The Sun.
London, England, 1862-03-27 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY MUNIFICENCE.

We are requested to insert the following corres-
pondence :

London, March 12, 1862.
Gentlemen,—ln reference to the intention which it is the
object of this letter to communicate, I am desirous to ex-
plain that from a comparatively early period of my commer-
cial life I had resolved in my bwn mind that, should my
labours be blessed with success, I would devote a portion of
the property thus acquired to promote the intellectual,
moral, and physical welfare of my fellow-men, whomver,
from circumstances or location, their claims upon rf!.e would
be the strongest.

A kind Providence has continued me i_ra prosperity, axcl
consequently, in furtherance of my resolution, I, in the year
1852, founded an institute and lily,•ary for the benefit of the
people of the place of my bird;, in the town of Danvers, in
the State of Massachusetts., the result of which has proved
in every respect most btrueficial to the locality, and gratify-
ing to myself,

After an absence of 20 years I visited my native land in
1857, and founded in the City of Baltimore, in the State of
Maryland (where more than 20 years of my business life
had been passed) an institute upon a much more extended
scale, devoted to science and the arts, with a free library,
coinciding With the character of the institution. The corner
acne was laid in 1858, and the building is now completed;
but its dedication has been postponed in consequence of the
unhappy sectional differences at present prevailing in the
United States.

It is now 25 years since I commenced my residence and
business in London as a stranger; but I did not long feel
myself a stranger or in a " strange land," for in all my com-
mercial and social intercourse with my British friends dur-
ing that long period, I have constantly received courtesy,
kindness, and confidence. Under a sense of gratitude for
these blessings of a kind Providence, encouraged by early
associations, and stimulated by my views as well of duty as
of inclination to follow the path which I had heretofore
marked out for my guidance, I have been prompted for seve-
ral years past repeatedly to state to some of my confidential
friends my intention at no distant period, if my life was
spared, to make a donation for the benefit of the poor of
London. Among those friends are three of the number to
whom I have now the honour to address this letter.
To my particular friend, C. M. Lampson, Esq., I first men-
tioned the subject five years ago. My nest conversations
in relation to it were held about three years since with my
esteemed friend Sir James Emerson Tennant, and with my
partner, J. S. Morgan, Esq. I also availed myself of oppor-
tunities to consult the Right Rev. Bishop 3Pllvaine of
Ohio, and with all these gentlemen I have since freely con-
versed upon the subject in a way to confirm that original
intention.

My object being to ameliorate the condition of the poor
and needy of this great metropolis, and to promote their
comfort and happiness, I take pleasure in apprising you
that I have determined to transfer to you the sum of
£150,000, which now s ands available for this purpose on
books of Messrs. George Peabody and Co., as you will.
see by the accompanying correspondence.
In committing to you, in full confidence in your judg-
ment, the administration of this fund, I cannot but feel
grateful to you for the onerous duties you have so cheer-
fully undertaken to perform, and I sincerely hope and trust
that the benevolent feelings that have prompted a devotion
of so much of your valuable time will be appreciated, not
only by the present, but future generations of the people of
London.

I have few instructions to give or conditions to impose,
but there are some fundamental principles from which it is
my solemn injunction that those entrusted with its appli-
cation shall never under any circumstances depart.
• First and foremost among them is the limitation of its
uses absolutely and exclusively to such purposes as may be
calculated directly to ameliorate the condition and augment
the comfort, of the poor, who, either by birth or esta-
blished residence, form a recognised portion of the popula-
tion of London.

Secondly. It is my intention that now, and for all time,
there shall be a rigid exclusion from the management of
this fund of any influence calculated to impart to it a cha-
racter either sectarian as regards religion, or exclusive in
relation to local or party politics.
Third. In conformity with the foregoing conditions, it is
my wish and intention that the sole qualification for a par-
ticipation in the benefits of this fund shall be an ascertained
and continued condition of life such as brings the individual
within the description (in the ordinary sense of the ward)
of "the poor" of London, combined with moral character
and good conduct as a member of society. It must there-
fore be held to be a violation of my intentions if any dulY
qualified and deserving claimant were to be excluded either
on the grounds of religious belief or of political bias.
Without in the remotest degree desiring to limit your
discretion in the selection of the most suitable means of
giving effect to these objects, I may be permitted to throw
out for your consideration, amongst the other projects
which will necessarily occupy your attenti ,n, whether it
may nok be found conducive to the ctditions specified above
for their • ultimate realisation, an east likely to present
difficulties on the grounds I have pointed out for avoidance,
to apply the fund, or a portion of it, in the construction of
such improved dwellings for the poor as may combine in the
utmost possible degree the essentials of healthfulness, com-
fort, social enjoyment, and economy.
Preparatory to due provision being made for the formal
declaration of the trust and for its future management and
appropriation, the sum of £150,000 will be at once trans-
ferred into your names and placed at your disposal'!"
which purpose I reserve to myself full power and authority.
But as a portion of the money may probably
for some time to come, to meet the legitimate
Pursilsle after
templated, I would suggest that, as early as P°.-5'
pounds
the organisation of the trust, one hundred thousand poun
(L 100,000) should be invested for the time being in your
names in Consols or East India Stock, thus adding to the
capital by means of the accruing interest, and the stock so
purchased can be gradually sold out as the money is wanted
not be required
for the objects designated. Meantime, pending the prepa-
ration of a formal trust-deed, you shall be under no respon-
sibility whatever in respect of the fund, or its investment
or disposition.

With these preliminary stipulations I commit the fund
to your management, and to that of such other persons as,
by a majority of your voices, you may elect, giving you the
power either to add to your number (which I think should
not at any time exceed nine) or to supply casual vacancies
occurring in your body. It is my further desire that the
United States Minister in London for the time being should
always, in virtue of his office, be a member of the trust,
unless in the event of his signifying his inability to act in
discharge of the duties.--I have the honour to be, gentle-
men, yours very faithtully,
(Signed) GEORGE PEABODY•
To his Excellency Charles Francis Adams, United States
Minister in London.
The Right Hon. Lord Stanley, M.P.
Sir James Emerson Tennent, K.C.S., LL.D., Sce.,
London.
Curtis M. Lampson, Esq., London,
Junius S. Morgan, Esq., London.

London, 15th March, 1862.
Sln,—We have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter
of the 12th inst., apprising us of your munificent appropria-
tion of one hundred and fitty thousand pounds towards
ameliorating the condition of the poor of London ; and in"
tirnating your wish that we should act in the capacity of
trustees for the application of this fund on principles which
you have indicated for our guidance.
Whether we consider the purity of the motive, the mag-
nitude of the gift, or the discrimination displayed in select-
ing the purposes to which it is to be appied, we cannot but
feel that it is for the nation to appreciate, rather than for
a few individuals to express, their gratitude for an act of
beneficence which has kw parallels (if any) in modern
times.

For ourselves, we are deeply conscious of the honour int"
plied by the confidence you have reposed in us as the aduti"
nistrators and guardians of your bounty ; and it onll
remains for us to assure you of the satisfaction with which
we shall accept this trust, and the zeal with which we shall
address ourselves to the discharge of its duties so soon AO
its precise nature is sufficiently defined, and the arrange' •
ments for its administration sufficiently organised•—Ever
faithfully yours,

CHARLES FRANCIS ADAMS.
STANLEY.
J. EMERSON TENNENT.
C. M. LAAIPSON.
J. S. MORGAN.
To George Peabody, Esq., London.

THE I

RISH LORDSHIP OF THE TREASURY.--it
appears that, notwithstanding his defeat at Longford,.
Colonel Luke White is to retain the office of Irish Lord 19t
the Treasury. His want of a seat in the House of Com"
mons will be a source of some embarassment to the Govern-
ment. It is rumoured that a vacancy will ere long take
place in the representation of an Irish borough, whose
representative is very seldom in his seat in Parliament,
and that Colonel White may probably become a candidate.

ANECDOTE OF A PYTIION.—The pythons in the
Zoological Gardens are fed with rabbits, which they de-
stroy by winding round and crushing them ; they are then,
more easily swallowed. The bones forming the jaws and
face, so to call it—unlike what is seen in manialia, where
they are firmly locked together, and where the lower
moves on closely bound hinges—are al, loose and uncen-
meted, except by skin and ligaments. A very remarkable
circumstance occurred here some years ago. A large
python, in a well-secured cage containing others, and of
th se one nine feet long, was fed one evening with three
guinea pigs and a rabbit. The next morning the python
nine feet long was missing, and, as an escape was impes-
sible, the question arose, what could have become of it ?
The truth was soon evidentf the other python, not much
larger than itself, had swallowed it. How it was done, no
one could tell, as it must have happened in the night. The
victim may have been torpid and incapable of resistance, or
a t terrific struggle have occurred before it was overpowered ;
but the fact was evident,. In the victor lying torpid, end
bloated to doable his ordinary dimensions.—Python .11atch-
; a Sight in the Zoological Gardens. In 6' Cassell's
Family Payer."