110 THE GREAT DIAMONDS OF THE WORLD.
out
of the strange muddle in which the stories of the "Orloff" and " Moon
of Mountains " have become involved, and from which our accounts of the
two stones will, we trust, finally rescue them.
Professor
Maskelyne, who carefully examined it, assured King that the "Orloff"
was an Indian cut stone, all the facets exhibiting the blunt edges and
rounded surfaces that mark the style. Concentrated rows of triangular
facets are disposed on the upper surface, and corresponding four-sided
facets on the lower surface. It is about the size of a pigeon's egg,
with a slight yellow tinge, and in shape so like Tavernier's " Great
Mogul," that some writers have supposed the two may be one and the same
stone. But this theory cannot be seriously entertained in the face of
the vast difference in their respective sizes, the " Great Mogul "
weighing 280, and the " Orloff" 193 carats only. Nor is it to be
supposed that the former, after leaving Borgio's hands, was without any
obvious motive, again entrusted to a cutter, and by him reduced by 87
carats, while preserving its exact shape and outlines. Otherwise it is
conceivable that after the sack of Delhi by Nadir Shah, the " Great
Mogul" might have found its way from the Imperial treasury to the
far-famed temple of Sri-Ranga in Mysore.
The
true name of the " Orloff" is said to be the " Koh-i-Tur," or " Mount
Sinai," a circumstance which lands us in fresh difficulties ; for
Aurung-zeb is reported to have possessed a large diamond of this name,
which he set in one of the eyes of the peacock overshadowing his
throne. On this point Murray quotes the subjoined curious passage from
a manuscript
