Thus,
the negress, by whom it was discovered in 1853, was rewarded, according
to the usual practice in Brazil, with her freedom,* and to this was
afterwards added the further boon of a pension for life, in
recognition of the exceptional size and value of her " find." Yet her
master, Casimiro de Tal, was at first so little conscious of its true
value, that he was induced to part with it for the relatively nominal
sum of £3,000. The purchaser deposited it in the Bank of Rio de
Janeiro, receiving an advance of no less than £30,000 on its security
alone.
The
stone ultimately reached the above-mentioned Paris Syndicate, by whom
it was shown in the Dutch department of the London Exhibiton of 1862,
and in that of Paris in 1867. On both occasions it attracted great
attention, and its fame reached the remotest corners of the globe. It
was soon afterwards forwarded to India, where a bid of £110,000
was made for it by a large house on behalf of a native rajah. After
considerable negotiation, the parties being unable to agree on the
terms, the transaction
