The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1851-11-26
Misers.

Vandille is one Of the most remarkable charac.
tsrs, miser, that is to be found among the &C.
centric biographies of France. His riches were
immense, and his ayarice and parsmony extreme.
He hired miserable garret in one of the most
obscure parts Of Paris, and paid poor woman 4
day to wait upon him. Excepting once a
week, his diet never vared-bread and milk
for breakfast; the same for dinner, and the same
for supper all the year round. On Sunday he
vsntured to indulge in glass of sour wine, and
by bestowing, in charity, farthing every Sabbath.
This mun6cence, which incurred an expenditure
Of one shilling and penny per annum, he care
fully noted down and just before his death he
found, with some degree Of regret, that during his
life he had disbursed less than forty.hres shil.
lings and four pence. Forty-three shillings and
four pence! Prodigious generosity for the richest
man in France! Vandille had been magistrate
at Boulogne, and while in that Office he partly
maintained himself, free Of cost by constituting
himself milk k-master general at the market. He
would MUNICH his scrap Of bread, and wash it
down with these gratuitous draughts By such
parsmonious articles, and most penurous course
Of life, he succeeded in amassing an enormous for
tune, and was in position to lend vast sums of
money to the French Government When he had
occasion TO journey from Boulogns to Paris he
avoided the expense Of coach fare by going on foot
and lest he should be robbed, he never carried
more than three pence in his pocket although he
a Oh
fore him. If he found this sum insufficient, he
would profess poverty, and beg from the passen-
gers on the road triAe to help him on. In the
year 1875, Vandille, the miser, was worth nearly
eight hundred thousand pounds He used to boast
that this vast accumulation sprang from single
shilling.
The winter of the year 1884 had - very cold
and bitter and the mser felt inclined TO purchase
little extra fuel in the summer time, to provide,
to some exten against the like severity in the en-.
suing winter. lie heard q man pass the street
with wood to sell /; he haggled for an unconscion.
able time about The price, and at last completed his
bargain, at the lowest possible rate. Avarice had
poor wooaman several logs. In his eagerness to
carry them away, and hide his ill-gotten store, he
overheated his blood, and produced a fever. FoI
the first time in his life. he sent for surgeon.
wish to be bled, said he, what is your charge g.
"HaIf livre," was the reply. The demand wa
deemed extortonate, and the surgeon was dis
missed. He then sent for an apothecary, but HI
was also considered too high; and he at last sem
for poor barber, who agreed to open the vein fol
three pence time But, my friend," said the
cautious miser, how often will it be requisite tt
bleed me !" Three tmes," replied the barber
Three times and pray what quantity Of blood dt
you intend to take from me at each operation =
"About eight ounces each time" was the answer
Let me see," said the possessor of three quarter
of million, " that will be ninepence too much
too much; have determined to go cheaper wal
10 work; lake the whole twenty. four ounces a
once, and that will save me six-pence." The bar
ber demonstrated, but the miser was firm; he wa
certain, he said that the barber was only desirou
to extorl an extra sixpence, and he would not sub
nit to such scandaous imposition. His vein wa
opened, and iour-and twenty ounces of blood take
from him. Ia a few days, Vandille, the miser WA
no more. The savings of his life, the wages OF hi
vice and avarce, he left to the King of France.
A similar anecdo,e is related of Sir William
Smyth, of Bediordshire. He was immensely rich
but most parsmonious in his habits. Al sevent
years Of age he was entirely deprived of his sight
and unable to gloat over his boarded heaps Q
gold this was terrible afflction. He was pei
suaded by Taylor, The celebrated oculist, to b
couched who was, by agreement. to have sixt
guneas II he restored his patient 10 any degree
sight. Taylor succeeded in his operation, and s
William vas enabled to read and write, withol
the aid of speclacles, during the rest Of bis lf
But no sooner was his sight restored, than the Ba
onet began to regret that his agreeme Mt had bee
for so large sum he felt no Joy az Others won
bis sixIv euineas His thoughts were now how ,
cheat he oculist he pretended that he had only
ollmmsrng, and could see nothing distinctly; Il
which reason, the bandags on his eyes was cor
,inued month longer than the usual time. Tal
ior was deceived by these misrepresentation, an
agreed 10 compound the bargain, and accspte