a_ of the Flota." For some reason or other, the task was
shortly abandoned, and the work turned over to private enterprise and
companies which were granted special charters, the Crown demanding as
much as ninety-five per cent. of all the treasure recovered. During
the half century following the loss of the fleet, as many as thirty of
these concessions were granted, but most of them accomplished nothing.
The first treasure hunter to achieve results worth mention was a
Frenchman, Alexandre Goubert, who went to work in 1728, and after
prodigious exertion succeeded in dragging almost ashore a hulk which
turned put to be no galleon but one of the men-of-war of his own
country, at which there was much merriment in "perfidious Albion."
This disgusted M. Goubert and he was heard of no more.

An Englishman, William Evans, tried a diving bell of his own invention
in the same century, and raised many plates of silver, but a Spanish
concessionaire, jealous of this good fortune, persuaded his government
that it was in bad taste to let history repeat itself by giving the
English another fling at the treasure. In 1825, time having softened
these poignant memories, a Scotchman was permitted to work in the bay,
and local tradition affirms that he found much gold and silver,
outwitting the officials at Madrid who demanded eighty per cent. of his
findings. The inspectors posted to keep watch of his operations he
made comfortably drunk, bundled them ashore, clapped sail on his
brigantine, and vanished with his booty. Later a castle was built near
Perth in Scotland, and given the name of Dollar House. Here the
Scotchman aforesaid "lived happily ever afterwards" for all that is
known to the contrary.

Through the eighteenth century French, English, and Spanish exploring
parties were intriguing, quarreling, buying one another out, now and
then finding some treasure, and locating the positions of most of the
galleons. In 1822, American treasure hunters invaded the bay,
organized as the International Submarine Company, and hailing from
Philadelphia. Nothing worth mention was done until these adventurous
gentlemen after a good deal of bickering, made a fresh start under the
name of the Vigo Bay Treasure Company. Their affairs dragged along for
a half century or so, during which they lifted one galleon from the
bottom but the weight of mud in her hull broke her to small bits. A
Spanish war-vessel watched the operations, by night and da