Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1892-12-09
FAMOUS TREASURE FINDS.
MONEY, JEWELS AND RELICS OF
PRICELESS VALUE UNEARrEED.
Fortunes Made by the Recovery of
Wrecked Spanish GalIeon-Ihe
Treasure of Hildesheim.

Treasure of Hildesheim.
TTHE recovery of the Spanish gal
l., leon wrecked off Hispaniola, of
which the bullion was secured
by some English spectators in
1857, has cost later generations dearly.
The Duke of Albemsrle. Governor Of
Jamaica, received $3.50, 900, the royal
share was $4,000, gentlemen who had
adventured $500 took $40, 900 to $780,
900. Innumerable have been the disas-
trous enterprises which this success pro-
noted. Within the last few years we
saw company formed to recovery Ma
poleon's army chest, sunk with the vessel
that contained it at Abukir.
Perhaps the most interesting find, saw
ing those wondrous tombs in South
Russia, was the Treasure of Guarrazar,"
discovered in 1853. Some peasants
travelling near Toledo noticed objects Of
gold and jewel work washed partly out
of the ground by heavy rains. They
broke them to pieces and divided them.
Happily an intelligent man heard the
story in time, bought up every fragment,
pieced them all together and fed to
Paris, where he sold the lot to the
Musee Cluny. The objects proved to be
eleven crowns--mostly "votiVe of
Gothic monarchs who ruled Spain Dur
ing the Seventh Century. Of the owner
in two cases there is no doubt at all, for
they bear his name in letters of gold
hanging by gold chains from the circlet,
with jewel pendant from each letter.
One bearing the simple inscription.
"Suinthila," who reigned from 621-631
A. D.; the other, "Reccesvinthus rex
offeret." His date was 649671 A. D.
Two, if not more, are queens crowns.
One, the largest, has thirty big sap
phires and thirty pearls of great size;
below it hangs a cross set with large sap
phires and pearls, which, again, has
jeweied pendants. But we must not
describe infinitely objects which are,
perhaps, better known, to antiquarians
at least, than any pieces of goldsmiths'
work existing.
The 'sTreasure of Hildesheim' also is
priceless. It was found by soldiers
digging trench for siege practice near
the town of that name in 1860. We can
not doubt that this glorious trouvaille
was the 'camp" eQuippage of some very
rich traveller, probably Roman general
though conjecture has boundless field
for specializing how it could find its way
to Hildesheim, which the Roman armies
never reached. There are stewpans, pots,
plates, a batterie de cuisine complete, all
of silver, exquisite In form and in orna-
ment; the legs, SO to call them, Of a
table, stands for lamps, and other things
indefnable, all silver and all lovely; a
complete dinner service, plates, dishes,
cups, goblets, of beautiful Greek work,
in silver, with gold wreaths and attach
ments. One might say in truth that the
goldsmiths art could not go beyond the
grace and richness Of these articles
many of which are ascribed to the first
century A. D.-had not the Russian find
surpassed them. The Hildesheim Treas
ure is at Berlin; the Russian at the VIM
ter Palace. That, in truth, is glorious
beyond imagining. OF one piece, M.
Theirs declared, in rapture, that a Ma
ton would be justified in making war
on the Gar for possession Of it. This is
the "Nikopol Vase" Volumes have been
written and libraries will be written on
these marvels. Therefore we do not
dwell upon them. They have been re-
covered from tumult IN the neighbour
hood of the ancient Greek colonies on
the Black Sea.-London Standard.