The weight of the diamond, as every one knows, is estimated in carats all over the world.  And what is a carat, pray? and whence its name?  It is of Indian origin, a kirat being a small seed that was used in India to weigh diamonds with.  Four grains are equal to one carat, and six carats make one pennyweight.  But there is no standard weight fixed for the finest diamonds.  Competition alone among purchasers must arrange their price.  The commercial value of gems is rarely affected, and among all articles of commerce the diamond is the least liable to depreciation.  Panics that shake empires and topple trade into the dust seldom lower the cost of this king of precious stones; and there is no personal property that is so apt to remain unchanged in money-value.

Diamond anecdotes abound, the world over; but we have lately met with two brief ones that ought to be preserved.

“Carlier, a bookseller in the reign of Louis XIV., left, at his death, to each of his children,—­one a girl of fifteen, the other a captain in the guards,—­a sum of five hundred thousand francs, then an enormous fortune.  Mademoiselle Carlier, young, handsome, and wealthy, had numerous suitors.  One of these, a M. Tiquet, a Councillor of the Parliament, sent her on her fete-day a bouquet, in which the calices of the roses were of large diamonds.  The magnificence of this gift gave so good an opinion of the wealth, taste, and liberality of the donor, that the lady gave him the preference over all his competitors.  But sad was the disappointment that followed the bridal!  The husband was rather poor than rich; and the bouquet, that had cost forty-five thousand francs, (nine thousand dollars,) had been bought on credit, and was paid out of the bride’s fortune.”

“The gallants of the Court of Louis XV. carried extravagance as far as the famous Egyptian queen.  She melted a pearl,—­they pulverized diamonds, to prove their insane magnificence.  A lady having expressed a desire to have the portrait of her canary in a ring, the last Prince de Conti requested she would allow him to give it to her; she accepted, on condition that no precious gems should be set in it.  When the ring was brought to her, however, a diamond covered the painting.  The lady had the brilliant taken out of the setting, and sent it back to the giver.  The Prince, determined not to be gainsaid, caused the stone to be ground to dust, which he used to dry the ink of the letter he wrote to her on the subject.”

Let us mention some of the most noted diamonds in the world.  The largest one known, that of the Rajah of Matan, in Borneo, weighs three hundred and sixty-seven carats.  It is egg-shaped and is of the finest water.  Two large war-vessels, with all their guns, powder, and shot, and one hundred and fifty thousand dollars in money, were once refused for it.  And yet its weight is only about three ounces!