CHAPTER XV.

ROMANCE OF WEALTH.

        The unsunn’d heaps
    Of miser’s treasure. 
               MILTON.

Stories of lost or unclaimed property have always possessed a fascinating charm, but, unfortunately, the links for proving the rightful ownership break off generally at the point where its history seems on the verge of being unravelled.  At the same time, however romantic and improbable some of the announcements relating to such treasure-hoards may seem, there is no doubt that many a poor family, at the present day, would be possessed of great wealth if it could only gain a clue to the whereabouts of money rightfully its own.

The legal identification, too, of such property when discovered has frequently precluded its successfully being claimed by those really entitled to enjoy it, and few persons are aware of the enormous amount of unclaimed money—­amounting to some millions—­which lies dormant, although continually made public in the “agony columns” of the Times and other daily newspapers.  It should be also remembered that wealth of this kind is carefully preserved in all kinds of places; bankers’ cellars, for instance, containing some of the most curious unclaimed deposits, many of them being of rare intrinsic value, whilst others are of great romantic interest.

Thus, not many years ago, there was accidentally discovered in the vaults of the Bank of England a large chest of some considerable age, which, on being removed from its resting place, almost fell to pieces.  On the contents of this old chest being examined, some massive plate of the time of Charles II. was brought to light, of very beautiful and chaste workmanship.  Nor was this all, for much to the surprise of the explorers, a bundle of love letters, written during the period of the Restoration, was found carefully packed away with the plate.  On search being made by the directors of the bank in their books, the surviving heir of the original depositor was ascertained, to whom the plate and packet of love letters were handed over.

Many similar cases might be quoted, for in most of our bank cellars are hoarded away family treasures, which for some inexplicable reason have never been claimed.  Some, again, of our old jewellers’ shops have had strange deposits in their cellars, the history and whereabouts of their owners having baffled the most searching and minute inquiries.  As an illustration, may be given an instance which occurred some years back in connection with a jeweller’s shop near Soho.  It seems that an old lady lodged for a few weeks over the said shop, and, on leaving for the Continent, left behind her, for safety’s sake, several boxes of plate to be taken care of until further notice.  But years passed by and no tidings of the lady reached the jeweller, although from time to time the most careful inquiries were instituted.  At last, however, it transpired that she had died somewhat suddenly, but, as no record was found amongst her papers relating to the boxes of plate, a lengthened litigation arose as to the rightful claimant of the property.