New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-05-01

ten centuries. and still cOntinues-already In
1899 the French envoy. Bernier, in a report TO
his government dated from Delhi. wrote that
the gold Of the world after circulating for some
time, finally flows into India, as into an abyss
from which there is no return'-it is possible to
form some faint idea Of the colossal amount of
treasure that is hidden in that cOuntry-treas-
ure that hitherto has remained sterile but which
now. thanks TO the initiative Of Lord CrOmer,
may ere long be restored TO circulation 1t has
been estimated by experts that there are at
least twenty million gold sOvereigns thus
boarded in the Presidency OF Bombay alone
Hundreds OF millions sterling lie concealed in
hiding places in every part Of the Indian En-
plre All classes are afflicted with the time
honored habit Of boarding gold. which the inlu-
ence exercised during centuries by the MahOm-
etans has in course OF time extended TO the
TIindoos. tt was only some time after the Eng
lish yielding to urgent and unceasng entreaty
based on religious pretext, had restored the
fortress Of Gwalior to the M0harajah of Sem
dia that they learned that in vaults cut in the
rock on which the stronghold IS perched, the en-
trance built up with such consumuate art as 20
defy all attempts to discover It. there had lain
concealed The family treasure Of the Maharajah.
amounting to SSOOOO0OOO IN gold and jewels.
Experts, such as the Director OF the United
States Mint at Washington and other aUthori-
ties Of equal standing. have no difficulty in
forming an approximate estimate Of the worlds
output Of gold In the last two hundred years.
But the most remarkable feature thereof Is to
be found ir the fact that although. since the
discovery OF gold mines in Australia, South
Africa. California and the Yukon there has
been an enormous growth in the production OF
the yellow metal yet there has been no CORE
spending increase in the monetary circulation
thereof. In fact the latter has fallen off. The
Bank Of England is said to be poorer by $780,
OOOO 900 IN gold than IT was five years ago and
analogous institutions show similar decline in
their bullion reserves. which they ascribe to the
never ending disappearance OF gold from circu-
lation. And whereas. according to the annals Of
the ante hristian era. the amount of gold then
in existence was even greater than that of to-
day yet that. too. has disappeared alike from
sight and circulation, boarded away in hiding
places long since forgotten, the quantity of
ancient gold recovered, usually in the form OF
manufactures eloquent of the volume of the
metal used for the purpose in ancient days.
being so infnitesimaI that 1t IS hardly worth
mentioning
While. of course, it is useless to speculate on
the prospects Of recovery Of these golden treas
ures of fifteen. twenty and even fifty centuries
ago-the Italians have been searching for them
in vain along the river BusentO, in the bed OF
which the Goths after temporarily diverting
the stream therefrom. buried their King, Alarie,
along with the tons Of gold and jewels, esti-
mated by historians at S2OOO0OOOO OF which
they had pIuudered Rome, then the capital OF
the world thereafter restoring the river to its
course-yet now that the KOranic obstacles 10
the investment of wealth in banks and enter
prises Welding nOn-usuriOus returns are as good
as removed. the world is likely to witness the
gradual restoration to circulation Of an amount
of bullion so colossal that it Is beyond compUta-
ton.
Almost the only form OF investment to which
the Mahometans have resorted Is jewels,
which it is hardly necessary to point out do not
Weld interest but are more easy to conceal and
more portable than gold. To such an extent do
the Mahometans in the Orient favor this form
of investment that the major portion Of the
rar,s OF Importance that have been stolen in
The last Aftv wears in Europe and in America
have been disposed Of in India and other MOslem
countries where the tendency OF the natives to
add gems of this kind to their boarded wealth or
else 70 adorn Herewith their favorites IN the
secrecy OF their zenanas or harems, to which
the authorities have no access renders their
recovery almost impossible It cannot be TOO
strongly urged that all the celebrated je"sls IA
the Old and IN the New World are known to the
o-rast Jewellers and that It would be impossible.
g. INSTANCE 10 intrust to Tiffany IN New-fork
The qattinp or recutting Of any celebrated gem
without his experts at once recognizing 1t and
being able 10 say whether or not the stone had
formed part OF the plumber Of some jewel rob-
berv. It is said that every shepherd IS able 70
recognize each single sheep OF his hoek- IN the
same way although to the ordinary lay lyman
- -, present an extraordinary resem-
Silence ~ one another, vet they easily distin-
,r,sbable to the expert 5ewsller. That Is why
the teveI robbers never attempt to get rid OF their
bootv either in Europe or In the United stasss'
but send the principal portion OF their Plunder
-, way OF bombay into ndia, Il net only the