large loops of diamonds, in the form of those gold loops, so common on birth-day coats.  This habit was tied, at the waist, with two large tassels of smaller pearls, and round the arms embroidered with large diamonds.  Her shift was fastened at the bottom with a great diamond, shaped like a lozenge; her girdle as broad as the broadest English ribband, entirely covered with diamonds.  Round her neck she wore three chains, which reached to her knees; one of large pearl, at the bottom of which hung a fine coloured emerald, as big as a turkey-egg; another, consisting of two hundred emeralds, close joined together, of the most lively green, perfectly matched, every one as large as a half-crown piece, and as thick as three crown pieces, and another of small emeralds, perfectly round.  But her ear-rings eclipsed all the rest.  They were two diamonds, shaped exactly like pears, as large as a big hazle-nut (sic).  Round her talpoche she had four strings of pearl—­the whitest and most perfect in the world, at least enough to make four necklaces, every one as large as the duchess of Marlborough’s, and of the same shape, fastened with two roses, consisting of a large ruby for the middle stone, and round them twenty drops of clean diamonds to each.  Besides this, her head-dress was covered with bodkins of emeralds and diamonds.  She wore large diamond bracelets, and had five rings on her fingers (except Mr Pitt’s) the largest I ever saw in my life.  ’Tis for jewellers to compute the value of these things; but, according to the common estimation of jewels, in our part of the world, her whole dress must be worth a hundred thousand pounds sterling.  This I am sure of, that no European queen has half the quantity; and the empress’s jewels, though very fine would look very mean near her’s.  She gave me a dinner of fifty dishes of meat, which (after their fashion) were placed on the table but one at a time, and was extremely tedious.  But the magnificence of her table answered very well to that of her dress.  The knives were of gold, and the hafts set with diamonds.  But the piece of luxury which grieved my eyes, was the table-cloth and napkins, which were all tiffany, embroidered with silk and gold, in the finest manner, in natural flowers.  It was with the utmost regret that I made use of these costly napkins, which were as finely wrought as the finest handkerchiefs that ever came out of this country.  You may be sure, that they were entirely spoiled before dinner was over.  The sherbet (which is the liquor they drink at meals) was served in china bowls; but the covers and salvers massy gold.  After dinner, water was brought in gold basons, and towels of the same kind with the napkins, which I very unwillingly wiped my hands upon, and coffee was served in china, with gold soucoups [Footnote:  Saucers.]