EMPRESS'S HOARD.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14658, 27 January 1912, Page 3

EMPRESS'S HOARD.

lIVGE srOHE OF GOLD IX PEKIX. THIRTY YEARS' TRIBUTE. j '.va-.' tn!aio "\u 'ihe lVr.jwr.a! ! J:'.- *i;nr^\i£''p.'-:±±] _ l.;;nrd of ; ;Ykin ..-, i.'. • ; ircanj. i-\ ;• ih.i'ty ic:;o treastiri ! "ilarher :r,i.-.v than a fortnight I ' l '-?'V.. "^.i; 5 ; c; 7<!,;;;:0 aiid'"v.'orthy |£-L.i().'J.jO, T>.-.rti\-u er the palace i treasure, v.-as tho ai'.'ivv of the Jlnisirv of 1- inanee, oiU-rcd' :Y.r Icale to -the fcrei-n hanks. A coniid- ! erabio .-unouni- was n-ii-chascl !>v The . ;DviiU-lic-As:at:.-.. he Bank snd transmitted to Europe bv parcel p<t > : reentered and !:i; llr . :1. as is cusi >marv I :n transmitting monev from I'ek n t:j ' London. A pernor, was also put'ehar: d ; by the Yokohama Si.e-ie Hank. a small ■ . am,.mit l.y tin; Hun- Kou,.- and Shan'I hai Hank, and a still MmilW amount • . !>v the Banque d-e I'Lido-Ckinc. The b,.hi:iee. amounting ajmrnx'mntelv to ne.iriy £!:.'">.O.h). has m.-w b;en'purchased l,y the lhtsj-Asiari' Hank. the sale. bocau.se the amount sold was only e„ small noriio.n of the !ar-' amount hoarded" hi the na'.iK,-. The ■ question is. shall the palace he romrcheA to dlsp.or = o the balanc-cr During ! the fore : .:r.i mil iarv occupation of \ Pekhi in tli- year Yellowing th- Boxer •I outbreak o,' li'tn. tho nala.e treasure" • was guarded by fer-icu"troans. There •; is strong !-:a.-o;i for lx-!:--v:i-.;- that i jtVs hoarded tveasnre amounted in ' I value to nearly nine millions sterling: - the v.he.l?> of it was. restored to tho Chinee intact. '•THE PALACE LOOTED." "On the return of the- Empress Dowager from her ilio-hi to Siani'n tho pakuo trea-;tire was largely added to, i'c r the wily 'Old Buddha' di--ph>yed no gratitude tor the services i-endered to liar hy the foreign Powers in prelecting lii.r Treasury, bill, pleading that the palate had been looted in the- abscneo of tho Court, reaped a. rich harvest of money i ontributioe-s from the patriotic and from the purtha-ors or t'.t'e and office in all pans of the Emir'ro. Itis quite certain that t!'.3 gold and silver now stored in the i-alace must be sufneiont to meet all China's foreign nhligni ions for several vears t-o come. 'l'he gold just sold was packed in sealed box;.-, with ir.scr'ntion; showing that thev liad been remitted bv the Canton 3for-vo in Die seventies. ' They held never been opened. Xo treasure remitted to IVkk) during tho rast thirty years has yet been filched.'" '['lie ;£ Times f ' oorret-rxoidcnt savs that sm-c-ly tlik : s treasure cf Sta.t'e. and he ar?r':c- : > that it shon'd !>e made available for iv.e.efitiEr o'iina's fcrcimi iibh'iietions. "Tlis«*'C!ii!i.-sr» Porernment.,? he conclude-. " : s asl:»nrr for a - suspens'on -of the sinkinir fund of foreign loans, yet th.ere is ahnrdance of money in the iialaee —that :s to say. in the Imperial 'J'rea-nry--to meet all its oMiejaroiis. There is frreat<-r •wealth in the Talaeo Treasurr than was found at V ; -!;liz after tl;<- fall of- AVml Hamid. Is it hi he npmvmriateci hy tho i;e-.v n<ivenir>'ent as tr.as t]io treasure of the deposed Sultan? that is a o.ue.sttVti whieh is hound in encage the attention of the in the immediate future."