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Vicissitudes: Shafras

Some years afterwards, however, the eldest brother met the Afghan by chance at Bagdad, where he had sold the jewels for a sum of 65,000 piastres and two valuable horses. Shafras got him to point out the house of the purchaser, who was a Jew, and offered to double the amount he had paid, but was refused. Upon this the three brothers agreed to assassinate the Jew, which was done; and the next day the Afghan, having been invited to a repast, was poisoned. The two bodies were placed in a sack and thrown into the Euphrates. A dispute soon arose between the three brothers about the division of the spoil, and the eldest got rid of the others in the same way that the Afghan had been treated. He then fled to Constantinople, and from thence went to Holland. There he made known his treasures, and offered them to the different courts of Europe. The news reached Catherine II. of Russia, who proposed to purchase the Moon of Mountains only. He was invited to Russia, and put into communication with the crown jeweller. The conditions of purchase were, a title of nobility, and an annual payment of 10,000 roubles. Shafras demanded 600,000 roubles. Count Panin, then minister, delayed the purchase, and drew the Armenian into a style of living which placed him heavily in debt, and when he knew that he had no money left, he broke off the purchase. Shafras, according to the laws of the country, could not leave the empire, or even the city he was living in, without paying his debts. His situation was embarrassing. The court jeweller profited by his distress, and obtained the diamond for a quarter of its value. The Armenian now perceived the trap that had been laid for him; and, after selling some inferior precious stones to his countrymen, he paid his debts and suddenly disappeared. Ten years afterwards he was at Astracan, and this being made known to the Russian Court, offers were made for the jewels he still had, some of which he sold, and had a title of nobility also conferred upon him. The sapphire, said to be the finest known, belongs to the crown of Saxony, as also the rubies. Shafras could not return to his own country in consequence of his crimes, but settled at Astracan, where he married and had seven daughters. He was poisoned by one of his sons-in-law.

The history of that remarkable diamond, the REGENT, is so curious that a few particulars concerning its discovery, and the events connected with it, will be interesting. It was found at Parteal, forty-five leagues south of Golconda, by (if we may credit the story) a slave, who concealed it in a gash made for its reception in the calf of his leg, until he had an opportunity of escaping to Madras. There the poor wretch fell in with an English skipper, who, by promising to find him a purchaser for the stone, and to halve the profits, lured him on board, and disposed of his claims by throwing him into the sea. The captain then offered it to a dealer named Jamchund, obtaining a thousands pounds, which he speedily ran through, and then hanged himself. Whatever doubts there may be about this part of the story, we find in a letter to the editor of the European Magazine (October, 1791) from the subsequent owner of the diamond, Governor Pitt, the particulars of his obtaining possession of it. "About two or three years after my arrival at Madras (which was in July, 1698), I heard there were large diamonds in the country to be sold, which I encouraged to be brought down, promising to be their chapman, if they would be reasonable therein; upon which Jamchund, one of the most eminent diamond merchants in these parts, came down about December, 1701, and brought with him a large rough stone, and some small ones which myself and others bought; but he asking a very extravagant price for the great one, I did not think of meddling with it, when he left it with me for some days, and then came and took it away again, and did so several times, not insisting upon less than two hundred thousand pagadoes, and as I best remember, I did not bid him above thirty thousand, and had little thoughts of buying it for that. I considered there were many and great risks to be run, not only in cutting it, but, also, whether it would prove foul or clean, or the water good; besides, I thought it too great an amount to be adventured home on one bottom. But Jamchund resolved to return speedily to his own country, so, as I best remember, it was in February following, he came again to me (with Vincaty Chittee, who was always with him when I discoursed with him about it), and pressed me to know whether I resolved to buy it, when he came down to one hundred thousand pagadoes, and something under before we parted; when we agreed upon a day to meet, and make a final end thereof one way or other, which, I believe, was the latter end of the aforesaid month, or the beginning of March; when we accordingly met in the consultation room, where, after a great deal of talk, I brought him down to fifty-five thousand pagadoes, and advanced to fortyfive thousand, resolving to give no more, and he, likewise, resolving not to abate, so delivered him up the stone, and we took a friendly leave of one another. Mr. Benyon was then writing in my closet, with whom I discoured upon what had passed, and told him now I was clear of it, when an hour afterward my servant brought me word that Jamchund and Vincaty Chittee were at the door, who, being called in, they used a great many expressions in favour of the stone.....I closed with him for the sum of forty-eight thousand pagadoes (pound 10,400)." This letter, duly signed and attested at Bergen, is dated July 19th, 1710.

The possession of this magnificent jewel does not seem to have created much happiness in its possessor; the fear of losing it seems to have absorbed the mind of Governor Pitt. Uffenbach, a German traveller, who visited England in 1712, says that he made many fruitless efforts to get a sight of the diamond, the fame of which had spread all over Europe. But there was no obtaining an interview with the far from enviable possessor, so fearful was he of robbery (and not without cause in those days), that he never made known beforehand the day of his coming to town, nor slept twice consecutively in the same house. It appears that the acquisition of this diamond occasioned many reflections injurious to the reputation of Governor Pitt, and Pope has been thought to allude to this in the lines-- "Asleep and naked as an Indian lay, An honest factor stole a gem away: He pledg'd it to the knight; the knight had wit, So kept the diamond, and the rougue was bit."