Evening star., 1923-06-27
Famed Cuelph-Este Treasure,
OF Great Worth. to Be Sold

tain the Guelph treasure. That was
clearly part of the personal inherit
Hanover. who had now become the
de ture Duke of Brunswick. So with
great reluctance he caused IL to be
surrendered to him.
AS at the time the former crown
prince. who was popularity known by
his English title of Duke OF Cumber-
land. had no sufficiently adequate
premises for its preservation. he in
trusted it's care as a loan to the I'm
perial Art Museum of Vienna. where
it remained for many years on public
exhibition until the galleries which
ace at Gmunden in the Austrian
highlands had been completed and
were ready for its reception. Then
the treasure was transferred thfther.
the Duke Of Cumberland's act in re-
suming possession Of the treasure
being attributed to his displeasure at
the growing intimacy between EN-
peror Francis Joseph and the court
of Berlin, and his fear that the Ber-
lin appointed regent Of Brunswick
might institute legal proceedings in
the Austrian courts for the possession
it was the private property of the
Duchy of Brunswick instead of the
state property Of the dukes. And
there on the shores Of Lake Gmun-
den the Guelph treasure has re-
mained ever since.
Now 1t is about to be dispersed by
public sale which is certain to at
tract collectors from all parts Of the
world. The reason for this Is the
evil days which have fallen upon the
house of Brunswick in a financial
sense, and the person who has or
dered the sale Is the present former
Duke Of Brunswick, married to the
only daughter OF the former kaiser,
She lives in Holland in the neighbor-
and her little girl. near enough to be
able to keep her father under close
observation. though holding but lit
tie intercourse with him or. with his
new wife and the latters children.
Her husband spends the most part
OF the remote wings of the great
palace his father remains confined as
an incurable lunatic. cared for by
his devoted wife. the youngest sister
of Queen Alexandra and of the
widowed Empress Marie Of Russia.
Austrian influences were instru-
! mental in bringing about an ac-
quaintance between the Duke of
Cumberland's only surviving son and
the former kaiser's only daughter, an
acquaintance which ripened into a
mutual infatuation and into a matri-
monial alliance, on the strength of
which the Duke of Cumberland abdi-
Gated his rights to the throne of
Brunswick to his son. to whom the
sovereignty of the duchy was re-
stored by Prussia and the kaiser. The
wedding took place at Berlin in the
-lvarr no
Of the Emperor Of Russia and OF
King George. When the great war
broke out year later, the Duke of
Cumberland and the Duke Of Bruins
wick threw In their lot with the CEN
trai powers. one OF the results be-
was declared forfeit by the British
Crown and parliament. The former
Duke OF Cumberland squandered mil
lions upon millions of his enormous
fortune in purchasing Austrian and
German war loans, receiving in re-
bonds >and paper money, now value
less. Indeed. most Of his fortune and
that OF his only son went that way
In order to measure how great that
fortune had been, It is necessary to
explain that at the time when George
the old blind King of Hanover was
dethroned by Prussia in 1866, he sent
secretly all his immediate tangible
wealth to England for safe-keeping
in the vaults OF the Bank Of England
and of Coutts'. 1t comprised no less
than $so,000.000 worth Of French,
Dutch and particularly English gov
ernment bonds. moro than s2o. 200, ,o0G
thereof being in English consoIs
| This was further supplemented in 1884
by Duke William of Brunswick's be-
quest, amounting to over $4,000, 900
But this enormous fortune has
! always suffered from bad manage
ment. In 1859 the old blind King OF
Hanover sustained a very severe loss
amounting to some SIS. .000, eco or $50.
100000, through-well nigh insane in.
twestments of some of his most trusted
agents and members of his household
And then there were other losses cul-
fninating in these Investments in the
central power loans during the re.
cent war, In the midst Of which the
old duke lost his reason 1t is said
that nearly two thirds of the original
fortune is gone, and that this is why
the young Duke Of Brunswick, who
was driven from his throne when ali
the other German monarctiies col
llapsed In November, 1918. 10 reduced
to put upon the market the well.
nigh priceless GueltYsEste treasure