The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1848-03-08
"a ll|''','osM tie dug gs.sta so,:alist. .
I j Ohm ] JACOB ASTOR ss,s

JOE y ACO OB AsTOR
From, Q recent letter Of tile New York
correspont dent 81 the New Orle ems Delta,
! we extract The SLOWING Interesting al a..
count Of the Money King. IS
u shows that Go oldsmiih's s celebrated
saying Isl very fur from the truth-...
aMan wants but lie here bclow, ~
Nor wants that little long. sss So
It illustrates another remark which has
IN i more of truth than poetry: The
moro money one has the more. he wants.
and yet his happiness does not increase Il,
any proportion with his acquisitions.
John Jacob Astor hns recently recoy-
cred from somewhat serious illness. -.
lie is ubout ninety years old. He is exs. ess
ceedingly feeble, never speaks except in
Whisper. He is said to refrain from ihe
uttcrance of a loud tone to hoard his breath
and the strength ofhis lungs. He never
moves except with the support Of two stout
serylng.men one on either side. His
wealth is literally beyond calculation, en-. en-
ormous; for il is impossible to give true
ideas Of the value OF his mnliifarious re.
sources. Forty millions Of dollars would
scarcely cover the worth Of his real and
personal property. Stephen Girard' 5 es.
tate was compared with Astor's, butit was
always fur below it. AT .he time Of the
formers death, John Jacob usked, tHow
much did he leave?' Seventeen millions
wns the reply. THAT won. do said the
survivor, that won't do.' Since Girnrd,s
death, Astor's wealth has nearly doubled.
Three summers ago ho made, in the profits
OF certain! purchasers of.real estate within
the city limits, for more than sixty DAYS
co!n1scoutively, 100000 day. The old
millionaire is reputed to be mean: he is
not SO; he is merely Particular He gives
freely; ne is most bounteQus in his private
charities. 10 his countrymen, the Ger.
mans, he has ever been munificently kind.
1t is not to be denied that his ancient hab.
its cling to him---his habits Of saving, a
dislike TO pay out meney.---Take q true
anccdotc as illustrative of this: Among
the subscribers to Audubon's magnificent
work on ornithology, the subscrip,iou
price ofwhich was $1,000 copy, appear.
cd the name of John jacob Astor. Du.
ring the progress of the work, the prose-
cution ofwhich was exceedingly expen-
sivc, Mr.. Audubon of course called upon
several OF his subscribers for payments.
1t SO happened that Mr.. Astor (probably
that nc might not be troubled about small
matters) was not applied to before the de.
livery Of all the letter-press and plates.
Then MIR. Audubon asked for his thou.
sand dollars; but he was put off. OF, one
excuse and another. sAh Mr.. Audubon
would the owner Of millions observe. .you
come at bad time; money is very scarce;
have nothing in Bank; | have invested
all my funds At length, for the sixth
time, Mr.. Audubon called upon Mr.. AS.
tor for his thousand dollars. AS he was
ushered into the presence, he found VIM.
3. Astor, the son, conversing with his ia
ther. No sooner did the rich man see
the man ofart, than he began, tAh. Mr..
Audubon, SO you have come again inter
your money: hard times, Mr.. Audubon,
money scarce: but just then catching an
inquiring look from Nilsson, he changed
his tone: however, Mr.. Audubon, sup.
pose we must contrivc TO let you have
some of your money, if possible. Evil
liam he added, calling to his SON, who
had walked into an adjoining parlor, shave
we any money at all in the bank? .Yes.
father!' replied William b., supposine
that he was asked ON earnest question,
pertinent to what they had been talking
about when the Ornithologist came, in,
'we have two hundred and twenty thou.
sand dollars in the Bank ofN. York, sew.
enty thousand i'll the City Bank, ninety
thousand in The Merchants, nlnctycipht
thousand four hundred in the Mechanics
eighty three thousand'-That' II do, that'li
do exclaimed John Jacob, interrupting
him, it Seems that William can give YOU
check for your money!
at is true that Mr.. Astor bas laid aside
nearly halfa million for the establishment
of a free library in the City Of New York.
lie has wisely limited the cost of the build.
ing to sixty thousand dollars; so that his
beneficence shnll not, like Mr.. Girard's,
be thrown away on marble and mortar.
He has, in his will, appointed us librarian,
Mr.. J. G. Coggswell, Il gentleman of pro-
found learning and varied accomplish.
ments, the former editor Of the New York
Review, who has been for many years an
inmate Of Mr.. Astor's house. He has
named Mr.. Washington Irving as one Fl
his executors, which will, Of course, rem
der tho author Of Astoria, prodgiously
rich. Fitz.Greene Halleck is, and has
been for many years, Mr.. w. B. Astor's
(who is said to be worth five millions, in.
dependent of his fathcr) book Keeper. Is |
it not singular that Mr.. Astor, who is an
iliteratc man, should have gathered near
him persons so eminent as scholars and
authors?" .sz4
UNANlMITY.-When Curran was on
ni.< L.. - 1 4 =