of dollars ; her train, six yards in length, was so loaded with
precious stones that it had to be borne through the mazes of
the dance by an attendant. The jewels of this princess named
in her will, comprised, with many others, a diamond necklace,
ruby chains, and a parure of pearls brought from France, considered the finest in Europe at the time. Some of these
treasures were deposited in Edinburgh Castle, others were
scattered or stolen after the defeat of her army at Langside.
Anne, wife of James I. of England, was the owner of a large
collection of precious stones, nor was the king himself insensible to their attractions, as appears from the display of three
million dollars worth of jewels on his person at the marriage of
his daughter to the Elector Palatine, and this was before the
Koh-i-noor came into the possession of the royal family. All
the sovereigns of the Stuart line were opulent in precious
stones. Charles I., notwithstanding his poverty and long wars,
found means to enlarge his inherited possessions by purchases,
which, in a single year and a half, amounted to a quarter of a
million dollars. Mary, the wife of James II., wore at her coronation jewels estimated at a sum between one and two millions.
On the abdication of this sovereign, nearly all his private
jewels, including the ornament of Mary Queen of Scots, which
has a tragical history, and some belonging to the crown, were
carried out of the kingdom and scattered abroad. Queen
Caroline, consort of George IL, owned a large collection of
gems ; her diamonds alone were valued at five million dollars,
and yet at her coronation she borrowed jewels of some of the
court ladies lest her own should prove insufficient for the occasion. A tiara of diamonds, worth three hundred thousand
dollars, adorned the brows of Charlotte, wife of George III.,
while one lady of the nobility wore, at the crowning of this
ruler, diamonds estimated at nearly one million. The costumes
