The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-21
SUNKEN TREASURE.
The Enormous Fortunes That Have
Gone 60 the Davy Jones' Locker.


OAC " Vic Lazy Jones Locker.
From the Sydney Herald.
A company, it was stated, lately set on
from Sydney to New Zealand to recover
sunken treasure from some old wreck on
the west coast of the Middle Island: but. SO
far. no returns have been published, the
operations probably not being complete.
The subject of sunken treasure reminds one
OF the heaps of gold carried in the galleons
ana little packets years ago. In 1860 q
shlp-of-war from Rio TO Lisbon had on
board 1900, 900 of crnsades IN diamonds and
about 100, 900 ''crowns tournois" in piastres.
making in the whole %, 050, 900 livres four.
nois. So much so for a single ship. In 1774
two Spanish ships from Vera Cruz and
the Havana arrived with $4,000 600
crowns, besides merchandise valued at 81 =
100000 crowns. Such examples could be
multiplied
OF the cargo Of an English Indiaman in
III, one item alone-a diamond in the
rough-was valued at e100, 900, "going to
be manufactured in England on account of
one of the Asiatic nabobs;" and on the pri-
vate freight of this vessel the policies of in
surance were opened at Lloyd's at a high
premium, so costly were her contents and
50 doubtful her safe arrival As a costly
shlpwreck, La Lutine deserves notice. She
was OF thlrty-two guns, commanded by
Capt. Skynner. and went ashore on the
bank of the Fly Island passage on the
night of Oct. 9. 1799 At first she was re-
puted to have had 100000 in specie on
board This was afterward contradicted
by statement that the whole amounted TO
about &l4O,O0O. In more modern times the
costllness OF shipwreck is to be found in the
destruction of the fabric and her cargo
rather than in the treasure on beard.
Whatever may have been the worth of
galleon as ship, there need be no scruple
In concluding that when brand new her
value would be but that of a toy in COM
par1ion with such ocean mailboats as now
convey specie aud valuables. The sinking
OF an Atlantic, Indian or Australian liner
even with clean hold-would represent an
immense treasure if told in dollars, ducats,
or plastres; and when is added the cargo
along with the passengers luggage, which
would Include quantity of jewelrY ex-
pressing many thousand pounds, some as
tonishing figures wolld be the result.
The Royal Charter is the most notable
modern instance of the wreck of a ''treas-
ure" ship. She left Australia with
E35O, 900 in her. Of this sum, saws Charles
Dickens, in his chapter on this dreadful
sh1pwreck in the "Uncommercial Traveller
G3OO,OOO worth were recovered at the time
of the novelist'S visit 70 the SPOT where she
had driven ashore. Meanwhile, how much
gold and silver, minted and other wise, is
annually afioat? How many millions are
yearly borne over the deep to and from
India, America, Australia, China, and
South Africa by English steamers alones
There should be no difficulty in making the
which, when arrived at, must
surely yield a fine idea of the treasure over
which the red flag flies, and an excellent no.
ton of the trust that is reposed in the Brit
ish shipmaster, and of the high qualities
which go to the fulfillment of it.