The Sun.
London, England, 1828-01-25 00:00:00

PREROGATIVE COURT, Jaw. 24.

ARBIERY AGAINST ASH.
This was a question as to the admission of an
allegation in a suit to establish the validity of a paper
of an extraordinary and unique character, alleged to
be the will of Robert Hoadley Ash, D.D., who died
in 1826. The paper bore date in 1824, and began,
" I promise and swear that I will leave my plate,
watch, jewels, and other property"—but no legatee
was named. The testator then 44 promised" and
44 swore" that he would leave his property to a Mrs.
Arbery, the wife of a person who kept a public-
house, but who had been since in confinement for
debt. The allegation, which set up this paper as a
testamentary instrument, was opposed by Miss Ash,
tile daughter of the deceased, on the ground that
the paper was not dispositive it spoke only of
what the writer would do ; and if otherwise, it was
felo de se, showing insanity or folly upon the face
of it.
The COURT admi►ted the allegation.

lIARFOR.D JONES BRYDGES, BART. V. KING.
This was a suit to decide the validity of an al-
leged codicil, executed by Mrs. Mary Brydges, spin-
ster, of Winterbourne, near Bristol, who died the
4th of February, 1826, at the age of 75, in posses-
sion of very large property. Her personal estate
amounted to nearly 60,0001., and she was possessed
of real estates in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and
Gloucestershire, of considerable value. A will, dated
the 19th of March, 1823, and a codicil, dated the
15th of April, 1825, had been admitted to probate
by consent, and 18,0001. had been invested in the
hands of trustees, to abide the event of this suit. By
these instruments, the great bulk of the property
was left to Sir Harford Jones, Bart. (who afterwards
took the additional surname of Brydges), a cousin,
and the nearest relative of the deceased, wbo was
nominated therein executor, and residuary legatee:
and in the codicil he was left a specific legacy of
35,0001. The codicil in dispute bore date the 25th
of January, 1826, a few days only previous to the
death of the testatrix. It contained a legacy
n
of 10,000/. to Miss Sarah King (the party in
the suit), who had been a companion to the testa-
trix, and attended her in her last illness, which was
of a painful and distressing kind ; another legacy of
1,0001. to Mr. John Hay, her medical attendant,
and 1,5001. to Thomas Gay, a " servant of all-
work," and smaller legacies to two relations of Miss
King. To secure suflicient fun& for the payment
of these legacies, the codicil of April, 1825, was re-
voked, and the amount of the specific legacy to r
H. Jones was reduced to 20,000/. hrumenSi t
which was drawn up by one and attested by an-
other of Miss King's relations, it was alleged, had
been concocted by the parties benefitted thereby,
the te:tatrix having been for some time previous to
its date confined to her bed, and in such a state of
mind as to render her incapable of making a dispo-
sition of her property.
After the evidence had been read,
The remainder of the case was postponed till next
Court day.

the susceptibility of
SUSCEPTIBILITY OF SERPENTS TO MUSIC.
—Professor
oifnalLiserwt:tharkin .:fonograjia de Ser-
pentl di Roma, &c. relates the following experiment made
serpents to music. During the heat of noon-day he put
into a large box several individuals of the nine species of
nnicoluber,
)au,
swhichoun:is o
inarfeafnouonrdgan produced a general commotion
the vicinity of Rome, and into
another box the different species of vipers. The clear, har-
monious
the non-venomous species ef coluber, who moved
about in different directions in the box, and crawled up on
its sides. The Coluber Elaphis occasionally stopped, and then
moved slowly in the direction of the instrument 4 the Colubei
.Esculapii (of Sitaw) stood with one half of its body
raised upright, whilst the Coluber ttrovivens alone con-
tinned in a state of constant restlessness, and in motion ;
the other species of coluber, with the vipers, remained un-
affected by the music. These experiments were repeated
several times, and invariably with the same results. Pro-
fessor AlETAxA,:therefere, concludes that it may be inferred
that the Coluber Elaphi and the Coluber ./Dculapii (of
SHAW) might be tamed by music; that otters, as the
Coluber Atrovivens, are irritated or excited thereby; and
lastly, that vipers are unsusceptible of its influence.—
London Medical Gazette, Jan. 19.