The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-29 00:00:00

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A CHARITABLE BEQUEST IN DANGER.

Some three or four years ago th are died a venerable spin-
ster, Miss Agnes Hamilton by name, who had for a long
time managed, and that with signal success, a grocery
business in Hutchesuntown. She left about £20,000, the
chief part of which was invested in heritable securities.
Forty years before,
that is, in 1821, she had caused a will
to be made, indicating how she wished her means to be.
disposed of. In this deed, after providing respectably for
a sister and a servant, she directed that the interest of the
balance should be expended in the payment of annuities,,
not exceeding £4 each, to decayed natives of the barony of
Gorbals, or persons who had lived there for 40 years, their
moral character being gocd, and their age not under 65. The
who then boasted a vigorous lifer
execution of this trust—the whole patronage and
guar-
dianship of the fund, she confided to the managers
pbroodmyise that it would be
probable that the sum she possessed when the
permanent. It is
seouxf
willeethehewedaasib:gagraivYna:dfeaiwar was small in comparison with the value of
her estate when she died ; but there is ample evidence that
continued steadily ititosuwg through allch theythe
eyheea rs , itdeatdhfelyatcecuehmeurfleah-
adTe Twice over,
in 1834 and in 1854,
trifling
necvhoalnegneet pwuerpreosem.
deeden
wasy thefeleft
unaltered. addition o f
codicils, though its leadingtitiaerovise
f' waswel
well
ksweptaway.newn,
th Thedeath
office
Municipalo f "ManagerExtension of the
But, prior to her death,
s
jurisdiction in thee
wGaoar,baalsa
of all separate and inde-
pendentthere is no one in a position barony. Hence it happens that
according to pthe turn to administer the trust pre-
cisely The question arises, shall mthaiannheirtehin
utterly which
firtuswasratedethveisined-.
in-
tention of the testatrix ? The estate is now under the care
of a judicial factor appointed by the Court of Session. A
movement has been
wehbyllthe ntext.dof kin to the deceased
to have her testamenta
may come to them. It is thought thye,sot:
ethhatilattethfruondics
andr public-spirited persons that there are valid) grounds philanthropic
esisting this application and securing the fulfilment of Miss
Hamilton's design. There are a number of poor and aged
folk living in the Gorbals who suit the description given
of those whom she meant to benefit. It is hard to see
how others could directly intervene for their protec-
tion; but they hive themselves a just standing-ground
on which to go before the court. 'That step has been re-
solved upon. Those interested in the business wish, how-
ever, some token of public countenance and aid. To that,
we think, they are extremely well entitled. The object of
the bequest is one of the moat exemplary kind—one of
which even Mr. Gladstone, with all his horror of death.
bed charities and the abuses which they engender, would
feel himself constrained to approve. In point of
equity there can be no question that the case pre-
sented is a good one ; no case could well be stronger.
In point of actual law there is every reason to hope
for a favourable decision; the Dundee people are about
to celebrate the recovery of a sum designed
for the esta-
blishment of an hospital there, which was made under cir-
cumstances greatly more inauspicious and problematical
than those that exist here. Some mousy will be needed ere
even a venture can be made towards trying the case ; but
it is surely impossible that any serious embarrassment can
arise on that score. We learn, at any rate, that steps will
be immediately taken to bring the whole matter under
public notice ; and we have tae confidence that a generous
and public-spirited interest will be evinced in regard to it,
—..Aorth British Mail.

On Monday last a general boaday at Woburn, in
Bedfordshire, was celebrated by a grand fete, which
was attended by seven thousand persons from the sur•
rounding towns and villages. The entire management
was admirable, being under the able direction of Mr. Nel-
son Lee, caterer for the Crystal Palace. The principal
performers were Mr. W, Randall, from the Oxford ; Mr.
Silvani, from the Crystal Palace ; the Elliott Brothers, from
the Canterbury Hall; Messrs. West and Taylor, the great
negro meledists ; Mr. °mond, the celebrated antipodian
Mons. Chapino's ballet troupe ; and Mr. R. Phillips. The
whole concluded with a grand display of fireworks, and
passed off most triumphantly, Mr. Nelson Lee receiving
e vote ct thanks from the committee.