St. Landry democrat., 1892-04-23
A TREASURE HOUSE.
WHERE THE SULTAN OF MOR0C-
co HO.sRDS HIS WEALTH
Three Hundred slaves Guard the
Building Night and bay-Treas-
ures Hid in the Desert.


Morocco has famous treasure house
which, although net rs important as it
was once, still contains Il large part Of
the Sultun's accommodations from the
heavy taxes imposed Oh his people.
There are ut present three sub-troa3-
uries where a considerable part Of the
countrv's revenue is kept The chief
repository, however, and the on y one
which is well known, is ut Miknus, OH
the road between Foz and the city OF
Morocco.
In tho course of time al immense
amount of money has been kept in that
strongly guarded receptacle. The treas
ure is in the forn Of gold and silver, u
good deal of it coined and great deal
in the form of bar metal
Morocco is not Il very expensive Gov
eminent to carry on, although tho people
are burdencd with heavy taxes. The
Sultuns outgo is chiefly for the expenses
of his court, for the payment of his pen
sion roll, which amounts to Il consider
able sum, for theological schools, for tho
entertainment of his guests, and for his
illHf Hicl, tlONtNcI, ID itL ltuF y
drain on the treasury.
The officers OF the State cost the
Government comparatively little, for
they are expected. in their own provinces,
to bleed the people for their personal
advantage, and they live right up to their
privileges. Very littIo is expended for
streets, roads, bridges, prisons and other
things which cost most governments
great deal of money. The Sultan boards
large part of the sums he receives from
taxes TO add to his personal fortune and
to pay the expenses Of war, should he be
So unlucky as to become involved in
trouble with his European friends. The
debt he owes Spain on account OF the I'M
pIcusautncss between that country and
his own years ago is not paid yet, al
though the sum is being diminished
rapidly, as Spain takes one-half Of the
total customs duties collected at Aloroc-
can ports.
Nobody knows how great tho sum of
money is that is held in the treasure
boxes of Morocco, but it is supposed to
Of about 5000, 900 people, and although
most of them are very poor, the tax
gatherers contrive to squeeze q good deal
of money out of them. Miknas has been
the royal treasury for some centuries.
The treasury building is u short distance
outside of the city. Its st ne walls are
very high and thick. To get inside these
walls one has to pass through three great
iron doors. II thieves could get inside all
these doors they yet might not be able to
secure the treasure The interior is a
long, narrow hall, as dark as pitch, which
is the passageway TO the iron trap door,
abundantly supplied with locks, which is
let into the stone flooring, and leads to
an underground apartment, where the
treasure is kept in q large room called
the treasure chamber. The building is
guarded constantly by 300 negro slaves,
who are part of the Suitan's army, and
are never permitted to leave the neigh
borl o0d.
Tho treasure house is opened only once
year. At that time the Sultan either
comes in person or sends one Of his most
trusted officials. The purpose, usually,
is not to take any treasure away, but TO
add the hoard, because the Sultan retains
from the taxes q sufficient sum to meet
all the expenses Of his court and govern
ment AS rule, therefore, unless the
Sultan has had On unusually unpleasant
time with the Rerbcrs, who are in rebel
lion often, and determined, apparently,
to make the Su'tan's life q burden to
him, the denominations in the treasury
are not diminished.
The sub-treasurics, which have ex-
listed within the past few years only, are
ut Fee, the city Of Morocco, and in the
oasis Of Iaiilalot, south of til, Atlas
Mountains, umoug the Filali people.
The &hrc"d Sultan, in hiding q part of
his revenue in the desert OF Sahara, is
IroyiLing, undoubtedly, for the possibil-
i;y that he may be compelled to leave
lis throne and seek safety in flight some
day lie proposes, if that unhappy
event occurs, to have money enough for
Il rainy day in q region that is not Access
sib.e easily. 1t is said that the treasure
kept in the oasis is very much lorgerthal.
the amount deposited i'll the other sub
treasures, and that the Sultan has been
considering seriously the ACCESSIBILITY of
c1rting off most Of the money he keeps
at AIiznas to Tatilalet. NIiknas is on
tie road to the city of Morocco, and
Shoall tho Sultan be involved in war
with un invading European power it is
likely that one of his first enterprises
would be to get possession Of the treas
ur2 house at Miknas The soldier slaves
who guard the house are called the black
guard. ! great many fables and rumors
about this treasure house have been re-
corded, but the foregoing facts are unex-
a@gosatcd, and very little more is known
actually about the treasure. New York
Sun.