The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1892-12-09
FAMOUS TREASURE FINDS
HONEY, JEWELS AND RELICS OF
PRICELEeS VALUE UMEARTHED.

r~-.---- S-...e oy enc recovery OF
o Wrecked Spanish GaIlcon-Tho
Treasare OF Hildeshefm.
"HE recovery Of tho Spanish gal.
leon wrecked of Hispaniola, Of
which the bullion was secured
by some English speculstors in
1887, has cost later generations dearly.
The Duke OF Albemarle, Governor Of
Jamaica, received &4S0, 900, the royal
share was CSC, 900, gentlemen who had
adventured $500 took 90, 600 to $780,
900. Innumersble 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 1858. Some peasants
travelling near Toledo noticed objects Of
gold aud jewel work washed partly out
of the ground by heavy rains. They
broke them to pieces aud divided them.
Happily an intelligent man heard the
story in time, bought up every fragment,
pieced them all together aud 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
lag 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 62l-631
A. D.; the other, "Reccesvinthus rex
offeret." His date was 649.671 A. d.
Two, il not more, arc queens crowns.
One, the largest, has thirty big sap
phiros and thirty pearls of great size;
below it hangs a cross set with large sap.
phires and pearls. which, again, has
jeweled pendants. But we must not
describe minutely objects which are,
perhaps, better known, to antiquarians
at least, than any pieces of goldsmiths'
work existing.
The "Treasure 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 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 silver, exquisite in form and in orna.
ment; the legs, so to call them, of
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 wreaLhs and attach.
ments. One might say in truth that the
goldsmith's art could not go beyond the
grace and richness of these article,
many of which are ascrbe to the first
century A. ID. had not the Russian find
surpassed them. The ulldesheim Treas
ure is at Berlin; the Russian nt tine Win.
ter Palace. That, in truth, IS glorious
beyond imagining. OF one piece, NJ.
Theirs declared, in rapture, that Ma
ton would be justified in making war
on the Gar for possession Of it. This is
the "Nikopol Vase" Volumes have been
written aud libraries will be written on
these marvels. Therefore we do not
dwell upon them. They have been re.
covered from tumult IN the neighbor.
hood of the ancient Greek colonies Cd
the Black Sea. s.--London Standard.