Seekers

Treasure

Well-Equipped Expedition Leaves Tahiti

From Our Own Correspondent.

Papeete, Feb. 22.

IN these days, the people of Tahiti are not easily worked into a state of ex citement by stories of buried treasure — they have been bitten too often in the past, and seen too many wild-cat expedi tions come to an ignominous end. That, and the quiet manner in which the pre liminary arrangements have been made, is the reason why the latest treasure-hunting scheme has caused so little comment along the Papeete waterfront.

When Colonel Lockie’s party were turn ing Cocos Island topsy-turvy a couple of years or so back, and fascinating (if en tirely imaginary) lists of unearthed booty were being flashed by wireless to the world’s principal newspapers, we recount ed briefly in these notes the story of a hunt which has been going on—more or less intermittently—for the last twenty years or more.

Private yachts—not one but several— well supplied with explosives and digging implements, have entered at Papeete and sailed off to the Tuamoto Archipelago upon the same mysterious errand—to return no more. One individual spent some thirteen years on a desolate uninhabited atoll; so convinced was he that his information was authentic and that his efforts would ultimately be crowned with success.

It is believed by some people here that this treasure was lifted by one of the yachts above-mentioned: but, if that were true, the story would assuredly have leaked out long ago.

It seems an established fact that a treasure—and a big one—was taken from Peru back in the ’6o’s of last century, and concealed upon one of the many islands in the Eastern Pacific. But that is about all the information publicly available.

We may presume that this latest expe dition—which, by the way, is all British — is in Tahiti as the result of special know ledge acquired, perhaps accidentally, but more likely as the result of intensive re search work in London and elsewhere. At any rate, this is not one of those wild ventures based upon the imaginings of some young fellow bent upon a romantic adventure, but a serious enterprise in which all the chances have been weighed beforehand, and it is run on cold-blooded business lines, without unnecessary fuss and publicity.

The expedition arrived here a month ago with the highest credentials from both the French and British authorities, and the party includes a well-known Austra lian mining man, a chemist, a submarine engineer, and a famous journalist. It also appears to be well supplied with funds, as well as the latest metal-detect ing and diving equipment.

One of the local schooners has been chartered and will leave Papeete in a few days’ time for the scene of operations, wherever that may be. We wish them luck.

Rev. A. H. Voyce, who has been on fur lough in New Zealand for some months, passed through Sydney in February on his way back to his Mission Station in the south-west district of Bougainville, Mandated Territory of New Guinea. He left Sydney on the Malaita.