Star.
London, England, 1828-01-19 00:00:00

SINGULAR BEQUESTS, ke.

In the laborious researches of the Commissioners foe
enquiring into " Charties,"(ooW occupying sixteen folio volumes)
theta are many singular lii:que-ts.. Some specimens have preViously
been givru—the fallowing are other instances:

HALL'S GlFT.—Edward Hall, who died 1706, gave 3s. 4d. per
annum out of hi, tenement at Thorne, Dvonshire, to the Minister
and Churchwardens of Bri fiord, to be by them bestowed yearly,
at F.viter, to huy butts or other convenience; for the people.to kneel
upon at their prayers, at Church.—v. 9. p. 169.
WILLIAIISON'S CHAIUTV.—Thornas Williamson, by will dated
1674, gave to his mother and Garnen Wren, Dot. to purchaae land,
the rent of which was to be bestowed on the poor people born
within St. John's Chapeiry, or Castletigg, Cumberland, in mutton
or veal, at Martinmas, yearly, when fleili might be thought
cheapest, to be by them pickled or hung up and dried, that they
might have something to k ep them within doots on stormy days.—.•
V. 5. p. 82.
--•. . . .

Pious Uses.—Among the objects attended to by " the estate of
the fentfres for pious uses," at Selby, Yorkshire, it is enumerated,
that, previously to 1664, Robert Amble devised land in Selby, for
maintaining a chime of belh, repairing the chinch windows, and
one rood of land for providing hints fur archers, v. x. p. 745. The
Common Acre, in Andover, Southampton, was granted in the time
of Queen Elizabeth, on condition that a pair of butts should be kept
fur men to shoot at, and for all men to be permitted to take their
purime there. It is now used as a place of recreation for the inha-
thitants of the town.v. xiv. p. 357.

Ascorr's GlFT.—Andrew Ascott, by will dated 1659, devisrd—o
" I give to the poor of S‘lvtrion (Devonshire), out of" (naming
lands), 445. a year, to be made up in shirts and siuoclrs, five of
one sort, and five of the other-40 yards of dowlas, at 12.1 the yard,
and 4s. fur malting—to be delivered every year at Christmas, by
the Parson, to the poor for ever."—v. x. p. 103.
Arroatacs.—Blandina Nlarshe, by will,l73o,gave means for the
building of one house, with six rooms, in the town of Dunstable
(Bedfordshire), as near to the Church as may be be—in each of
which six apartments should be harboured for ever one poor mai.
den geetlewoman, aged forty or upwards, descended of reputable
parents, and who should have lived a virtuous life, and recommend.
ed by persons frequenting the public worship of the Church of Eng-
land, and na other person ; two of such biz persons may be the
daughters of Attornies, if any such should offer, and were proper
objects, and " could be well recommended." The charity cohti-
nues, and there is £l2 a year for each maiden lady. The Commis-
sioners add, preference would be shown to the daughters of Attor-
nies, if they applied ; but no particular claim to preference on that
ground appears to have been made.—vol. v. p. 18.

PRAYERS FOR THE Dean—Henry Barton, in 14:',4, gave divers
property in Watling-street, Stc. now possebSCti by the. Skinner's
Company, and amounting to 59/. yearly, and shops and houses for
people to live in rent free, on condition that they piously aryl de-
voutly prayed for the wholesome estate of Henry V I. King of Eng-
land, and his heirs Kings of England, so long as they should live,
and for the souls of the progenitors of the said King and
for the souls of the King and his heirs after their death ; also
for the testator's soul, and for those of his parents. Then follow a
variety of provisions for keeping obits, celebrating mass, and making
prayers for departed souls. The Commissioners add—All the uses
tor which thes property was given to the Skinners appear to have
been superstitious; the property, therefore, came within the tat
Edward VI. c. 14; and that, from all that appears, no valid
charitable use is now subsisting under the will. Tire obit payments
continued till 1660, for which the Commissioners say it is difficult
to account.—v. 8. p. 574.
Hannah's LAND.—Five acres of land were purchased far the poor
with 1854 guineas, found in the pocket of a travelling Beggar, who
died in 1799. at Upper Holker, in Lancashire —v. p. 194.
Baut.-horas.—An old ringer, of Milford (Southampton), left
three-quarters of an acre, the lent to be applied in the purchase of
Bell ropes for the use of the Church.—v. R. p. 432.
POOK ARTISTS.—Edward Preston, in 1557, gave the Blacksmiths'
Company the Clown and Hope, situate in the pariah of St. Sepul-
titre' without Newgate, Lolidon, near the Bars of the Old Bailey,
&c. and out of the rents to distribute, by the Society of the Art
and Mystery of Blacksmiths, London, among the poor Artists of the
Society of Blacksmiths and Spurrier:, the sum of four shillings of
lawful money.—v. B.p. 214.
BOWTICSS gave to Bolton School,
Westmoreland, in 1762, 501. the interest thereof to he applied In
the first of every seven years " for a Singing Master, for teaching
the ittliabitatits of the township of Bolton to sing Psalms in
the Chapel.
The Chat ides for teaching Psalm.singing once in seven years,
Ste. are stilt applied as directed by the Testator. By lift will,
dated 1709, the said lowness also felt ten shlllings a year, to be
distributed to the poor of Bolton upon Irk tomb—toile, with the
approbation of the heir or chief of his family, on St. Thomas's
Day, for ever. .
This tent charge is now paid by the tenant of the Earl of Thanes,
who is the owner of the property charged.—v. 7. p. 595.
A Gift of 201. in 1721, by James Hanson, and of int. by his wife
Elizabeth, to such School, are thus recorded on the Chapel wall :
" In Memory of James Hanson,
Late Cletk of Bultun,
Interred July 29th,
Who to this town poor out of his store,
His last will makes relation ;
Ten pounds he gave, and founy more,
Fur Children's educal ton.
Aged 79, Anno.llum 1721."

A Tartar_ Officer, bringing horses from Tseang•se,
took the opportunity to smuggle some salt, which being
discovered, an affray took place, in the course of which
he knocked a v•aterman overboard. who was drowned.
The Governor and Tseangkenn have united together to
let the officer off' on his bringing a man to suffer for
.him. This the officer did, at the expense of a fees bun-
dreJ dollars.—Calculta Gazette.

Sheldon, in his Table Talk, says " the King of Spain
was outlawed in Westminster Hall, I bring of Counsel
against him. A merchant had recovered costs against
him in a suit, which, becaose he could not get, we ad-
vised to have him outlawed for not appeat Trig —so he
was. As !con as Gondimer (he was arnhassatior from
Spain, and lived in Petticoat Lane, Whitechapel) leard
that, he pie,ently sent the money, by reason if his mas-
ter had been outlawed, he could not have the bedefit of
the law, which would have been very prejudicial, there
being then many suits depending between the King of
Spain and our English merchants."
In common with other southern nations,' the Portu-
guese have an aversion to the use of ardent spirits.—
Although their soldiers received exactly the same allow-
ance of ever y article as ourselves, yet they often came
to us and exchanged their rum for biscuits. Honest
enough customers for the rum were certainly found
amongst us, but there were some thirsty rogues also,
who contrived to cheat the unsuspecting Portuguese out
of a good deal of liquor, they having
_a polite custom
of asking us to taste it out of their horns before a bar-
gain was concluded. By this means, the mere tasters
always out numbered the buyers, and special care was
taken by them not to say a word till a hearty pull was
obtained from the horn; then the rum was sure to be
bad or watered, and an affectation made of spitting it
out with disgust. In this manner every horn that cane
within their reach was pretty sure to be nearly emptied
of its contents. Many of the fellows got drunk upon the
prucvas," that being the name the Portuguese gave
Ithe trying of the liquor; prueva, or proof, having the
same meaning.— Vicissitudes of a Scottish Soldier.
Saturday last, between throe and four o'clock, a fatal
accident occurred near Farningham to Mr. Benton's
luggage van, which runs from Ashford to London. It
appears, that on arriving at Farninghant-hill the van
overshot the top of the bill, and Mr. Benton, v.ho was
'sitting in the dickey behind, immediately jumped down
and called to the driver to pull up, in order to skid the
wired. Ile was, hoWever, unable to do so; and the
horses being mitehlatigued. the weight of the van pro-
pelled them down the Goss with great velocity, and
when nearly at the bottom the horses fell, and the pole
sticking in the ground the van upset, the hack part
turning completely over the front. The driver was
thrown off and killed on the spot. The hoof of one of
the horses was completely severed from the leg, and the
poor animal was otherwise so much injured that it was
found necessary to kill it. The other horse was much
injui e.l, and the van nearly destroyed.—Maidstone Jour