Treasure Trove.

Manawatu Herald, 17 November 1892, Page 3

Treasure Trove.

A most interesting cage of Treasure Trove has been heard and decided lately in England. The word trove, or trover, is derived from the French, trouper", to find, and is, in law, a species of action to recover damages against any person found with another* goods ; but by a fiction of law, action* of trover are permitted to be brought against any man who has in his 1 possession, by any means whatsoever, the personal goods of another," arid who refused to deliver up the goods on request, or who has destroyed them. In the County of Southampton, William Hemmings, a labourer, was employed in pulling down an old farm or granary on the property; of Mr C. Fermor, which is Included within the boundaries of the ". lord of the manor," the Earl of Carnarvon. A coroner with a jury held the inquiry. It appeared that Hemmings tound a large number of old gold coins, the first sovereigft n»entioned ; having been given by bin*, to a. fellow labourer to get drinks with, A few days afterwards he changed at the Andover branch of the London and- County Bank CO sovereigns and 29 half-sovereigns, the, dates ranging from 1817 to 1835. Hft^ln^ got his change he gave the three! '-bank clerks three small gold ooins, old seven shilling pieces dated mrilWand 1809, and he also, later on, gave a watchmaker another of JjJlSgg^AfflAlL gold . pieces. Mr Fermor stated that the finding of these small gold pieces reminded him that his aunt, between 1838 and 1841, who;. lived but a few miles away, had in her possession a dozen or more of the seven shilling coins