Expedition to Pacific 'treasure island' where pirates buried their plunder

A British explorer is heading to a deserted pacific "treasure island" wheren nineteenth century pirates are said to have stashed a multi million pound hoard of treasure!

It eluded Franklin Roosevelt, Sir Malcolm Campbell and Errol Flynn, but now anexplorer from Melton Mowbray could be on the trail of a multi-million-poundhoard of gold, silver and jewellery stolen by pirates and buried on atreasure island. Shaun Whitehead is leading an archaeological expedition to Cocos Island, the supposed hiding place of the “Treasure of Lima” – one of the world’s mostfabled missing treasures. The haul – said to be worth £160 million – was stolen by a British trader,Captain William Thompson, in 1820 after he was entrusted to transport itfrom Peru to Mexico. He is said to have been stashed his plunder on the Pacific island, from whereit has never been recovered. An original inventory showed 113 gold religious statues, one a life-sizeVirgin Mary, 200 chests of jewels, 273 swords with jewelled hilts, 1,000diamonds, solid gold crowns, 150 chalices and hundreds of gold and silverbars.