HISTORICAL AND REMARKABLE DIAMONDS. 231
engraved stone, weighing one hundred and sixteen carats, but
the cutting entirely effaced the inscription, and reduced the
size to seventy-two carats. As it bore an inscription, it must
have been either the Shah, or the Akbah Shah, since they
were the only engraved oriental diamonds known ; it could
not have been the Shah, and as it disappeared for a time,
and has recently been found, there seems to be but little
doubt that the same diamond appears under two names.
The Shah Jehan was sold to the Prince of Baroda, of
India, who became the possessor of several notable gems
of this kind.
The Darya-i-Nitr. — This Persian name, signifying, " Sea
of Light," expresses its remarkable lustre, for which the
diamond is distinguished ; it is rose-cut and weighs one hundred and eighty-six carats. It was captured at Delhi by
Nadir Shah, and, on account of its great size and brilliancy,
constitutes one of the finest gems in the large collection of
the Persian treasury.
The Tay-e-Mah. — " Crown of the Moon " — is a diamond
but little inferior to the "Sea of Light" in size and splendor;
it weighs one hundred and forty-six carats. Some authors
have thought it might be the Great Mogul but it differs from
the Mogul in many essential points. Opinions are not
uniform in regard to its early history ; according to one view,
it was found in the Indian mines on the river Mahanuddy,
in 1809, and according to another, it was carried off in 1739,
by Nadir Shah,— the freebooter of the East, upon whose
shoulders rests the crime of stealing nearly all the famous
jewels of his times,— thus making it appear that it was captured
before it was discovered,— a remarkable feat even for Nadir.
Another theorist tells us that this gem was owned by Shah
Rokh, who was tortured by Aga Mohammed to compel him
