DISCOVERIES IN THE BRAZILIAN TREASURY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13157, 21 April 1906, Page 2 (Supplement)

DISCOVERIES IN THE BRAZILIAN TREASURY.

The Frankfurt Gazette publishes o, remarkable story to illustrate the defective -manner in which the Treasury of Brazil keeps its accounts. In 1894 the Federal Treasury of the State of Parahyba delivered to the principal Treasury office at Rio a chest containing some hundreds of thousands of milreis notes which had been withdrawn from circulation. The chest was received, but the proper entry in the books was not made, and as the annual balances are generally several years in urrear it was only lately that the chest with its contents and the accompanying letter of advice was ascertained to have disappeared without leaving a trace behind. The Finance Minister thereupon ordered a thorough search of the Treasury vaults, which was without result so far as the missing chest wara concerned, but which caused some unexpected discoveries to be made. These consisted of chests filled with forgotten deposits of gold and silver dating from the empire, gold and silver chalices used in the celebration of the mass, altar lamps, and, finally the Imperial Brazilian crown with the sceptre and robes which had belonged to Pedro 11. It is said that 2C of the diamonds with which the crown was set are missing. The Imperial insignia are to bo deposited in the national museum as soon as arrangements have been made for their safe keeping, while the sale of the rest of the " find" is expected to bring in the Treasury something like £140,000.