The Riverside Press, Cambridge, Mass., U. S. A.
Printed by H. O. Houghton & Company.
DEDICATION.
Whatever of interest or value there is to be found in these pages is earnestly inscribed
To the Memory
OF
JEAN ANDRÉ DE PEYSONNEL,
who ventured to announce to the men of science of the Royal
Academies of Europe in the eighteenth century that the
Coral was the product of animal life, and not of vegetable
growth. In answer to his simple discovery and honest declaration,
the naturalist was met with a storm of contempt and derision that
eventually wrecked his happiness and his life.
CONTENTS.
| PAGE | |
|---|---|
| [The Diamond] | [13] |
| [The Emerald] | [285] |
| [The Opal] | [335] |
| [The Sapphire] | [367] |
THE DIAMOND.
Le diamant: c’est l’art des choses idéales
Et ces rayons d’argent, d’or, de pourpre, et d’azur
Ne cessent de lancer les deux lueurs égales
De pensers les plus beaux, de l’amour le plus pur.
Il porte du génie et transmet les empruntes,
Oui, de ce qui survit aux nations éteintes,
C’est lui le plus brillant trésor et le plus dur.