Through Mr. Butler, an arrangement was made to meet Mr. Tiffany at the lawyer’s house. My counsel had some eye to stage effects. A number of distinguished men were present to see the gems displayed. Among them I remember General George B. McClellan, Horace Greeley, Mr. Duncan, of the banking house of Duncan, Sherman & Co., Mr. Tiffany, General B. F. Butler, and the host. I opened the bag of diamonds I had brought from California; also there were mixed in a few rubies, emeralds and sapphires. Mr. Tiffany viewed them gravely, sorted them into little heaps, held them up to the light, looking every whit the part of a great connoisseur. “Gentlemen,” he said, “these are beyond question precious stones of enormous value. But before I give you the exact appraisement, I must submit them to my lapidary, and will report to you further in two days.” Within two days Mr. Tiffany presented his report. In an official statement, still available, his valuation on the lot was $150,000. My own recollection is that he named a much higher sum. However, let it go at that. At that figure, we had diamonds enough already in stock to make up a total of $1,500,000 in hard cash, whenever we wanted to turn them into money. That certainly seemed a very satisfactory financial basis--regular velvet to begin with. The news of the Tiffany appraisement, though not intended for public consumption, soon became common property in New York and made a big stir in speculative circles. The hardier class of plungers were only too eager to get aboard even at this early stage of the game. All that remained now was the choice of a mining expert. One name naturally suggested itself--Henry Janin. Henry Janin bore at that time in the financial world about the same reputation that John Hays Hammond enjoys to-day. As a great mine expert and consulting engineer, he was without a peer in the United States, perhaps in the world. Nearly all the big operators like Haggin, Hayward and their class were willing to stake their fortunes on his judgment. It was said of Janin that he had the record of having examined something over six hundred mines, without once making a mistake, certainly without ever having caused his clients to lose a dollar by his bad judgment. If he had any failing at all, it was on the side of ultra-conservatism. Some complained that he never took a chance--that he even turned down good mines, to strengthen the confidence of the greatest investing classes, both in the old world and the new. The O. K. of Henry Janin fixed the reputation of a mining property in every market.