Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-01-09

The Governor delivered his message that
afternoon, IN person, to both Houses in Joint
Convention.
WILL OF TIE LATE Hon. Francis C. GRAY.
Some erroneous statements having been made
public relative to the provision which has
been made by MIR Gray in the disposition of
of his estate, for the bsnefit of public intitu-
tons, we are glad to be able to state more cor
rectly and distinctly the nature and extent Of
the appropriations actually made by HIM to
public uses. These, it will be seen from the
document quoted below, consist of two mum
iiclent endowments of specific branches of
Instruction the Fine Arts and in Natural
History, in Harvard College, an institution
IN which he has always taken deep interest,
having there received his academic education,
and having been during period OF ten years
a member of the Board of Overseers.
We learn that Mr.. Gray has by two wills,
of which his brother the Hon. John C. Gray,
and his nephew William Gray Esq, are APP
pointed executors, distributed the principal
part of his estate among the members of his
family, or for their benefit; and that Mr..
William Gray, one of the executors, besides
receiving among other relatives a specific leg
acy, is made sole residuarv legatee. In com.
hitting to Mr.. William Gray, one Of the ex-
eCulOIsJ Ine CuslOuy OF the VIII, ne aCltI6SS6u
to him a letter, in which his wishes in re er-
ence to this residuary grant are explained in
the following passages, which we are author
lied to make public:
"After providing fully for all the requests
III my will, including that to yourself, if there
shall remain, two years after my death, a sur
plus beyond everything given IN my will as
above, then l would wish you would out of
that surplus, and not otherwise, give TO Har-
ward College, or such other institution as you
see tit, by collection of eugravings, with all
books relating to that subject; including
Rosellini, Audubon and Wilson, &c, togeth-
er With sixteen thousand dollars; of which
one thousand and the income are to be appro-
priated in the first place to keeping the same
order, and to publishing a catalogue of the
same Is leave it
"And also give, out of sad surplus only,
to Harvard College or such other institution
as you see fit, the further sum Of fifty thou
sand dollars the income to be applied to es-
tablishing and maintaining Museum of Com
parative Zoology; not to be appended to any
other department, but to he under the charge
OF an Independent Faculty, responsible only
to the Corporation and 0verseers. No part OF
said incomeis 10 be expended for real estate or
the payment of salaries.
conditions and restrictions as you may see it,
And advise you TO consult Mr.. Louis Thies
of Cambridge, with regard 10 the engravings
and Professor Ag0ssiz with regard to the
Musuem of Comparative Zoology"
The will itself, we understand, contains no
alluslon to the particular subject of the above
appropriation, and contains no provision,
other than the residury grant above mention
ed, in whrch the public can have any inter-
est. There is, we believe, every reason to an
tcipate that the proceeds of tie estate left by
Mr.. Gray, will be ample to meet all the spe-
eihc requests in his will, with a residue more
than sufficient to cover the donations to the
amount of $4,000 named in the letter above
| quoted. The intrinsic value of the collection
of engravings, IN addition to the donation in
money, is doubtless far greater than their cost,
which is supposed to have been from S25, 900
to $4,000, many Of them being rare works
Of art which would be with difficulty procur-
ed al any cost. Boston advertiser.