The following news story was in today's Independent (UK newspaper).  I
thought it would be of interest to the list. I've shamelessly broken any
number of copyright laws in the name of expediency by lifting this
directly off the web site:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/World/Americas/2000-10/castro021000.shtml

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Alasdair Brooks


                                 Castro begins hunt for lost Spanish
gold 

                                 By Elaine Cole 

                                 2 October 2000

                                 President Fidel Castro has given the
go-ahead for a hunt for
                                 the world's largest treasure trove,
lost for centuries off the
                                 treacherous Cuban coast. Scientists
believe there is more
                                 gold on Spanish galleons sunk by the
island's coral reefs
                                 than there is still to be mined. 

                                 Cuba has sold Rory Boyes-Varly, an
American internet
                                 millionaire, a licence to search for
the gold. The Cuban-US
                                 partners have enlisted a Briton, Gordon
Stove, who devised
                                 technology that can identify any known
material lying hundreds
                                 of feet underwater. Previously, radar
could locate the material
                                 but not identify it. 

                                 Mr Stove's company, Radar World, based
in Gladsmuir, East
                                 Lothian, will be paid £25,000 to
investigate the wrecks and
                                 pinpoint gold. The communist but
cash-strapped Cuban
                                 government has sold the exploration
rights but will take a
                                 percentage of any treasure. 

                                 Mr Stove said: "It really is the stuff
of boyhood fantasies –
                                 treasure chests full of gold coins,
pieces of eight, jewellery,
                                 silver cutlery." He said he devised his
treasure-hunting
                                 program while working for his father, a
research scientist,
                                 during a summer vacation from
university. "This software is
                                 like an electronic sniffer dog: it can
identify everything from
                                 rare minerals to clothing."