198 THE GREAT DIAMONDS OF THE WORLD.
Russia.
The history of this diamond, which holds so distinguished a place among
those of the very first water, may probably afford entertainment to my
readers, as I shall thereby refute many false reports which have been
circulated on this subject. Shah Nadir had in his throne two principal
Indian diamonds, one of which was called the ' Sun of the Sea,' and
the other the ' Moon of the Mountains.' At the time of his
assassination many precious ornaments belonging to the crown were
pillaged, and afterwards secretly disposed of by the soldiers who
shared the plunder. Shaffrass, commonly known at Astrakhan by the name
of Millionshik, or the Man of Millions, then resided at Bassorah, with
two of his brothers. One day a chief of the Avganians (Afghans) applied
to him, and secretly proposed to sell, for a very • moderate sum, the
before-mentioned diamond, which probably was that called the ' Moon of
the Mountains,' together with a very large emerald, a ruby of
considerable size, and other precious stones of less value. Shaffrass
was astonished at the offer, and pretending that he had not a
sufficient sum to purchase these jewels, he demanded time to consult
with his brothers on the subject. The vendor, probably from suspicious
motives, did not again make his appearance. Shaffrass, with the
approbation of his brothers, immediately went in search of the stranger
with the jewels, but he had left Bassorah. The Armenian, however, met
him accidentally at Bagdad, and concluded the bargain by paying him
50,000 piastres for all the jewels in his possession. Shaffrass and his
brothers being conscious that it was necessary to observe the most
profound
