GEOLOGY. 309 



upon the ground. A solemn silence then ensued, which continued un- 

 broken for an hour. At length Runjeet's impatience overcame the 

 suggestions of Eastern decorum, and he quickened the memory of the 

 Shah. The exiled prince spoke not a word in reply, but calmly mo- 

 tioned to an attendant, who produced a small roll which he placed 

 midway between the two chiefs. Again a pause ensued, when, at a 

 signal from Runjeet, the roll was unfolded, and the glittering Koh-i- 

 noor passed into his possession. After this time it remained with the 

 Sikhs, until the late insurrection, when it was seized by the English 

 government. For a few years previous to its seizure, the Koh-i-noor 

 had formed a part of the decorations of a hideous idol, kept at Orisea. 

 Its loss is regarded by the superstitious natives as indicative of the 

 complete extinction of their supremacy. 



If we except the somewhat doubtful claims of the Brazilian stone 

 among the crown jewels of Portugal, the Koh-i-noor is the largest 

 known diamond in the world. When first given to Shah Jehaun it 

 was still uncut, weighing, it is said, in that rough state, nearly 800 

 carats, which were reduced by the unskilfulness of the artist to 279, 

 its present weight. It was cut by Hortensio Borgis, a Venetian, 

 who, instead of receiving a remuneration for his labor, was fined 

 10,000 rupees by the enraged Mogul. In form it is " rose cut," 

 that is to say, it is cut to a point in a series of small faces or " facets," 

 without any tabular surface. A good general idea may be formed of 

 its shape and size by conceiving it as the pointed half of a small hen's 

 egg, though it is said not to have risen more than half an inch from 

 the gold setting in which it was worn by Runjeet. Its value is 

 scarcely computable, though two millions sterling has been mentioned! 

 as a justifiable price, if calculated by the scale employed in the trade. 

 The Pitt diamond, brought over from Madras by the grandfather of 

 Lord Chatham, and sold to the Regent Orleans in 1717 for 125,000, 

 weighs scarcely 130 carats ; nor does the great diamond, which sup- 

 ports the eagle on the summit of the Russian sceptre, weigh as much 

 as 200. 



ON THE GREAT DIAMOND IN POSSESSION OF THE NIZAM. 



AT a meeting of the Asiatic Society, in November, Capt. FitzgeraH 

 presented a model of a large diamond found in the Nizam's country 

 some twelve or fourteen years ago, under circumstances of rather a 

 curious nature. The model shown, was the model of a part only, a 

 piece having been chipped off, which, after passing through many 

 hands, was purchased by a native banker for 70,000 rupees. The 

 larger piece, represented by the model, is now in the possession of the 

 Nizam, and at the lime of its discovery was exhibited to many Euro- 

 pean gentlemen. The manner in which this diamond was originally 

 found may be considered interesting. It was first seen in the hands 

 of a native child, who was playing with it, of course ignorant of its 

 value. On eight annas being offered for what the poor people con- 

 sidered as a mere stone, their suspicion was excited , which led ulti- 

 mately to the discovery of the bright stone being a real diamond. The 



