These stones had all been
broken from their settings and thrown loose in the chest. The settings
themselves, which we picked out from among the other gold, appeared to
have been beaten up with hammers, as if to prevent identification.
Besides all this, there was a vast quantity of solid gold ornaments;
--nearly two hundred massive finger and ear rings; --rich chains
--thirty of these, if I remember; --eighty-three very large and
heavy crucifixes; --five gold censers of great value; --a prodigious
golden punch-bowl, ornamented with richly chased vine-leaves and
Bacchanalian figures; with two sword-handles exquisitely embossed, and
many other smaller articles which I cannot recollect. The weight of
these valuables exceeded three hundred and fifty pounds avoirdupois;
and in this estimate I have not included one hundred and
ninety-seven superb gold watches; three of the number being worth each
five hundred dollars, if one. Many of them were very old, and as
time keepers valueless; the works having suffered, more or less,
from corrosion --but all were richly jewelled and in cases of great
worth.
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