The Sun.
London, England, 1836-06-25 00:00:00

SIR W. SCOTT.-ABBOTSFORD

The Committee appointed at a general meeting of the
subscribers to the Abbotsford Fund, of which Lord Mahon
is President, for the purpose of appropriating the funds col-
lected to their final object, and securing, as far as may be
possible, the estate of Abbotsford, the library, manuscripts,
and antiquarian collections, to the family of Sir Walter Scott,
have recommended that the sum subscribed, being about
7,200/. net money, be paid to Sir Walter Scott, upon his
executing a deed of entail for the estate and mansion of
Abbotsford, and of the library, antiquarian curiosities,
&c., upon the descendants of his father. Sir Walter
applying 5,600/. more, if necessary, in discharge of the
5,000/. and interest with which the library and anti-
quarian collections may be chargeable, and paying over
the residue to trustees to be appointed, and applied
by them hereafter towards the payment of the heritable
bond for 10,000/., for which the estate is now liable,
and procuring an assignment to the same trustees of
the share of the literary property belonging to the fa-
mily, to be applied to the same purposes. The Marquis of
Northampton, the Lord Francis Egerton, M.P., the Hon.
J. S. Wortley, James Sheene, Esq., Mr. G. Forbes, banker,
of Edinburgh, and Mr. Robert Cadell, bookseller in Edin-
burgh, are about to be requested to act as trustees, and
enter into a deed of trust, to apply the balance of the
subscription, and to collect and apply the product of the
literary property to the discharge of the heritable bond.
In the event of these gentlemen acceding to the applica-
tion, they will be required to use their best endeavours to
procure an Act of Parliament to make the entail of the
library, manuscripts, and antiquarian collections effec-
tual, if it shall be deemed necessary. Sir Walter will
also be required to keep down the interest of the heri-
table bond, and use every exertion to preserve the estate
from sale by the creditors. The Committee remark
that it is obvious that this proposition does not secure the
estate absolutely in the family of Sir Walter, which was
the purpose of the subscription, but the amount sub-
scribed does not permit that to be done. It does, how-
ever, secure the library, manuscripts, autograph letters, ar-
mour, and other antiquarian curiosities absolutely, and
holds out the strongest probability of securing the estate,
inasmuch as the produce of the literary property may be
fairly calculated, after payment of all charges upon it, as
more than equal to the discharge of 8,4001., the balapca
that will remain of the heritable bond. Besides, there
cannot exist a doubt that this sum could be raised at any
time on the security of the estate, which, at the present.
price of land, is estimated as being worth at least 40,000/.
and the provisions of the entail would authorise this being
done. The outlaying parts of the estate would, indeed,
sell for more than this amount, without breaking in upon
its entirety. This subject excites considerable interest
among the antiquaries and literati, and, it is understood, a
general meeting of the subscribers of the above fund wilt
shortly be convened, for the purpose of taking into consi-
deration this recommendation of the committee.