The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1892-08-13
-" &EIh3


!.
n,S1<Msy asAL Russia. Z
The recovery of the Spanish Ralleon
wrecked off Hispaniols, Of which the
bullion was secured by some English
spectators in 1851. has cost later gem
erations dearly. The duke Of Abe
marie, governor Of Jamaica, received
$4,000, the royal share was f10, 900,
gentlemen who had, adventured s10o
took $4,000 to f10, 900. Innumerable
have been the disastrous enterprises
which this success promoted. Within
the last few years we saw q company
formed to recover Napoleon's army
chest sunk, with the vessel that con-
tanned it, at the battle Abukir.
Perhaps the most interesting find,
saving those wondrous tombs in South
Russia, was the treasure of Guar
razar," discovered in 1858. Some peas
ants travelling near Toledo noticed OBJ
jects 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 to-
gether, and fed to Paris, where he sold
the lot to the Musee Cluny. The objects
proved TO be eleven crowns-mostly
Motive" of Gothic mouarchs who ruled
Spain during the seventh century. OF
the owner in two cases there is no
doubt at ali. for they bear
his name in letters Of gold hang
ing by gold chains from the cir
cles, with a jeweled pendant from each
letter. One hears the simple inscrip-
ton: ''Suinthila," who reigned from
621 to 6S1 A. d.: the other: "Reccesvin-
thus rex offerret-" His date was 64s.
672 A. d. Two, if not more, are
queens crowns. One, the largest, has
thirty big sapphires and thirty pearls
of great size; below it hangs a cross set
with large sapphires and pearls, which,
again. has jeweled 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 treasure of Hildesheim" also is
priceless 1t was found by soldiers
digging a 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 a 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 stew
pans, pots, plates, a batterie de cuisine
complete, all of silver, exquisite in form
and in ornament; the legs, so to call
them, of a table, stands for lamps,
and other things indeinable, all
silver and all lovely; a complete din
ner service, plates, dishes, cup COB
lets. of beautiful Greek work, in silver,
with gold wreaths and attachments
One might say in truth that the gold
smiths 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
finds surpassed them. The H%ildesheim
treasure is at Berlin; the Russian at the
Winter palace. That, in truth, is glo-
rious beyond imagining. OF one piece
NJ Theirs declared in rapture that a
nation would be justified in making
war on the car for possession of it.
This is the "Nikopol vase" Volumes
have been written and libraries will be
written on these marvels. They have
been recovered from tumuli in the
neighborhood of the ancient Greek col
onies on the Black sea Chicago Times