About a Robbery in the Public Treasury in France

In the disorders attendant on the French Revolution a great robbery of jewels in the public treasury occurred in 1792. France then possessed precious stones, and diamonds especially--including the famous "Regent"--valued at twenty-one millions of francs. After the report of M. Delattre, in 1791, the quantity of diamonds in the inventory made in 1774 amounted to 7,482. At different times from that period, during seventeen years, 1,471 had been sold, but purchases of other diamonds to make buttons for Louis XVI., and to ornament his sword, raised the number to 9,547.

This magnificent collection was stolen in a singular manner. After the days of bloodshed of August 10th and September 2nd the national treasury was closed to the public inspection, and the Commune of Paris placed seals upon the cupboards in which were deposited the crown, the sceptre, the hand of justice, and other ornaments of the coronation. In the morning of September 17th, Sergent and two other commissioners perceived that during the night robbers had got into the vast chambers of the Treasury, or Garde-Meuble as it was then called, by climbing the colonnade at the side of the Place Louis XV., and getting through one of the windows. They had broken the seals without forcing the locks, taken out the inestimable riches from the cupboards, and had disappeared with-out leaving any trace of their operations. An anonymous letter revealed that a portion of the treasures was hidden in a ditch in the allee des Veuves, in the Champs Elysees. Sergent proceeded there with the other commissioners, and found, among other objects, the famous "Regent" diamond, and the magnificent cup of agate-onyx, known under the name of the Abbe Suger's chalice, and which was afterwards placed in the cabinet of antiquities of the national library.

Every endeavour was made to discover the perpetrators of this robbery, but in vain; it was suspected that the guardians of the treasury, themselves, knew all about it, and Sergent got the nickname of "Agate" from the mysterious manner in which he had found the cup.

Twelve years afterwards several individuals were brought to trial for forging notes on the Bank of France. One of the accused disguised his real name under that of "Baba." After having denied the crime imputed to him, he made a full confession of the manner in which the forgeries were effected. "It is not the first time," he said, "that my avowals have been useful to society, and, if I am condemned, I will implore the mercy of the emperor. Without me Napoleon would not have been on the throne; to me is due the success at Marengo. I was one of the robbers of the treasury; I assisted my confederates to conceal the 'Regent' diamond and other objects in the Champs Elysees, as keeping them would have be-trayed us. On the promise that was given to me of pardon I revealed the secret. The 'Regent' was recovered, and you are aware, gentlemen, that the magnificent diamond was pledged by the First Consul to the Batavian government to procure the money which he so greatly needed."

The criminals were condemned to the galleys, with the exception of Baba and another, who were confined in the Bicetre. Napoleon made great efforts throughout Europe to discover and purchase many of the precious stones and objects of art that had been stolen, and succeeded in several cases. In an inventory of the crown jewels made in 1810, the jewels enumerated amounted to 37,393.

Four remarkable jewels have disappeared from the treasury: the celebrated "Sanci" diamond; the magnificent opal, known under the name of the "Burning of Troy," which belonged to the Empress Josephine; a splendid brilliant, worn by Napoleon I. on his marriage, supposed to have been lost at Waterloo; a unique blue diamond, stolen in 1792. In 1848, during the transport of the crown jewels to the treasury, two pendeloques of diamonds, and the button of a hat, of rare beauty and size in brilliants, were stolen, during the short distance from place to place.

The celebrated onyx, "Cup of the Ptolomies," a two-handled vase, holding above a pint, and measuring four and four-fifth inches high by fifteen and one-fifth in circumference, measured over the handles, was stolen in 1804 from the Musee at Paris, and its gold mounting, enriched with gems, melted down by the thieves; fortunately they were arrested in Holland, and the vase recovered undamaged, and it has been again elegantly remounted by Delafontaine. It is covered with masks, vases, and other Bacchic emblems, admirably executed in relief. After its presentation in the ninth century by Charles the Bald, to the Abbey of St. Denis, it was used to hold the consecrated wine at the coronation of the queens of France. Its gold mounting bore a legend, added at the time of its dedication:--

"Hoc vas Christi tibi devota mente sacravit

Tertius in Franco sublimis regmine Carlus."

One fact shows the high value formerly set upon this relic. Henry II. pawned it to the Jews of Metz for a million of livres tournois (pound 50,000), equivalent to five times that amount in modern currency.