PERFECT
brilliant of 51 carats, of an oval shape, blunt at one end, and very
beautifully cut, this diamond was set as the centre of a hair-pin
belonging to the Empress Catherine II. of Russia. When Potemkin became
her favourite she made him a present of it, as a proof of her esteem,
and to reward him for the great services he had rendered to his
country. This man, unlike her other favourites, was endowed with more
than mere personal attractions. He had great natural abilities, and
presence of mind. Catherine bestowed upon Potemkin for his services,
both military and diplomatic, the surname of Taurisschesky.* It was at
this time that he received from Catherine a magnificent palace called
(conformably to this name) the Tauria, together with the diamond now
known as the " Eugénie." The Emperor Napoleon III., on the occasion of
his wedding, bought this stone from a grand niece of Potemkin, the
