The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-11-30

Ak the sovereign insignia OF the
Kings OF Bavaria have Inquired on no
official occasion since the tragic death
OF Louis IL, twenty-sevep years ago,
and wcro only brought forth the other
day for the first time ON the occa-
sion of the proclamation OF King Louis
i'll. it may 10 OF interest to mention
that they date from the month OF Jan
uary. 1896. whom tho Sovereign Flee
tor. MaNimilian IN. adopted the title
and dignity OF King of Bavaria. u
was ne who intrustcd the then famous
goldsmith and jeweler. Borgnis OF
Frankfort on the. Main, to make up tho
Insignia. according to designs which
King AtaNinil;an had obtained from
Paris, through his good friend. tho
First Napoleon. The result is that
there is nothing Gcrmanic in tho APP
pearance OF the insignia, which suE
Gests. OH the contrary, the French
premier empire.
The insignia comprise the crown.
the orh, the sccptrc the sword OF state
and the seal OF the King and the
crown OF the Queen. They arc not only
ilne examples of the jewelers. and gold
smiths art. but also OF enormous in
trinsic value. the gold being OF the
purest kind. whilo tho gems are cx-
tremcly fine. Pearls superb rubics
diamonds, emcTalds and Sapphircs
the soHereigns crown being surinount-
ed by ii thirty-nine and Il half carat
blue diamond, probably the finest in
the world, and which has boon in the
possession of tho rcigning house OF
Bavaria since the early part of the
eighteenth century. when IL was owned
| by Empress Am;.lic of Germany, the
consort of the Havariar Emperor
/ Charles VII. whoae struggle with En-
press Marie Theresc, the only child
and heircss OF Emperor Charles V. for
possession Of the imperial crown by
virtue OF the pragmutic sanction.
plunged all Europe into Il war of pro
lonced duration
CuriousiN enough this wonderful
diamond, though mentioned in works
ON precious stones In the eighteenth
and IN tho first few decades of the
nineteenth century, seems TO have been
forgotten by later writer's and does
not lind place in the standard books
on precious stones published by Ed
ward Strcetcr. Professor George Kun
etc. during the last twenty years In
.S4e, however. it wac the subject of
something akin TO riot 1T Munich. es
Tho mob accused King Louis l. Of hay
lng bestowed 1t upon his fair but frnil
foreign favoritc, the adventures Lola
Montez, VINO died and is buried in the
United states. Indeed. there is no
knowing what might have happened
had not the authorities been able to
show 10 n delegation al the leaders OF
the mob, the stone in the royal
treasury.
King Louis II. was wont to use this
diamond occasionally for personal
adjournment, and, i'm view of the extra
ordinary eNtravagance that character
lied the increasing insanity Of the
later years OF his reign, his unen,iirp
monetary difficulties and his readiness
to sell even his throne and his king
dom for cash, it is wonder that lie
| did not IN some way surrep,itiously
ALLEVIATE the gem in question
The queens crown. instead OF he
ing made by the Frankfort on the
Main jewcles Is masterpiece OF the
art OF the court jeweler Merl. Of Mu-
Mich and dates from 1907. Eight pear
shaped pearls of unrlvalcd orient. and
Of considerable size. are the feature of
The queens crown. The scep,re is OF
gold studded with diamonds. emeralds
sapphires. ruhies and pearls. ana sur
mounted by a crown and bears the in
scripuon: "Cui he civum servetus
tradita Sod tutela