Black Pearls.                           269
	even as late as the year 1870. The author was asked by a member of a London Syndicate to pro­ceed to the East, to value a large quantity of jewels, as a heavy sum of money was about to be advanced to a certain Power, to carry on the sinews of war. On his way he was requested to stop at one of the principal towns in Germany, to purchase some jewels which had been valued for probate, but were not easy of sale in that market. The valuation paper was shown to him, and after examining the jewels, he agreed to take them at the prices named. Amongst them was an old gold brooch of Russian manufacture, valued at £4 ; in the centre of this brooch was what appeared to be a piece of hematite, but which was in reality a fine round black Pearl, weighing 77 grains. The colour had faded from exposure to the sun, as explained before. This Pearl was brought to London, and the outer layer was taken off, when a perfect black Pearl of 67 grains remained. This was sold to a manufacturing jeweller in London for £400, but having heard that in Paris, there was a Pearl that would exactly match it, the author bought it back again for £6oo, and then sold it at a large profit to one of the Paris crown jewellers who, in his turn, sold the pair to a rich iron merchant for 50,000 francs (£2000). Since then the sum of 100,000