The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-02-19 00:00:00

"UNTO HIM THAT HATE."

The announcement of the gift of a substantial
fortune by an entire stranger in kith and kin t , one of
the richest noblemen in the kingdom, will be generally
received with feelings of surprise, and it may, at first
sight, he regarded as an urnatural disposition (remarks
the Western Mail). But the circumstances of the case
are in themselves somewhat peculiar, and may tend in
some degree to throw light upon the motives which
determined such a donation.

The deceased, Mr. Williams, of Pwll-y -Pant,
Caerphilly, although, perhaps, not personally known
to Lord Bute, has, for the last three or four years,
been brought into close business relations with those to
whom the care of his lordship's estates is committed,
and he has often been known to express his high appre-
ciation of the benefits conferred upon the county, and
particularly on the town of Cardiff, by the late no less
than by the present Lord Bute and his lordship's
trustees. Some three years ago the tru-d.res became
lessees under Mr. Williams of a very large stone quarry
at Caerphilly, and the stone which they have there
worked is being exclusively used for the new Bute
Docks, and Lord Bute has himseN approved the use
of this stone, to the exclusion of all others, for the con-
struction of the tower which he is erecting at Cardiff
Castle, and has for some time been paying Mr. Williams
a large annual sum by way of royalty.
Mr. Williams died without any near relatives re-
quiring pecuniary assistance. He was a bachelor, and
lived a very secluded life, employing most of the time
either in literary pursuits or in mathematical and
astronomical studies. His only surviving relative of
the whole blood is a sister, who is married to a gentle-
man of fortune and position, Mr. Gore Langton, lately
LP. for Bristol.

Mr. Williams has left directions for providing a
suitable pension to each of his servants, and the whole
of his estate, which is roughly estimated as being
worth abut £200,000, be hae bequeathed to the Marquis
of Bute and his heirs absolutely.

A London contemporary, remarking on the above
munificent bequest, and also on that of the late Mr.
Egan, says
Two remarkable bequests are reported. la one case a
Welsh gentleman, Mr. W. E. Williams, of Caerphilly, has left
all his property, including an estate with it rent-rell of
between £3,1 00 and £4,000. and mineral property to the
value of £200.000, to the Marquis of Bide. The eccentric
testator is said to be in no way connected with that young
nobleman, and no explanation of his conduct appears
to be forthcoming. In the other case a gentleman re-
cently deceased, named Charles Egan, has beimathed
R. 200,00 to the Roman Catholic charities of Dublin.
Both bequests will tend to proniote the interests of
the Roman Catholic religion, but that is not the
only characteristic they have in commies. In both cases the
testators proved themselves superior—or inferior, which
shall he said t—to the common impulse which leads most
people to consign their property on their decease to relatives
or friends. Certainly they hit upon very different plans for
the disposal of their Girton., and there can he no doubt at
all as to which of the two alternatives they had to choose
from is the noblest. If a rich man is bent upon leaving
his money to strangers it is much better, of coning,
that he should leave it to those who are desperately
In need, rather than to those who are already en-
dowed with enormous wealth to begin with. But
to neat people we fancy, it will be rather difficult
to understand how any man, especially a very rich man can
pass through life withont forming connexions or friendships
of a nature to induce him at the close of his career to choose
somebody or some plurality of persons for his heir or heirs.
Charity is a very glorious and beautiful impulse, and the
charity which induces rich men to give large sums during
th.-ir lifetime to benevolent institutions cannot he admired
too highly; but charitable bequests do inevitably sugeest
this consideration that nobody can take his money
with him into the next world, and that he must
absolutely bequeath it somehow or other at his
death. In this case of Mr. Egan, for aught we know to the
contrary, his fortune may have been one which enabled lam
to enrich his relations and leave the £200,000 to the Dublin
charities as well but it any one is inclined to moralise on
the coml.'s, of fame--apropos to the fact that Mr. Peabwly
was made a hero for his gifts to the poor of London, while
Mr. Kinn will probably achieve no more celebrity than that
which may ensue from a few newspaper paragraphs—the re-
flection we have just set forth may help to explain that state
of things. It is difficult to overrate the virtue of charitable
gifts, or to underrate that of charitable bequests.