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Show ITALIAN ANTIQUITIES. An Underground Trade In Them In Spite of Legal Interdictions. Some days ago a well-known dealer in antiquities offered for sale to the Loiivre niuwum in Paris a splendid collection col-lection of nncient vases from Italy or Greek or Italian workmanship, says the London News. The museum was unable una-ble to pay the price asked C 20,000 and declined the bargain. The Italian minister of education, having learned of this, has taken proceedings under the Pacca law ngainsl Sig. di Prisco, the owner of these antiquities. The latter is a large land owner at Kosco Kcale. He secretly made excavations on his estate and found 28 silver vases of remote antiquity. an-tiquity. Notwithstanding the Italian law prohibiting pro-hibiting owners of antiquities from sending them ojit of the country without with-out leave, or, rather, on account of this law, which prevents old works of art from commanding anything like their natural price In the impoverished country, coun-try, Sig. di Prisco smuggled his find out of Italy and offered it to a Paris dealer for 1)5,000. Continuing meanwhile hLs search, he found other silver vnros.. which duly joined their fellows in Paris, and tho wholelot was offered to the Louvre. The Italian minister of education educa-tion throws interesting light on the facilities which underpaid officials are supposed to afford illicit exporters of antiquities. He Issues a notification that, should pny officials be found to have connived at this latent evasion of the Pacca law, they will be criminally prosecuted. |