A case in the law courts this week would at other times have certainly attracted more attention than it did.
It centred on a diamond known as the Getulio Vargas, said to be the fourth largest in the world.
Two firms of diamond merchants, the Triefus brothers of Hatton Garden, and an American named Winston had made an agreement to buy the diamond jointly. Then Winston went and bought it for £50,000—in which, as the owner valued it at £120,000, he seems to have done pretty well—and repudiated the agreement w the Triefuses, asserting that there had been no real contract. He also added insult to injury by libelling them in some way.
The judge found, however, that the agreement was perfectly binding and issued the required injunction to prevent Winston from selling the diamond.
An interesting part of the story. to my mind, was that the Getulio Vargas is a Brazilian diamond. Of course that is the place where the nuts still come from, but one thought that its diamonds had been more or less wiped out by South Africa. One would lil to see it: measurement by carats conveys nothing except to experts. At present it is described as a rough diamond. Cutting and polishing will reduce its size and increase its value.
This is where the Triefuses will have a hold on Winston which the decision of courts in this country might not give them. The Getulio Vargas will have to come to this country to te cut as most of the Netherlands diamond-cutters have taken refuge here.
If any are left in Holland, My. Winston would certainly never trust the fourth largest diamond in the world within reach of Nazi claws, It rained on St. Swithin's day after weeks with hardly any rain at all, and it has rained every day since. Last year I kept a record after it had also Tained on July 15, and we had rain daily around us for 29 days. It certainly went on raining in other districts for the required 40 days. But how far St. Swithin's influence extends and whether rain in one area is allowed to make up for deficiencies elsewhere, has, I think, never been determined.
'A scientific friend observes dryly that "it is usual for the weather to break at this time of year." He has no opinion of St, Swithin. But scientists are dull creatures. There are some who declare that the moon has no influence on the weather. I ask you.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.