Charles Spurgeon Collection: Spurgeon - C.H. - What the Stones Say: APPENDIX J
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Charles Spurgeon Collection: Spurgeon - C.H. - What the Stones Say: APPENDIX J
TOPIC: Spurgeon - C.H. - What the Stones Say (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: APPENDIX J
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APPENDIX J
THE “ORLOFF”
THIS diamond, which is the chief ornament in the scepter of the Czars of
Russia, ranks first among European gems in size; in beauty it yields only to
the “Regent,” while for romantic interest it rivals the “Koh-i-Noor” itself.
Its true name is said to be the “Koh-i-Tur,” or, Mountain of Sinai; its
weight is 193 carats.
Of its early history little that is reliable has been preserved. Mr. Streeter,
however, has carefully collated the various accounts, and we give an
outline of his revised version.
On a fortified island in Mysore, not far from Trichinopoly, stands a
magnificent Pagoda, or Hindu temple, with seven distinct enclosures, lofty
towers, and numerous dwellings for Brahmins, the whole enclosed within
an outer wall four miles in circumference. A French grenadier, having
deserted the Indian service, found employment in the neighborhood of the
temple, and learnt that it contained a celebrated idol of the Hindu god Sri-
Ranga, whose eyes were formed by two large diamonds of inestimable
value. These he determined to seize. By assuming the character of a native
devotee, and affecting great reverence for this particular divinity, he so
imposed upon the Brahmins that they appointed him guardian of its shrine.
Taking advantage of a stormy night, he wrenched one of the eyes from its
socket, escaped through the raging tempest to Trichinopoly, and thence to
Madras, where he sold the gem to an English sea captain for f2,000, who
disposed of it to a Jew in London for f12,000. The latter sold it to a
Persian merchant, Khojeh Raphael, who took it to Amsterdam. There he
met Prince Orloff, whom he persuaded to purchase it for the Czarina,
Catherine II, under whose displeasure he had fallen. Orloff paid the
merchant f90,000 in cash, besides procuring for him an annuity of f4,000