There are still preserved among the princely families of Russia, as well as in the Royal casket, many diamonds yet in their rough and crystallized forms, or imperfectly cut in the Oriental and ancient manner.
The remarkable soldier, Suvaroff, although careless of his dress and his personal appearance, was passionately fond of jewels. And the allied sovereigns of Europe, learning of his love of the beautiful, sent him several superb gems, among which was a large diamond of great beauty, from the Empress Catherine.
Like Charles le Temeraire, the terrible Cossack carried his gem treasures with him during his campaigns; and he took infinite delight in examining their charms, in times of danger and fatigue. They were of various kinds and of great value; but the one he prized the most was the gift of the Czarina. This splendid gem he always reserved for the last look, after toying with the others; and seemed fascinated with the strange gleams of the prismatic display, as the stone was viewed in the dim and flickering light of the camp-fire.
What a picture is presented of the grim and fearless veteran, deriving a gleam of comfort from his treasures during that lonely bivouac on the summit of the high Alps, in Switzerland, on that fearful night in 1799, when the victorious French, under Lecourbe, forced the Tatar general, with his twenty-four thousand desperate soldiers, and with terrible losses, over the desolate and rarely trodden pass of the Kenzig Culm!
CHAPTER VIII.
FRENCH REGALIA.
Previous to the time of the French Revolution, and commencing from periods dating back beyond mediæval days, France had accumulated a casket of gems and jewels of extraordinary richness and value. The amateur may form an idea of their beauty and magnificence, from the famous report made to the French Assembly by M. Delattre in 1791. In this list there were enumerated with special care, 9,547 diamonds, 506 pearls, 230 rubies, 134 sapphires, 150 emeralds, 71 topazes, 3 Oriental amethysts, 8 Syrian garnets, and 8 other stones not designated.
The estimated value of these treasures, together with the bijou and mounted parures belonging to the Crown, amounted to nearly thirty million francs. From this carefully arranged inventory, we have made the following selection, which will be interesting to the reader at the present day, as not only showing the estimated worth of the gems at that time, but also describing some of the fine gems whose history has since been lost.
| Weight. k. | Value. fr. | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 A brilliant diamond called Le Regent | 136¹⁴⁄₁₆ | 12,000,000 |
| 2 A diamond cut in facets, perfect in lustre and brilliancy, called Le Sancy | 33¹²⁄₁₆ | 1,000,000 |
| 3 Diamond cut in facets | 28⁶⁄₁₆ | 250,000 |
| 4 A brilliant diamond | 26¹²⁄₁₆ | 150,000 |
| 5 A pear-shaped diamond, of a peach-blossom hue | 24¹³⁄₁₆ | 200,000 |
| 6 A diamond called the Mirror of Portugal | 21²⁄₁₆ | 250,000 |
| 7 Pear-shaped diamond, of a yellowish cast | 20¹⁴⁄₁₆ | 65,000 |
| 8 Rose-colored diamond, with flaws | 20¹²⁄₁₆ | 48,000 |
| 9 An olive-shaped diamond, clear | 18¹³⁄₁₆ | 85,000 |
| 10 A brilliant, of a greenish cast, and flawed | 18¹¹⁄₁₆ | 20,000 |
| 11 A pale wine-colored brilliant | 18⁹⁄₁₆ | 75,000 |
| 12 A steel-colored brilliant | 17⁷⁄₁₆ | 18,000 |
| 13 Brilliant, cloudy | 17 | 50,000 |
| 14 The 10th Mazarin, cloudy | 16 | 50,000 |
| 15 A brilliant, of peach-blossom hue | 14¹⁴⁄₁₆ | 25,000 |
| 16 A fine white brilliant | 14¹⁴⁄₁₆ | 150,000 |
| 17 A brilliant, of peach-blossom hue | 14¹²⁄₁₆ | 30,000 |
| 18 Brilliant | 13¹⁰⁄₁₆ | 60,000 |
| 19 A brilliant, of brownish hue | 13⁸⁄₁₆ | 35,000 |
| 20 A brilliant, of yellowish hue | 11¹⁰⁄₁₆ | 15,000 |
| 21 A brilliant, of brownish hue | 11¹⁰⁄₁₆ | 10,000 |
| 22 Brilliant, of yellowish cast | 11⁶⁄₁₆ | 15,000 |
| 23 Brilliant, of peach-blossom hue | 11²⁄₁₆ | 10,000 |
| 24 Pale-blue brilliant | 10⁷⁄₁₆ | 30,000 |
| 25 Brilliant, of brownish hue | 10⁴⁄₁₆ | 25,000 |
| 26 White brilliant | 10 | 30,000 |
| 27 15 brilliants (of unknown weight) | ...... | 833,000 |
| 28 54 brilliants, each from | 5 to 10 | 756,000 |
| 29 227 brilliants, each from | 1 to 5 | 332,700 |
| 30 1,631 small diamonds, together | 425 | 77,228 |
| 31 12 diamonds, rose-cut and flawed | 84 | 82,700 |
| Royal State Dress, White Parure. | ||
| 32 12 brilliants, each from and 163 smaller ones | 2 to 20 | 413,000 |
| 33 The Order of St. Esprit, 9 brilliants, each from, and 286 smaller ones | 7 to 14 | 324,000 |
| 34 The Epaulette, composed of 12 brilliants, each | 3 to 19 | 306,000 |
| 35 The Croix du Cordon, 6 large brilliants and 143 smaller diamonds | ...... | 200,000 |
| Colored Parure. | ||
| 36 A rich sky-blue brilliant | 67²⁄₁₆ | 3,000,000 |
| 37 Pale-blue brilliant | 31¹²⁄₁₆ | 300,000 |
| 38 Croix du Cordon, 13 large brilliants, 362 smaller | ...... | 10,000 |
| 39 Epaulette, 9 large brilliants, 197 smaller | ...... | 47,000 |
| 40 Epée de diamonds, 2,189 rose-cut diamonds | 400 | 329,075 |
| 41 Diamond buttons, large and small | 552 | 294,851 |
| 42 Other diamonds of various qualities | ...... | 315,000 |
This magnificent and matchless collection was mysteriously stolen in September, 1792, and many of the fine gems have not been recovered. Neither has time yet divulged the authors of this bold theft, nor explained clearly the motives that led to the act. The circumstances connected with this celebrated robbery are interesting although obscure. They are as follows:—
After the fearful and bloody scenes of the 10th of August and the 2d of September, fears were entertained by the Republican chiefs concerning the safety of the public treasures. Therefore the building which contained the gems was closed to the public; and the Commune of Paris, representing the domain of the State, placed its seals upon the apartments wherein were placed the crown, sceptre, the golden wreath left by Cardinal Richelieu to Louis XIII., and a great number of gems and bijou. On the morning of the 17th of September M. Sergent and two other Commissioners of the Police perceived that during the night thieves had entered the halls of the Garde Meuble by scaling the colonnade from the side of the Place Louis XV., and opening the windows on that side. They had broken the seals, picked the locks, and, after removing many of the inestimable treasures, had disappeared, without leaving a trace of their flight.