Antiquities

Ownership of antiquities:  We are looking at the fundamental right to ownership of personal property in Anguilla, and the exceptions recognised by the Anguilla Constitution.  The fourth exception to our fundamental right is a little more obscure.  It says that a law which makes provision for taking away property that is being removed from Anguilla in contravention of the law is legal.

So, if a law says that if you attempt to remove one of the old cannon from Anguilla, it can be confiscated, that would be a constitutional confiscation.  If we find an old Amerindian carving in the sand at Rendezvous Bay, and we try to take it out of Anguilla, and the law says that is illegal and the carving can be confiscated, that would not be an unconstitutional confiscation of our property.  It is an attempted removal from Anguilla in contravention of our law.  The law which makes provision for taking away property that is being removed from Anguilla is provided for.  Sorry!

Crown Jewels

Selling the Crown Jewels on eBay. This woman tells a story that she could not have made up.

“I acquired this medallion in 1995. It came from accountant David Stevens of Rutland, VT. He got it from a diving expedition off the coast Anguilla. The claim had not even been filed yet, he did provide us the name of the ship and Captain. El Buen Consejo “70 guns”, headed by Julis de Urcullo. It sunk in 1772.

My boyfriend at the time, Scott Young, was working in construction, did a job for David and was rewarded for a job well done with 4 of these medallions. Scott gave one to me. I put mine in my banks safe deposit box, and it has been there ever since.

The link to El Buen Consejo: http://www.spanishgalleon.ai/

I believe the saint pictured to be St. Camillus de Lellis: http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=265

I have found reproductions of this medallion for sale from 80-600 dollars.”

Does anyone in Anguilla remember the terms on which David Stevens and Bull Webster and their friends were permitted to excavate the ruins of Anguilla’s most famous shipwreck?

Does anyone even care that Anguilla’s crown jewels are being sold on eBay?

Entrepreneurship

Why are all those Asian boutiques and shops being allowed to open up in Anguilla? I well remember Ronald Webster announcing in about 1980 that he would never permit Asian merchants to set up shop in Anguilla. His concern was that, with their world-wide networks and connections, they would kill business for local merchants. How things have changed!

Who says that Anguillians cannot be entrepreneurs too? Someone sent me a link to a page on eBay. It was obviously put there by an enterprising Anguillian. It reads:

“SOLID 14k Yellow Gold

Retail $1,195 (The starting price as well as the buy it now price can not be touched out there. I encourage you to look around and see the price out there for yourself) . . .

I also wanted to give you some information on where this beautiful treasure came from!

The Shipwreck of El Buen Consejo
In 1772, El Buen Consejo-[Our Lady of] The Good Counsel-sailed from Spain, bringing 52 Franciscan missionaries and thousands of bronze religious medallions to the New World. The ship, however, wrecked in the Caribbean, off the coast of Anguilla, leaving the precious cargo on the sea floor, undisturbed for 225 years. In 1986, the treasure was discovered. These medallions are first generation replicas of the originals, offered for sale to help preserve and develop the site, in cooperation with Anguilla Maritime Research Ltd., and the government of Anguilla.

This is an absolutly breathtaking piece. When you hold it in your hands as you feel the weight the strength and energy of what it represents is captivating. This will be past down from generation to generation.”

How do I know an Anguillian is responsible? Well, at the end of the second to last paragraph it says that these gold replica medallions are offered for sale “in cooperation with . . . the government of Anguilla.” The dead giveaway is the last sentence of the last paragraph: “This will be past down from generation to generation.” The whole of the last paragraph, with its typing errors, its absence of commas to indicate where the parentheses are, and the confusion between the past participle and the adjective, are breathtaking for me.

What I really want to know is, Which part of the government of Anguilla is involved in this enterprise?

And, how much of the proceeds of sale will “help preserve and develop the site”?

You can read it for yourself by clicking here.