The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-26

toned in Daniel would be worth three and
a half millions sterling; that the treasure
eft by David amounted to a hundred and
fifty millions In gold, two hundred millions
in silver; but the value of the Hebrew tai
ent is doubtful. We are told that Pytheus,
seemingly private gentleman of Phrygea,
entertained Xerxes and al his army--"with
most sumptuous feasts," too-and then had
t4UOOO0 leftor as some compute f3, 900 900.
The tale of AleXander's loot is most Won
derful of all, and that is historic; II we en-
terrain doubts, it is futile to express them
when the statements are so clear and the
means of disproving them absent In the
Persian camp them and at Babylon, Alexan-
der, secured something like 10000, 600; at
Persepolis, $3.50 100000; at Pasagurda, a
tribe of 100000; at Ecbatana, 1870 900, 900;
say f55O0OO,000. And Darius carried off
100000 which his murderers seized.
We come to the prosaic facts which have
been collected by several patient inquir-
ers from a note or a hint here and there.
or Egypt indeed, nothing profitable can
be said until the age of the Ptolemies,
ana little even then. The Pharaohs GER
tainly drew a considerable revenue from
their gold mines, and a multitude of in
seriptions show them receiving tribute of
the precious metal from Ethiopia and
Syria In the days of their supremacy. Be
fore and afterwards the people were great
manufacturers and traders. Ptolemy
Phlladelphus left f50,000,000 at least in his
treasury. Herodotus tells us the revenue
OF the Persian empire, under Darius Hys-
taspes and the moderation of the sum
In assurance that he obtained his figures
from competent authority-it was about
fS,20O,OOO; but this was cash alone Solo
mons revenue is said to have been far
greater-over 100000 in gold and as
much in silver; but it has been
mentioned that Hebrew talents cannot be
computed with certainty. That with such
an income the Persian monarchs could
contrive to hoard the amazing treasures
captured by Alexander has often been
questioned; but we may suppose that the
revenue had increased vastly since Hero
dotus wrote, and that the taxes in kind
and the tribute yielded far more than the
returns in cash; and the plumber of Egypt
northern India, Syria, and countless ma
lions must be added. We are told, in
deed, that the Macedonian loot represent
ed the accumulation of ages. But Ii is a
relief, as ever in such cases, TO get to
Rome, where dry facts prevail Pliny re-
marks that bhe treasury had contained
over HO,000,00O more than once. This is
reasonable figure. When Augustus had
organized the public service, and ascer-
tanned precisely what the receipts and ex-
penses of the empire might be, he found
that the annual income was about $40 Co.,
600, and he declared that Ii left a very
small balance ito the good" But Caesar
had private resources for any extrava-
gance he might fancy. $500 ..... o., ..~.
Augustus was no tyrant,. but people
reckoned that during his lifetime he re-
ceived no less than f32, 900 by legacy
from friends. The savings of Tiberius
amounted to Ell, 600 which again is
reasonable. Caligula spent all this in a
twelvemonth. Some private fortunes may
be given: Crassus had about 81 600 900 in
cash and lands to the same value; Seneca
r., $780, coo; Lentulus, the Augur &c, go, &C.,
When the villa of Marcus Scaurus was
burned, they said that he lost over $4,000
Julius Caesar declared after the expenses
of the praetorship that he was worth
f2, 900 less than nothing that
sum with no assets. Upon the other hand,
the latest authority who has pondered
this interesting question, NJ. Obreschkoff,
concludes that all the money in use at
the beginning of our era was but 100000
900 in gold and f546,0O000 in silver. At
that rate Darius Codomanus must have
had two-thirds of it i'm his own hands.
This is not so grossly improbable as 1t
seems. His predecessor had sucked all
the universe worth sucking. And curious
evidence might be given of the excessive
rarity of gold in Greece.