The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1892-08-17
SOME FAMOUS FINDS.
The Wonderful Treasures Unearthed In
Spain, Germany and Russia.

The recovery of the Spanish galleon
wrecked off Hispaniola, of which the
bullion was secured by some English
spectators in 1857, has cost later gem
erations dearly. The duke of Albe-
marie, governor of Jamaica, received
f9O, 900, the royal share was 100000,
gentlemen who had adventured t100
took $4,000 to 100000. Innumerable
have been the disastrous enterprises
which this success promoted. Within
the last few wears we saw company
formed to recover Napoleon's army
chest, sunk. with the vessel that con-
tanned it, at the battle of Abukir.
Perhaps the most interesting find,
saving those wondrous tombs in South
Russia, was the treasure of Guarra-
zar," discovered in 1858. Some peas
ants travelling near Toledo noticed OBJ
iects 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 fled 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 during 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 cir
cles, with jewel pendant from each
letter. One bears the simplejinsorip-
ton, "Suinthila," who reigned from
621 to 631 A. D.; the other, "Recces-
vinthus rex offeret." His date was
649-672 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 cross
set with large sapphires and pearls,
which, again, has jeweled pendants,
But we must not describe minutely
objects which are, perhaps, better
known to antiquarlans at least, than
any pieces of goldsmiths' work exist
ing.
priceless. 1t was found by soldiers
digging a trench for siege practice
near the town of that name in 1860.
We cannot doubt that this glorious
trouvaille was the scamp equipage of
some very rich traveller, probably a
| Roman general = though conjecture
has boundless field for speculating 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 sill
yer, 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; complete dinner service,
plates, dishes, cups, goblets, of beauti-
full Greek work, in silver, with gold
| wreaths and attachments. One might
say in truth that the goldsmith's art
| could not go beyond the grace and
richness of these articles of
which are ascribed to the first century
| A. D.-had not the Russian finds sur
passed them. The Hildesheim treas
ure is at Berlin; the Russian at the
| Winter palace. That, in truth, is glo-
rious beyond imagining. Of one piece
M. Theirs declared. in rapture, that a
nation would be justified in making
war on the czar 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 recovered from tumui in
the neigborhood of the ancient Greek
colonies on the Black sea.