July I, 1902.j THE TEOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
33 
A MAP OF PRECIOUS STONES, 
By H. L. Holmes. 
A map of Franco cut from the rarest jasper, 
flashing; wilh costly jewels, and resplendent in 
gold and otLier precious metals ! Truly a Royal 
gift worthy of both giver and recipient : from the 
Imperial Czar of All the Russias to the great Re- 
publican natiotj, his friend and ally. It is doubt- 
ful if the Czar could have chosen a gift more 
likely to prove acceptable to France and her 
people. An immortal map, which moth and rust 
can never destroy, appears to be a symbol of a 
nation that will live for ever. That the Royal giver 
had something of the sort in his mind when he 
selected his present is not for a moment doubted 
by the appreciative people whom tiie Czar thus 
honoured. It was when feeling between the two 
countries was warmest and most brotherly that 
the Royal Nicholas presented his unique gift. 
During the exposition of 1900 this map of jewels 
and gold was the centre of attraction so far as 
French visitors were concerned. For foreigners 
it possessed features that lovers of art and of the 
curious could not resist. Rarely, whilst the mag- 
nificent gift was on public view, was it not 
surrounded by a crowd which was always full of 
admiration and interest, and frequently of en- 
thusiasm. Even now adorning, as it does, a 
selected position in the Louvre, it still attracts a 
great deal of attention owing to the circumstances 
surrounding its presentation as well as its mag- 
nificence of design and artistic finish. Besides 
it is claimed that there is nothing in the wide 
world like it : as a map it is unique. The French 
nation is proud of it. Even the usually taciturn 
officials who guard the priceless treasures of the 
Louvce wax, eloquent and discursive when courte- 
ously asked for a short account concerning it. 
This wonderful map was not produced without 
infinite pains. Thousands of Russian workmen 
and artists had a hand in the manipulation of its 
varied components. It was designed with the 
personal approval of the Czar, by the distinguished 
Russian engineer, De Mostovinko, who also super- 
intended its production and completion. It was 
put together at the Imperial factory of Ekater- 
inburg. Months were occupied in the process. It 
was finished with as much care and correctness 
as the importance of its destination demanded. 
So pleased was the Czar with his map of precious 
stones that he warmly eulogised its designer and 
presented him with a decoration, 
Perhaps the most interesting feature about this 
wonderful map is that every precious stone and 
jewel included in its production came from the 
Imperial mines in the Ural Mountains. Several 
of the stones are only found in those mines, and 
are appropriated by the Czar. Some of them are 
never found at all in commerce. 
The map measures forty inches along each side 
and is framed in slate-coloured jasper. The sea 
is represented by a pale marble, and the portions 
of foreign countries necessarily included — Eogland, 
Gerniauy, Italy and Spain — are in dark grey. 
The whole is enclosed within a magnificently de- 
signed, heavy walnut case, elaborately carved 
and standing about eight feat in height. 
The formation of the various departments (or 
countries), as well as the surrounding seas and 
countries, is as perfect as that found in Govern- 
mental maps. The whole of France is shown 
entirely in polished jasper, and it will be found 
that each department (or county) has been cut 
from jasper of a different colour, the whole 
blending without the slightest offence to the artis- 
tic eye. The mines were ransacked in all directions 
for the necessary material to ensure thij effect. 
The large number of counties thus represented 
will give the reader some idea of the enormous 
labour bestowed by the Czar's workpeople on 
this portion of the undertaking. The jasper used 
is all of the most beautifully veined that human 
eye has gazed upon. The polishing is perfect, the 
cutting of such piece must leave entailed the 
greatest care, so artfully are the joinings of the 
various departments concealed, so exquisitely do 
the lines meet. One hundred and six of ,lie 
more important towns are given : the names in 
letters of pure gold, the towns represented by 
costly jewels. Paris ia represented by a ruby of 
immense size and value, and it must cause coin- 
motion amongst those connoisseurs w':o make 
a pilgrimage to the Lauvre for the purpose of 
gazing upon this magnificent collection of precious 
s-tones. Havre boasts a beautiful emerald under 
its golden name, Rouen is represented by a 
sapphire, Lille by a phenacite (a rare variety of 
rock-crystal), Rheims by a chrysolite, Lyons by a 
tourmaline, Nantes by a beryl, Bordeaux by an 
aquamarine, Marseilles by an emarald, Nice by 
a garnet, Cherbourg by an alexandrite (a variety 
of chrysoberyl found in the Ural Mountains, and 
which looks green by day and reddish-blue by 
lamplight), and Toulon by a chrysoberyl, 
Twenty-one other towns are represented by 
amethysts, thirty-five by tourmalines, and thirty- 
eight by quartz-crystals. 
It can be easily imagined that a map whose 
towns were represented by precious stones should 
have something equally fine to mark the country's 
rivers. And the expectations will not be vain. 
All the river shown in this extraordinary map are 
represented in platinum sunk in the jasper. To 
effect this the courses of the rivers bad first to 
be cut in the stone and the platinum laid in and 
polished. The whole effect is very beautiful in- 
deed. 
' And a pretty penny it must have cost ! " the 
business-like Briton mentally exclaims. That the 
map cost a very lar^e amount indeed is obvious. 
But the exact sum which came out of the Czar's 
exchequer to ' pay the piper ' has never, of course, 
been made public property ; nor is it likely that 
the information will ever be known in a general 
way. Estimates by experts on this point vary 
very greatly, ranging from £16,000 to £80,000. 
A well-known Parisian jeweller has explained the 
reason. All the stones and jewels came from the 
Imperial mines, and practically the only expense 
was the cutting, polishing and putting together. 
The stones only found in those mines (and appro- 
priated by the Czar), never being found in com- 
merce, consequently have no quoted value. 
' In fact,' said the eminent jeweller referred to, 
' it is probable that the map did not cost the Czir 
more than £16,000, if as much ; but if a million.' l.a 
came to my shop and ordered oue like it, I .«hoald 
have to charge him three or four times as raucli — 
if, indeed, I could make it at all.' 
However, no matter wlietlier the Czar expended 
£10,000 or 10» 000 in its productiou, this map of 
France, with its precious stones and gold, is re- 
garded by Russia's ally as one of its most priceless 
treasures.— iSfj'«?ici Jliagazine for May. 
