We have just read Henry Lincoln's Blog dated 22 September 2009 about how in the past Gérard de Sède offered him some photographs of “the treasure of Rennes-le-Château”, and how the photographs of this treasure had appeared in an article in a French magazine written by Jean-Luc Chaumeil (in ‘Charivari’ No 18, Paris, Oct-Dec 1973).

Henry Lincoln failed to identify the “treasure” in question as being that of Pétroassa in Romania, and that the reference to this treasure in relation to Rennes-le-Château was first mentioned by Philippe de Chérisey – before Gérard de Sède, before Jean-Luc Chaumeil. As a matter of fact it is mentioned in Footnote Three to Chapter Nine (‘The Long-Haired Monarchs’) in The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail.

From Philippe de Chérisey's manuscript, L'Or de Rennes pour un Napoléon (deposited in the Bibliothèque Nationale of Paris in 1975; Tolbiac - Rez-de-jardin – magasin 4- LB44- 2360):

“...in 1837 there was found in Pétroassa in Romania, the objects of the Visigoth treasure coming from Razès. Napoleon had more chance than Monsieur Colbert in 1692, since that one failed with a company in his search for the treasure at Rennes-les-Bains close to the Roc Negre.”

Both Gérard de Sède and Jean-Luc Chaumeil followed this up when they took Philippe de Chérisey seriously. Is Mr Henry Lincoln still taking Philippe de Chérisey seriously – and especially his “parchments” – it seems that he is, because further down his same Blog Mr Lincoln writes about them in a positive manner.

We can therefore ask exactly the same question about Philippe de Chérisey in relation to the treasure of Pétroassa in Romania (and about his “parchments”) that Henry Lincoln asked in his Blog – What, one wonders, makes someone decide to invent such nonsense?

We also noted Henry Lincoln's personal ad-hominem attacks.