The churches of England, as well as France and Spain, were at one time enormously rich in precious stones and ecclesiastical ornaments of the jewellers’ art; but wars and insurrections are fatal to collections of the rare and the beautiful; and the fury and cupidity of the Leaguers, the iconoclasts, and the revolutionists have destroyed these treasures of art and nature, or dispersed them so that their identity is lost. The magnificence of the English clergy led Pope Innocent III. to exclaim, “O England, thou garden of delights! Thou art truly an inexhaustible fount of riches. From thy abundance much may be exacted.” CHAPTER X. ASIATIC GEMS. To Asia we naturally turn for the history of the diamond, and a solution of some of the phenomena connected with the mineral. But here we have to contend with vexations at all points; and instead of clearness, we have obscurity, disconnected histories, conflicting traditions, and superstitious fancies. However, from the mass of fragments which have been preserved, the patient antiquary eventually may be able to arrange an interesting story relating to the gem in the early days of its discovery and its adoption in ornamentation. We will now proceed to mention some of the celebrated stones whose history has been more or less clearly defined; and regret to say that there are a large number of others of great interest and value, but of which we are unable to give a correct description. The Hindoos prize diamonds greatly on account of their supposed spiritual properties, and they reluctantly part with them unless compelled by dire necessity, or induced by the hope of greater gain. Many of the fine diamonds brought to Europe from Asia have blood-stained histories, and some of them are connected with appalling atrocities. Therefore we may with propriety say that few of the noble gems would have found their way to Europe had the free will of their rightful owners been consulted.