The Trautmannsdorf Fiddle

The curicms affection for old Oremona violins, tenors and basses is by nomeans a modern fancy. The Stradivarius violin, which niy excellent father gave me when I was 16 years of age, was priced at 100 guineas in 1824. But, to go still farther back, we were told by the Knglish newspapers that in September, 1773, there was sold byauction at Dresden the famous violin of Count Trautinannsdorf, graud equerry to the Emperor Charles VI, which he had purchased direct from the celebrated Tyrolean maker, Jacob Stainer. He paid him down in cash 70 golden crowns and undertook to provide the vender as long as he lived with a good dinner every day, as well as 100 florins a month in cash and every year a uew coat, with golden br&ndenbnrghs, two casks of beer, lightiug and fnel, and, in case he should marry, as mauy hares as he might require, with 12 baskets of fruit annually for himself and aa many for his old nurse (housekeeper).