Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 November 1892 — SOME PRECIOUS RELICS. [ARTICLE]

SOME PRECIOUS RELICS.

Mementos of Our Orest Men In the Museum »t Washington. The most valuable' Jewels in the National Museum in Washington are the relics of our great men near the entrance. These arc worth tens of thousands of dollars in intrinsic value of the gold and jewels of which they are made, to say nothing of the workmanship. There are swords by tho dozen set with diamonds, guns inlaid with precious stones, and cunes which have headsof gold in which gems are imbedded. A guard is detailed to watch them night and day. Each case has a burglar alarm connected with it, and the least meddling would set an electric bell ringing and call the Museum army together. The Grant collection is one. It is made up of hundreds of gold articles exquisitely engraved, and brought together from all parts of the world, of rare stones, of china more valuable than though it were of solid gold, and of other articles which; if meltod. down, would fully pay the President’s salary for a year or more. In one case there is a complete collection of Uold and silver coins of Japan, whtch has ft \yonjlerful numismatic value, as it is the only complete set existence except one in t,Ue Japanese treasury. Some of the gold coins are a quarter of an inch thick and as large around .as the top of a dinner-pail. Seven of them cost $5,000, and thero are perhaps a hundred in the collectipn. Iu another case there are half a dozen large elephant tusks which the King of Siam gave to General Grant, and there are six pieces of costly jade given him by one of the princes of China. All of the swords presented to him are there, and many of them have diamonds set in the hilts. Tho sword given to General Grant by tho Sanitary Fair at New Yorjc has a solid gold head, representing the .Goddess of Liberty, which has two rubles, two diamonds, and two sapphires set in it. Tho sword of. Chattanooga has fourteen diamonds imbedded in it, and many of tho gifts which he received from foreign monarchs are of gold set with diamonds. One of the medals which are in tho collection contains SOOO worth of gold, and is as largo around as tho bottom of a tin cup. Tho gold articles in this collection would fill a peck measuro, and many cities, too, gave General Grant a gold feqx containing the papers in which their freedom was presented. The box which he received at Ayr, Scotland, Is as big as a cigar box and is of solid gold. The city of Glasgow gave him a still larger one, beautifully chased, and the gold box which he received from tho city of London is a wonder of drtistlc hearing an engraving of tho Capitol on one side and tho London Guildhall on the other. Enameled on its golden surface are the union jack,*tho red, white, and blue, and the God-, dess of Liberty shaking hands with the British Lion. There is a beautiful cigar case of gold from the King of Slam, a model of tho table on which Lee’s surrender was signed, in solid gold, and a solid gold invitation card as large as a postal card and about five times as thLck, which was sent to General Grant in a solid silver envelope, in-j vltlng him to a masked ball at San| Francisco. Thero are a number ofl silver menus, a gold-handled knife! which the miners of Idaho gave him, gold-headed canes set with diamonds, and medals and other articles of gold. —-Jewelers’ Weekly.