The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1892-12-09
FAMOUS TREASURE FINDS
MONEY, JEWELS AND RELICS or
PRICELEss VALUE UNEARTHED.
Fortunes Made by the Recovery OF
Wrecked Spanish Galleon-The
Treasure of Hfldeshefm.

Fortunes Made by the Recovery of
Wrecked Spanish Galleon-The
Treasure of Hildesheim.
THE recovery Of the Spanish gal.
leon wrecked of Hispaniola, of
which the bullion was secured
by some English spectators in
1887, has cost later generations dearly.
The Duke Of Albemarle, Governor OF
Jamaica, received $45O, 900, the royal
share was $50, 1000, gentlemen who had
adventured $500 took $40, 900 to $780,.
600. Innumersble have been the disas.
trous enterprises which this success pro-
NOTED. Within the last few years we
saw company formed to recovery Ma
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 stvotive'-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 621-631
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.
phfres and thirty pearls of great size;
below 1t hangs 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 antiquariaus
at least, than any pieces of goldsmiths'
work existing.
The "Treasure OF Hildesheim" also is
priceless. 1t was found by soldiers
digging trench for siege practice near
the town Of that name in 1860. We can
not doubt that this glorious trouvailIe
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, batterie de cuisine complete, all
of silver, exquisite in form and in orua.
ment; the legs, SO to call them, Of
table, stands for lamps, and other things
indefnable, all silver and all lovely;
complete dinner service, plates, dishes,
cups, goblets, Of beautiful Greek work,
in silver, with gold wresLhs aud 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 ascribe to the first
century A. D.-had not the Russian find
surpassed them. TIE Hldesheim Treas
ure is at Berlin; the Russian at the Win.
ter Palace. That, in truth, is gloriou,
beyond imagining. OF one piece, NJ. |
Theirs declared, in rapture, that Ma
ton would be justified iu making war
on the Gar tor 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 op
the Rleck Saa -Topdon Stond,rd