St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1882-01-21
A Buccaneers Booty.

A Buccaneers Booty.
| The following dispatch from Kingston
needs an explanation, which the World
is glad to be able to make, inasmuch as
the story hidden in these few lines is
really full of curious interest:
"KINGsTON, Jamaica. December 6-An ex-
petition has just sailed from this port convey
ed by British vessel of war in search of CON
cealed treasure on one of the islands near the
coast of the Isthmus Of Panama where it is
stated, the spoils of Buccaneer Morgan have
been discovered by Mr.. Currie, native of
Nassau, N. Pr
The island here alluded to is the islet
of Santa Catalina, lying about ninety
miles off the Mosquito coast in the
Caribbean Sea and forming one of the
little group known to the few who know
! anything of Spanish-American history as
the islands of San Andres and La Provi-
dencia. 1t is just north of La Provi-
dencia, more familiar to American
traders as Old Providence, name given
to it to distinguish it from New Provi-
dence in the Bahamas. For many years
after the Spanish occupation OF Central
America these islands were attached
alternately to the Captaincy- General of
Guatemala and to the Vice-Royalty of
New Granada. Lying under fine climate
and not destitute of decent harbors,
they are also susceptible of profitable
cultivation. 1t was from San
Andres, indeed, that the first seeds of
| the since famous sea-island cotton were
| brought to the coast of South Carolina
toward the end of the last century by
one of the smuggling, trading, fighting
Jamaican adventures, who then fire.
quented the Caribbean coasts of Span
ish America. During the seventeenth
century these Central American islands,
lying as they do out of the immediate
control of the Spanish authorities, were
continually visited and for years at
time occupied by all sorts of interlopers,
and especially by English, Dutch and
French Adventures of the ree-and-easy
type famous as buccaneers. One OF
the most eminent of these adventures,
Henry Morgan, Welshman, made
Santa Catalina one of his strongholds
during those brilliant operations against
the Isthmus Of Darien in 1870 and 1871,
which ended with the capture and sack
rich Spanish silver galleons in that port.
One, at least, of Sir Henry's ships re-
turning to Jamaica laden with the booty
both of Panama and of Portobello, is be-
lieved to have been plundered and de-
stroyed by her crew at Santa Catalina,
and for two centuries past Legendary
stories like those which cluster in our
Northern attitudes around the ''lost
treasure of Captain Kidd have been
current in those parts touching the spoil
hidden in some corner of this remote
islet.
During the winter of 1S79-'SO, while
The Earl Of Lonsdale, then cruising in
the West Indies, lay with his yacht at
Kingston, trader of that place sought
him out and told him a tale of the dis
covery ON Santa Catalina, by a certain
Mr.. Currie, of cavern, natural or arti-
fetal, filled with ancient boxes and bar
rels, one or two of which on being care
fully, opened proved to contain great
quantities of jewels of various kinds and
coin, chiefly of the Spanish minis of the
seventeenth century. Some very curl
Gus ornaments set with diamonds in an
antique fashion. and good many old
Spanish doubloons were exhibited to
the Earl as proofs of the authenticity of
the story, and he was strongly urged to
take the narrator on board, 90 in quest
of Mr.. Currie to the Bahamas, and then
sail for Santa Catalina, to investigate
the matter. He was assured that Mr..
Currie had been driven away from the
island by some of the inhabitants under
the leadership of an enterprising Yankee
who had got an inkling of the exist
ence of the treasure and was de-
termined not to allow Mr.. Currie to
profit by it unless he would make
fair division. The story was told so
enthusiastically and supported with
such evidence as to tempt Lord Lonsdale
into making the trip, which he probably
would have done had not the heart of
the Jamaican at the last moment failed
him, so that he evaded his engagement
to come on board of the yacht and dis
appeared. From the dispatch which
now reaches us it would seem that Mr..
Currie has taken up his own case SO
theoretically as to get the support of an
English man-of-war in an attempt to
secure his treasure trove Should this
prove to be the case, it really is not inn
probable that the speculation may turn
out more advantageously than any
quest for kidd's hidden gains has done.
Morgan, who was knighfed by Charles
Ii. for exploits which in these days
would have sent him to the gallows,
died in the English service at Jamaica,
leaving large fortune behind him, and
there is no doubt whatever that he and
his men carried away from Panama an
enormous sum for those days in specie.
in jewels and in church ornaments OF
gold and silver.-N Y. World.
A sea-cow was recently seen in the
bay near St. Augustine. t@l