others will scratch it. Sapphires deprived of colour by intense heat are sometimes sold as diamonds. Sometimes zircons are substituted. Indeed, the impositions frequently practised on the ignorant are considerable: not by respectable jewellers. Thus, cinnamon-stones and vermilions are sold for rubies, oberstein for chrysoprase, blue quartz for amethysts, the hinge (ligament) of the chama hippopus for the fire or precious opal. Pink topazes are almost always artificial; the yellow topaz for this purpose being exposed to an intense heat. An inferior gem from Hungary is generally substituted for the genuine chrysolite or cymophane, the only gem that will, unimpaired by its presence, sustain the rivalry of the diamond. I have one of five carats, very rare from its extraordinary size: it is cut in the form of the brilliant.

The uses of the diamond, apart from that of ornament, are various; as for cutting glass, and describing ornamental figures, names, labels, &c. It is employed for wire-drawing, by which it is obtained of an uniform diameter for an indefinite length; but the plumbago, for Mordan and Co.'s ever-pointed pencils, is drawn through orifices in rubies and sapphires. The diamond is also employed for end-pieces in watches and chronometers, also as lenses, as well as the colourless sapphire, in Pritchard's microscope. The late Mr. Lowry introduced the diamond point as a substitute for that of steel in engraving. It is admirably adapted for architectural subjects; for the sea in maps, &c., and the sky in landscapes: hence the exquisite beauty of Finden's landscapes, illustrations of the Bible, and the works of Byron, &c. Large coloured diamonds are rare and few in number.

The "Maximilian," or Austrian yellow, diamond, is of a double-rose cut. It is an heir-loom, and formerly belonged to the Medici family. It weighs 1394 carats, and is valued at £55,682.

66

George IV. diamond" is of a sapphire blue colour, and was sold by Mr. Eliason, to Mr. Hope, for £13,000. It weighs 44 carats. George IV. wore this diamond in the front of his crown on the day of his coronation.

There is a rich sky-blue diamond among the crown-jewels of France. It weighs 67 2-16ths carats, and is estimated at three millions of livres. The late Mr. Greville had a blue diamond in his possession.

His late Royal Highness the Duke of York once possessed, as I was informed by the gentleman who had seen it, a black diamond. It was valued at £8,000, and possessed the peculiar metallic or chatoyant lustre which distinguishes this beautiful gem. It was jet black. I have not heard what is become of it.

Diamonds of thirty-six carats and upwards do not amount to more than nineteen; and in Europe the number of large diamonds scarcely exceed half a dozen. They are duly registered.

The largest uncut diamond was in the Brazils, but is perhaps now at Lisbon. It weighs 1,680 carats, or about eleven ounces. Mr. Mawe seemed to be of opinion that it was a novo mina, or white topaz. I had an account of it from a Portuguese gentleman then at the court of the Brazils. When the Prince Regent of Portugal, Don John VI., arrived at the Brazils in 1808, a negro from the Minas Geraës contrived to send him a letter, stating he had such a diamond in possession, and wished to present it. He was sent for, and conducted to the palace under an escort of soldiers, where he delivered the gem, received his freedom, and a pension for himself and family. It is described to me as resembling a darkish yellow pebble, somewhat egg-shaped, and in size about that of a turkey's egg, or larger. It is a little concave on one side, and a chip was detached by the workman who

found it. It has been perforated at one end, and is worn as a pendant from the neck on court-days.

It may be observed, that when a negro finds a diamond of an octave, it entitles him to his freedom, that is, one of seventeen and a half carats. He is then crowned with a garland of flowers, and is led in triumph to the Commissary, who grants him his release, and he receives a knife and two suits of apparel.

Tavernier mentions a large diamond as belonging to the Great Mogul. It is a rose. When weighed by Tavernier, it was found to be 297 9-16ths carats, and was valued at £624,962. It was discovered about 1550, in the mine of Colore, to the east of Golconda.

A diamond of the first quality, at Sumbulpore, is called Brahmin; second, Chetrée; third, Bysh; fourth, Soudra. The weights used are the ruttee =2 grains, and 7 ruttees 1 masha or 14 grains.

A large diamond was found in 1809, of the third quality, in the bed of a river, and was treacherously taken possession of by the Chundeyee Bhoonsla.

The Rajah of Mattan has a diamond, found in the Island of Borneo; and, if I mistake not, when seen by Sir Stamford Raffles, it was uncut. It was discovered in that island more than a century ago, and weighs 367 carats. Many years ago, the then Governor of Batavia was desirous to effect its purchase, and offered for it, through Mr. Stewart, 150,000 dollars, besides two war-brigs, with their guns and ammunition, and a quantity of powder and shot. The Rajah, however, refused to part with it. The Malays consider that the water into which it is dipped cures all manner of diseases, and that it is the talisman of the fortunes of that Prince. I believe it is the only thing left of the fallen house of the reigning Rajah.

The diamond which studs the sceptre of Russia once formed the solitary eye of an Indian idol, Juggernaut, at Chandernagar, in Bengal. It was dislodged from its socket by a European soldier; and was finally purchased by Prince Orloff, for the Empress Catherine, from a diamond-merchant at Amsterdam, in the year 1775, for £90,000, a patent of nobility, and an annuity of £4,000. Its weight is stated to be 179 carats; and its position in the imperial sceptre is immediately below the golden eagle which surmounts it.

The Pitt or Regent diamond was purchased by T. Pitt, Esq., Governor of Fort-George in Madras, in the reign of Queen Anne, about December, 1701. It cost, in the rough, £20,400; £85,000 being originally asked for it. The diamond was cut in this country, at an expense of £5,000; and the chips and powder sold for from £7,000 to £8,000! It was purchased by the Regent Duke of Orleans, during the minority of Louis XV., in 1717, for £135,000; £5,000 being expended in the negotiation. Its weight is 1361 carats; and its value, as estimated by a commission of jewellers in 1791, was assigned to be 12,000,000 livres. Perhaps it is the finest in the world. Jeffries says it is all but faultless. The former Kings of France wore this diamond in their hats: Napoleon Bonaparte wore it in the pommel of his sword. It was taken from the person of the late Charles X., on his escape from Paris. This imperial gem was found in Malacca, in the famous mine of Porteal, in the kingdom of Golconda, and, it is stated, was played with so much address by the wily Seyez before the King of Prussia, as to produce for the service of France 40,000 horses, with their equipments. A model of the cut diamond, with a lead model of the original rough stone, is in the British Museum.

VOL. III.-FOURTH SERIES.

2 R

It is stated that the "Sancy diamond" has lately been purchased by the Grand Almoner of the Emperor of Russia for 500,000 roubles. This diamond was originally brought from India, and has remained in France for the last four centuries. Charles the Bold, the last Duke of Burgundy, was its first owner, and he wore it in his helmet at the battle of Nancy; and it was discovered by a Swiss soldier, among the spoils of the battle, after the famous defeat of his army in 1745, near the Lake Morat, in Switzerland, and in which he was killed. It was sold for a florin (1s. 8d.) to a Priest, who afterwards disposed of it for three francs (2s. 6d.); no great profit for such an article. We trace the same diamond in 1489 to the possession of Antonio, King of Portugal, who, being in want of money, first pledged it for 40,000 livres, and afterwards entirely disposed of it to a French gentleman of the name of De Sanci, for 100,000 livres. Nicolas Harlai de Sanci had this diamond afterwards by succession. At the time of the Baron de Sanci's Embassy at Soleure, Henry III., requiring money to recruit his forces, borrowed this diamond from De Sanci to pledge it for a sum of money, and it was intrusted to a confidential servant, who was waylaid and assassinated by a band of robbers. The body was found buried in a wood, and, on being opened, the diamond was discovered, the servant having swallowed it at the first onset. Baron de Sanci afterwards disposed of it to James II. of England, in 1688, when he escaped to France and remained at St. Germain's. From him it passed to Louis XIV.; and Louis XV. wore it in his hat at his coronation. Its form is somewhat pear-shaped; it weighs 334 carats, and cost £28,000.

The Piggott diamond was brought to England by Earl Piggott, GovernorGeneral of India. Its weight was 474 carats, and it was disposed of by public lottery, in 1801, for £30,000. In 1818 it was in the possession of Messrs. Rundell, Bridge, and Rundell. Some years after, the late Ali Pasha of Jannina sent a special messenger to this country, and effected its purchase at £30,000. That notable personage wore it constantly on his person, in a green silk purse, the sacred colour of the Prophet, attached to his girdle. When Ali Pasha received his death-wound at the instigation of the Sultan, he was carried into an inner apartment; and his last orders were, that his favourite wife, Vasilika, should be poisoned, and that the diamond should be crushed to powder. The latter was given for this purpose to a British naval officer present, who faithfully obeyed the injunction. Vasilika still lives, Thus ends the history of the Piggott diamond, and its model alone remains as its memorial.

The Nassuck diamond was taken by the combined armies under the Marquis of Hastings, from a Peshwa, or feudal petty Chieftain of the Mahrattas, during the Mahratta war. Its weight is 892 carats, or 357 grains, and it had been valued as high as £22,000. The Trustees of the Deccan Booty at length resolved on its disposal; and the determination was signified to Messrs. Rundell, Bridge, and Rundell, in whose possession this diamond remained for many years.

The Musnud, or royal throne, of Aurungzebe was overshadowed by a magnificent assemblage of gems in the form of a peacock,-hence called the peacock-throne. It was despoiled by Nadir Schah. The two eyes of the peacock were represented by costly diamonds of immense size. One of these was plundered by Nadir Schah, and now belongs to the crown-jewels of Russia. Its name is "Mount Sinai." Its weight is 193 carats, and it is valued at £369,800. The other diamond of the Peacock Musnud is in the possession of an Indian Prince, of the name of Runjeet Singh. The Hindoos boast of it as having descended from the mythological Hermes. It is

an inch and a half long, an inch broad, and rises half an inch above its gold setting. It weighs 280 carats; and when rough is said to have weighed 793 carats. The name of this "peacock's eye " is Koor-i-Noor, or the "Mountain of Light." Russia has also a large table-diamond. Tuscany has a diamond of considerable size; and Holland one of a somewhat conical shape, weighing 36 carats, and valued at £30,368. There is one of tolerable magnitude in the British crown. Persia has several: the two principal diamonds are called the "Mountain of Splendour," worth £143,800; and the "Sea of Glory," worth £34,848.

When at the Brazils, Mr. Mawe saw two large slabs of diamonds which came from the river Abaité, which has also produced diamonds seveneighths of an ounce troy. The walking-stick of Don John VI. was a Brazilian cane, surmounted by a diamond cut in a form somewhat resembling that of the imperial sceptre of Russia, valued at nearly £30,000. The green silk robe or court-dress of Joseph I. of Portugal was decorated with twenty brilliants, which were sent to this country, and offered, at the instigation of Madame Mère, as the price of the recognition of Don Miguel as King of Portugal. The bribe was, of course, rejected. They are now in the Bank of England, and valued at £100,000. Mr. Eliason sold a diamond ring to Napoleon Buonaparte: the diamond was one of 34 carats, and was purchased for £8,000, to be worn on his wedding-day with Josephine. It was not a fine and faultless gem.

It has been stated that the Czar Peter, with his whole army, when surrounded by the Turks, owed their safety to the dazzling splendour of the diamonds of the Empress.

Prince Potemkin amused the latter years of his life in contemplating the magnificent display of his costly diamonds.

The celebrated Haydn, it is said, had his musical inspirations excited by the dazzling splendour of a diamond set in a ring, presented to him by Frederick the Great of Prussia. Perhaps Paganini studded his fiddle-bow for the same purpose; at least, I observed it was so.

About half a century ago, the diamond necklace of the ill-fated Marie Antoinette excited considerable sensation throughout Europe, and now forms the subject of a melodrama. The tale itself is full of romance, and I must refer you for details to Madame Campan's memoirs of that hapless Queen. The penchant for such jewellery is sometimes carried to a monomaniac extent. The lady of a certain Marquis has led her lord into the "road to ruin," by this excessive predilection; though I more than suspect that at levees and at balls many get the credit of diamonds, when it may be said, in the satirical language of Boileau,—

Faux brillans et morceaux de verre.

A lapidary in London informed me he had been engaged by some ladies of distinction and high rank to remove the diamonds from their dresses, and substitute them by paste, or inferior stones.

Sometimes the diamond has figured in the annals of gallantry. Madame

wished for a portrait of her bird set in a ring, and it was enjoined on the Chevalier that the ring should be plain and expense moderate. The ring was made, and the portrait covered with a concave lens, formed from a diamond ground down for the purpose. On its discovery, the ring was returned, and the indignant Chevalier crushed the diamond to powder, and used it as a substitute for sand to dry the ink of his haughty rejoinder. The diamond has played, and is now playing, a political game. Italy is

now inundated with diamonds,—the spolia opima of the monasteries in Spain. Don Carlos's tragical game was the production of diamonds plundered, pledged, or sold. Don Miguel received from Madame Mère a bag of diamonds. Not long ago, it will be remembered, he sent one to be disposed of at Paris, and received for it 90,000 francs, or £3,750; which as soon as he had received, he flew off at a tangent.

Such are a few of the features of the history and adventures of this imperial and princely gem. There is not a little romance in its memoirs, connected as it sometimes has been with state machinery and the vicissitudes of private fortune. May it not, then, not inappropriately," point a moral or adorn a tale?"

THE IDOLATRY OF ROME.-TESTIMONY OF A GREAT
CLOUD OF WITNESSES.

PAPACY is idolatry, and the Pope is Antichrist:

"Upon her forehead a name was written, Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus; and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration." (Rev. xvii. 5, 6.)

"Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." (2 Thess. ii. 3, 4.)

St. Jerome, in his Epistle to Marcella, calls the Church of Rome" the scarlet woman of the seven hills."

"Upon the very same principle that a Papist worships images, saints, and the host," remarks the learned and pious Bishop Stillingfleet, "he may lawfully worship the earth, the stars, or men, and be no more guilty of idolatry in one than in the other of them."

"The religion of Christ," says the celebrated Divine, Jeremy Taylor, "consists in faith, hope, repentance, and charity: now in all these things the Church of Rome does dangerously err, and teaches men so to do."

"We charge the adherents of the Church of Rome with gross idolatry,” writes that holy Prelate, Bishop Ussher, "because that, contrary to God's express command, they are found to be worshippers of images."

"I am verily persuaded," says that profound theologian, Archbishop Wake, "that the Romanists, in the invocation of saints, and the worship of images, and relics, and of the host, are guilty of idolatry."

"Do we, then, charge the Church of Rome with idolatry?" says Archbishop Tillotson. "Our Church most certainly does so, and hath always done it, from the beginning of the Reformation, in her Homilies, and Liturgy, and Canons, and in the writings of her ablest and best champions."

"The Church of Rome," according to Dean Field, "is heretical, and her invocation of saints, and adoration of the elements, are idolatry."

"If the elements be not so changed," says Costerus, "we Papists are the meanest, vilest, kind of idolaters in the world; worse than the Laplanders that worship a red cloth."

"The whole system of Papacy," says Cranmer, "is a worshipping of stocks and stones."