(Star
of the South) it attracted much attention from amateurs and was
eventually bought by an Indian rajah for one hundred and forty thousand
dollars.
Notwithstanding
the lofty attitude of judicial impartiality which we endeavored to
assume at the beginning of this article, a lurking suspicion remains in
our mind that had the Braganza, like the round stone before described,
been subjected to the keen scrutiny of Mawe's scientific eyes, it
would no longer be classed among the most remarkable diamonds of Europe.
Considerable
difference of opinion exists as to the fate of the Braganza after King
John's death. Did he give it to Don Miguel his second son ? or was it a
crown jewel and as such did it devolve upon Don Pedro the eldest along
with
one,
the " Koh-i-nur " is another. When fanciful names are given we hold
emphatically that they should always be in the language of the person
who bestows it. As a historian we protest against needlessly confusing
the already intricate annals of diamonds by giving to American gems
fine names fetched from Persia. The largest diamond found in the United
States weighed in the rough twenty-three and three fourths carats and
rejoices in the appellation of Oninoor (Sea of Light.)
