The Sun.
London, England, 1847-09-10 00:00:00

A CURIOUS WILL.

The Courrier des Etats Unis gives an account of a
singular will left by a wealthy notary in Paris, about
25 years since, and which is yet in course of fulfil-
ment. Ills greatest pleasure in life had been to gather
his numerous friends around his table and treat them
splendidly, being generous and a good liver, and he
conceived the notion of perpetuating these social
gatherings after his death. Accordingly, by his will
he instituted an annual banquet for twenty of his
chosen friends, appropriating to the purpose the sum
of 2,0001. The details of the feast were strictly en-
joined, directing the expense always to be 100 f. a
head. The memory of the deceased was to be toasted,
and the subject of conversation to be as friendship or
politeness might dictate. The feast was to be invio-
lably the same same, twenty-one plates to be always
set (olie for himself as perpetual head of the table),
and the 2,000 f. to be expended. The first year the
twenty friends were all there, but year after year
they were removed by death, until in twenty years
they were reduced to eight. These partook as custo-
mary of the feast, and toasted the memories of their
departed companions. Last year, however, there
were but two, who solely shared the luxurious but
melancholy banquet. The two knew each other but
little, and met yearly at this table. Their positions
were very different. One was very rich, while mis-
fortune had reduced the other to destitution. The
rich and tho poor man sat coldly opposite to each
other, until, warmed by the wines, they had forgotten
their different circumstances. On the Ist of June,
this year, the feast again returned, but the rich man
was dead, and the poor and only survivor seated him-
self at the table laden with silver, with its 21 covers
and its delicious viands. There he sat, the victim of
poverty, subject to all privations, pervaded by a feel-
ing of sadness and desolation, at a magnificent ban-
quet of 2,0001. Pressed by his wants he made bold
to request that the sum which was supplied to this
yearly feast for himself might be appropriated to
his
daily sustenance. The lawyer showed him the posi-
tive clause of the will, which he was compelled to see
executed to the letter. The poor man retired in sad-
ness, thinking how many days he would be obliged
to go without a dinner, while once a year he was
[ compelled to be surfeited with a feast prepared for
21 persons, and valued at 2,000 f. A singular piece
of folly truly.

A PRINCE TRAVELLING IN A CA/tT.—A sornewha,
singular circumstance occurred in connexion with the
recent visit of Prince Waldemar of Prussia to Earl
Fitzwilliam, at Wentworth House. His Royal High-
ness, with his suite, among whom were Count Brisla,
Count Groeben, and Baron Lauir, arrived at the Wortley
Station on the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire
Railway, by the train which reaches there about twelve
o'clock; and being anxious to proceed at once to Went-
worth, he endeavoured to obtain post-horses to attach to
the travelling carriages in which they had arrived at the
station. The officials at the station, being unacquainted
with the distinguished rank of their passengers, tater
making some inquiry, reported that post. horses could not
be obtained in the neighbourhood, and that the only
means of conveyance available was a spring-cart belong •
ing to a neighbouring farmer. His Royal Highness and
suite availed themselves of this vehicle, in which they
arrived safely at Wentworth-house. The adventure did
not end here. A carriage and four, with outriders, had
been dispatched to meet his Royal Highness, who was
not expected to arrive by so early a train. The two
vehicles passed each other on the road without ant
recognition taking place, no one in his Royal Highness
suite knowing the carriage of Earl Fitzwi
Pmr'inacnedahnids
Lordship's servants not expecting to meet
h
his suite travelling in a farmer's market-carzt.
AERIAL BRIDGE AT TUE SURREY
ooLoawAL
• f water in the grounds o the gar en ,
across a piece o
GARDENS.—This curious and novel codntrifv stredtc ess
d
span of 85 feet from one abutment to the
•
oanthderh.as I
at
consists of four bars or sp is-
Th
ars of deal, at a
tance of somewhat about a foot asunder. These spars
are united by transverse bars or pieces of fiat deal, into
which they are dovetailed, the transverse bars being to
afford flooring or rafters for the flooring of the bridge.
The longitudinal spars or bars are at the abutments about
four inches thick by three in width, and gradually taper
towards the middle of the bridge, where, for a space of
six feet, they are not more than a square inch in thick-
ness. They are not entire pieces. of deal, but are pieces
of about 18 feet in length, joined with marine glue.
They have already been subjeeted to a weight of three
tons, but will, it is affirmed, support six times that weight.
The invention is not secured by patent, but is-open to
anybody to adopt. It is that of Mr. Remington, of the
United States, where it has been successfully employed.
It has also been used in steamers in America, in order to
support the boiler or engine, and throw the weight more
equably on the vessel by removing it from the centre, so
as to avoid " hogging," or bending the back of the craft.
It is an invention well worth being examined. The prin-
ciple is derived from the known tenacity of the fibre of
wood, and the fact that its sustaining power lin a hori-
zontal position is proportionate to its resisting power
when perpendicular.
The Commissioners for the British Fisheries have
issued their new report, from which it appears that the
herring cured during the year ending January 5, 1847,
amounted to 607.451 barrels, being an increase on the
previous year of 74,805 barrels. The greatest fishery
station in the country is Wick, at which about one-sixth
of the gross quantity was cured,--Edinburgh Advertiser,