once belonged to Francis Stephen, Emperor
Of Germany and Austria in the middle of
the eighteenth century. At one time this
diamond was worn in the helmet of Charles
the Bold of Burgundy. He lost 1t at the
battle of Grandson in 1476. where it was
found by soldier and sold to the Duke of
Milan for 1900 ducats. 1t then passed into
the de Medicis family Of Florence, and ul-
.timately to the Emperor of Austria,
The most curious thing in the collection
is a watch made for the Empress Maria
Theresa, the case of which is a single. ems
) erald, which has been chiseled out in order
to admit the works.
Re1onred tn Marie Antoinette