392 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



younger, visited Russia. The names engraved upon it are said to be 

 Akbar Shah, Mzam Shah, and Path Ali Shah : no dates are mentioned 

 in the published accounts of it. 



It is possible that this stone did not descend to Akbar's successors. 

 It was, perhaps, given to him by one of the Nizam Shah's on the con- 

 clusion of a treaty.^ Subsequently, it found its way to Persia, and 

 became the property of Path Ali Shah, who reigned from 1798- 

 to 1834. 



Most of the books on precious stones say that this remarkable 

 prism-shaped stone was cut down from 95 to 86 carats after its 

 arrival in Russia, and it has been suggested that, by this process, the 

 engraved names have been removed. But the earliest authentic weight 

 is given by Rose, as 86 carats,^ and the higher weight has, I think, got 

 into the literature of the subject by a mistake. In all probability 

 the engraved names are still on the stone. 



The third engraved diamond is one called the Darya-i-nur^ which is 

 believed to be still in the Persian Treasury. Its weight was stated 

 by Malcolm to be 186 carats, but other and higher weights have also 

 been given by authors.^ I may mention that, through correspon- 

 dents at Teheran, I have recently made two separate attempts to ascer- 

 tain the true weight of this stone, and some other facts regarding the 

 jewels now in the treasury there, but both have failed to elicit any- 

 thing definite as yet. Even to make inquiries, I am informed, would 

 arouse suspicions which might lead to inconvenient consequences. It 

 is "the case, too, that inquiries which I have presented about the Russian 

 historical jewels, though favoured in a veiy special degree by the aid 

 and sanction of high authority, have so far almost proved fruitless of 

 the results hoped for. 



The Darya-i-nur is said to be a flat table, 1 J in. by 1 in. by f ths in 

 Another account with figures, by Kotzebue, makes the thickness much 

 greater. It is said to have the name of Path Ali Shah engraved 

 upon it. Like the previously mentioned stones, it is reported by 

 several authors, as Porbes and Eastwick, to have been taken from 



^ Akbar reigned from 1556 to 1605, and the Nizam Shahi Dynasty in India 

 lasted from 1490 to 1636, it having been brought to an end by Shah Jahan, who, as 

 well as his father Jahangir, possibly never possessed this stone. The Nizam 

 Shah in this case may have been Bahadur Shah I. 



2 "Heise nach dem Ural den Altai," &c., Berlin, 1837, vol. i., p. 50. 



* Forbes, nearly 264 carats. — "Oriental Memoirs" (1781), vol. ii., p. 175. 

 Kotzebue, 226 carats. — "Raise nach Persia" (1819), p. 182. Sir D. Brewster, 

 232 carats. — "North British Review" (1852), p. 217. 



