The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-18

lOcs at All OfuE DtOfeSs
that preceded his departure from Egypt,
uninterrupted files of carts and wagons
hlled with treasure were removed from
Cairo TO vessels lying ready in the Suez
canal for the reception of these riches.
A peculiar feature of the accumulation
of treasure at Constantinople IS that. in
accordance with the invariable custom
prescribed alike by usage and by religion,
the treasure OF each Sultan Is immured
with his corpse in his tomb at his death,
and does not therefore become the prop
eriy OF his successor. Thus the treasure
left az the death of every Sultan who has
resigned since the fan OF the Byzantine
Empire in 1853, is intact. immured in each
chse in his tomb, which Is protected from
violators by superstition and by the dread
Of sacrllege. Perhaps among the most an
tique treasure that lies thus entombed Is
the most celebrated diamond in the world,
namely, the one which the Mogul Emperor
Baber Khan captured at Agra in 1926, and
which weighed 672 karats Sultan Nah
moud caused this priceless jewel to be set
in his cimetar, which bore the name of
zulphagar, and, inasmuch as zulphagar
was buried beside the body of its master,
along with all his other treasures. this ia
nous diamond has been entombed ever
since Mahmoud's death, In 1868; that Is 90
say, for more than a century and a half
When one pictures to himself these accu-
mutations of treasures lying there In the
old seraglio, beside the rotting collins and
crumbling skeletons of all this long line of
Turkish Sultans, one can hardly feel sur
prsed at the eagerness which the Russians
have manifested ever since the day OF Pc
ter the Great 10 obtain possession Of Con-
stantinople.
The author OF this species OF peerage
or handbook OF multi millonaires would
find considerable difficulty too, In per-
suadlns either Ii Hung Chang or the En-
press Dowager Of China 10 inform him Of
the value of their possessions. The furs
alone of ii Hung Chang are stated to rep
resent about 100000. while the Empress
Dowager of China, having made use of her
long term Of regency TO amass wealth. Is
reputed both in London and in st. Peters,
burg to be to-day the richest person in
the world No Chinese millionaire,
however, would be so Indifferent TO his
safety as TO give any details as to his
wealth, lest the knowledge might lead the
authorities at Picking TO decree its conhs-
cation. Indeed. the only Chinaman that
the writer can remember who was not
afraid to let the extent Of his wealth be
known was old Whampoa, by far the RICH
est inhabitant of Singapore. And II he
did not consider II necessary 90 conceal
his fortune, or to affect penury. II was on
ly because he felt assured OF the protection
of the laws of the English colony In which
he made his home. His for
tune at the lowest estimate
amounted to about $6OOO0.O00, and
he controlled nearly the entire Chinese
trade of the Penang peninsula. He was a
most hospilable old fellow, and never 90
happy as when showing European visit
ors around his superb gardens, miles IN
extent, just outside Singapore, and filed
with all the botanical and horticultural
treasures that can exist In O tropical eli
mate, his Victoria regias and his Orchids
house, or, rather, palace standing In the
midst of this enchanted garden, was In
every respect in keeping with the latter
and leaves In the mind of the visitor the
impression of a picturesque, gorgeous and
yet tasteful medley of magnificent ebony
furniture, lacquers and bronzes. In fact.
no European museum can boast such art
treasures OF dthe Orient. He was very
charitable in his way. and England had
shown her appreciation Of his philan-
thropy by comforting upon him a knight
hood of the Order Of ST. Michael and st.
George, while Russia had invested hm
with the honors of a consul general, the
duties of which, however. were performed
by Russian vice consul
In Russia, too, there are for
tunes which are incalculable main
ly by reason of the fact that
as in the case of the Demidoffs and the
Yousoupofs, they consist to a great ex-
tent Of valuable mines, only a portion Of
which have as yet been developed and
exploited. No list of milionaires would
be complete without their names, and yet
neither they nor the managers of their
estates could by any possibility form an
estimate of their wealth, so coIossaI7fs t.
In fact. the project of compiling a
Golden Book of the aristocracy Of wealth
of the known world in anything like COM
plete form would be attended by such
insuperable difficulties that it's author
would do well to abandon the scheme at
the very outset, before wasting any more
trouble and time in the matter There
are, for instance, merchants and bankers.
mostly either Syrians or Hebrews, at
Bagdad Damascus, and even in Bombay.
whose wealth rivals and In many cases
surpasses that Of the Rothschilds. and
yet whose names are absolutely unknown
IN Europe. One OF the least important OF
these firms is that of Sassoon, the only
one with which finaciers in Germany.
France and England are acquainted.
And yet a few lines bearing the magic
name Of Sassoon constitute a far more
efiicacious safe-conduct 70 any European
traveller in the widest regions of Asia and
Of Africa than the most elaborate pass
port Of Gar, German Emperor or Brit
ish Queen-more eficacious, indeed than
great armed escorts. Not one Of these Da-
mascus, Bagdad and Bombay bankers
would be willing 10 give any information
as to the extent of their wealth, which
no one would guess from the shabby ma
ture Of their attire, nor yet from the pow
erty-stricken appearance OF their dwellings
and places Of business.
In fact, It may be taken as a general
rule throughout Asia. Northern Africa and
also in Europe, TO a far greater degree
than any one would be willing to imagine
that the men who possess the greatest
wealth--wealth beside which even some Of
the largest American fortunes are dwarf
ed-are precisely those who make the least
show. and who are the least known as
multi-millonalres to the public and who
are in fact the very quickest and least