The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1898-02-15
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bowls, 1900, 600 and 600 talents.
These ornamentsof a asingletemple rep.
resented about 100000, and tie
building was covered with gold
plates. 1t has been calculated that
tho statue Of Nobuchadnezzar men
toned in Daniel would bo worth
three and half millions sterling;
that tho treasure left by David
amounted to Il hundred and fifty
millions in :;old, two hundred mil
lions in silver, but the value of the
Hebrew ialont is doubtful. We are
told that Pytheus scomingly q pri-
v"tc gentleman of Phrygeo enter
tainod Norxcs and all his army
"with most sumptuous fcasts," too
and they han E4,770,000 lest, or, as
some computed .E3,G0O,0O0. The
tnlo Of Alexandcr's loot is most won.
dcrful Of all, and that is historic; il
wc entertain doubts, it is futile to OK
prcss them when tho statements arc
so clear and tho means Of disproving
them absent. In tho Persian camp
then, and at Babylon, Alexander So
cured something. like G7O, ,000,0OO; ut
Porscoplis, .ElS0,0O0,000, nj Pasa
gurda, triilo Of $4,000; at Ecbata-
ma, E27O,000, 900; say E550,OO0,0OO.
And Darius carried off G0,OOO,0OO,
which his mudorcrs seizcd
Wo como to tho prosaic facts which
have boon collected by several pa
ticnt inquirers from Il noto or hint
horo and there. OF Egypt, indeed,
nothing profitable can be said until
tho ago Of tho Ptolcmics, and little
oven then. Tho Pharaohs certainly
drew a considerable revenue from
their gold mines, and multitude of
inscriptions show them receiving trl.
buto of tho precious metal from
Ethiopia and Syrin in tho days of
their supremacy. Before and after
wards tho pooplo were great manu-.
facturors and traders. Ptolcmy
Philadolphus loft G5O,0O0,00O at
least in his treasury. Herodotus
tells us tho revenue OF tho Persian
Empire, under Darius Hystaspes, and
tho moderation of tho sum is nssnr-
anco that he obtained his fl ,-ures from
II competent authority--it was about
G3, $50, 600; but this was cash alone.
! Solomon's revenue is said to have
been far grcatcr--ovcr t7,0OO,OOO
in gold, and rs much in silver; but
! 1t has been mentioned that Hebrew
talents cannot be computed with Ger.
tainty. That with such an income
tho Persian nonarchs could contriye
to hoard the amazing treasures cap
turcd by Alexander has often been
questioned; but we may supposothut
the rcvcnno had Increased vastly,
since HerOdotus wrote and that the
taxos in kind and tho tribute yielded
fnr moro than tho returns in cash
and tho plunder of Egypt, Northern
india, Syria, and countless nations
must be added. We arc told, indeed,
that tho Macedonian loot represented
tho accumulation Of usos. But it is
a relief, as ever in such cases, to get
to Romo, whcro dry facts prevail.
Pliny romnrks that tho treasury had
contained over f70,000,OOO more
than once. This is II reasonable
figure. When Augustus had Or
ganlzed tho public service, and as
cert"ined precisely what tho receipts
and expenses Of the Empire might
be, he found that the annual income
was about tlO,OO0,OOO, and he dc,
clared that it left a very small bal,
anco "to the good.' But Cucsar had
private resources for any oxtravug-.
anco he might fancy.
Augustus was no tyrant, but poo
plo recionod that during his lifetime
he received no less than G32, 100000
by legacy from friends. Tho say.
lngs OF Tibcrius amounted 42l, 800
600, which again is reasonable. Cali
gula spent all this in twelvemonth.
Some private fortunes may be given
Croesus had about El,G00,OOO in
cash, and lands to the same value;
Seneca, E2,45O,OOO; Lentulus, the
Augur, 93, 100000. When tho villa
OF Marcus ScaurDs was burned, they
said he lost over .HSOO,OOO. Julius
Cacsa' declared after the expenses
of the praotOrship that he was worth
t2,2oo,oOo LESS than notblng'--
owing that sun, with no assets.
Upon the other hand the latest nm.