Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1849-1856, 1854-09-07
HERALD OF THE TIME S,
THURSDAY Sep 7lh. 1854.

Tuesday evening, Mayor Cozzons delivered
tho following address -
GeHiemen Of The Guy Codpca -
have invited you in convention for the
purpose Of presenting for your considera-
ton and action several matters which have
come under my obsoi saiion, and which |
deem of sufficient importance to lay them
before you with my views thereon.
BY the last Will aud Testament Of tho
late Christopher Fry, Esq, a bcquest was
made to this City, in manner and form as
follows
give and bequeath TO the town OF
Newport, in trust, my house and lot on
Bellevue and Beach streets, to be occupied
as a Female Asylum, for the education and
support of poor and orphan Female Child
rem, under The direction of the Town
Council, in a way they shall judge may
best promote my charitable views tho be-
quest, however, shall not take effect until
after the deceaso of my two %nicces, namely,
Mariana Fry and Catherine Wickham, 20
whom l give This estate jointly during their
lives and the longest liver to possess tho
whole"
"Ilikewise appropriate twenty-five shares
Of United States Bank Stock, as n fund TO
the support Of the aforenamed Female AS
ylum, to be kept at interest, and the avails
annually invested on interest from and af.
ter my decease, until the town conc in
possession of the estate by the death Of my
nicccs ; il, however, the aforesaid town do
not accept, and carry my views into effect
forthwith, this estate and stock shall revert
10 the mass Of my estate, as il never made"
BY this will as you will notice., valua-
BILE estate has been devised to the town Of
Newport in trust, upon certain contingent
cies, and upon certain restricted conditions,
which ! propose to explain the estate on
Bellevue, now East Touro street., consists
Of q lot of land about one hundred feet
front, and three hundred feet deep, with a
dwelling house thereon two stories high,
and in n now central section Of the city I;
without the contingencies and restrictions,
1t would be n valuable acquisition, - bit
when it is considered that this Will with
its conditions was signed and executed
some thirty years ago, before the building
and organization Of our present excellent
Asylum, before the adoption of public
schools, and previous to the present and
more coDgenial mode Of educating and sup.
porting orphan children,-it becomes some
what questionable in the minds Of many,
and in my own moro particularly, whether
in the event of the city coming in possess
sion of said estate, either at The present
time, or at any other probable period, with
these restrictions, it would be to the inte-
rest of the city, or to the advantage of the
particular class Of persons proposed to be
benefited thereby, to accept it and carry out
the views and conditions Of the viii.
II will BE- borne in mind that the addition
al bequest, which was no doubt intended
and expected would be realized and accumu
lated sufficiently to have made the basis
Of u handsome endowment for the support
Of said asylum, being worth in market at
that time at least three thousand dollars;
but in the muiability Of earthly things, and
moro especially in corporate stocks has by
the failure of the said U. S. Bank, become
almost worthless, realizing only at The death
fMr. Fry less than ono hundred dollars,
which amount has been received and ac-
counted for.
Thus it will be seen that to cn''tle tho
city to the possession and charge Of this
properly, whenever that tine may o,,ivc, il
will be necessary to accept and carly out
the views Of The testotor. forthwith, that is
fit up, furnish, and mrinain at The expense
of the city, u female asylum, for the cdu-
cation and support of orphan female child
rem, under the direction 0nd care of the
Council. If not done, the property in
question, according to the VIII, rovol,s
back to the heirs of Mr.. Fly's estate.
| understand that the present possessor
OF IBIS estate and her contingent heirs,
seeing the utter impracticabiIity of carrying
out the generous and phi'an'hrophic inten-
tons which Mr.. Fry had in view at The
time Of making said will, the condii.io on and
circumstances of Newpo,. having 50 nate
rally changed, are wiling to purchase tho
fee in said properly by paying to nc city
a suitable aud reasonable compensation,
thus enabling them to make such repairs
and Improvements rs the estate requires,
for their present comfori rnd convenience ;
which, with The uncertain term Of n life
interest, they are prevented from doing, as
in the event Of The bequest being accepted
by the city, they world be liable to lose
the amount expended ut any moment.
1t appears to me after o;sarcful invcs'iga.
ton Of the case, which has been suggest
I'd TO me in various shapes, that il n salts
factory and equitable considc' atom con be
agreed upon, that an equal good may be
Ierpetuitcd, as that which MIR. Fry had in
view, and one that perhaps may be moro
ditiusive in its infcnce, aud more fully
meet the necessities Of our community at