Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1867-08-02
Ghe free press.
C. C. s Ii. l.. BENEDICT.
EDITORS AND PRoPRIETORs.
FRIDAY MORNING, AUG. .. 1867.
"Our English Estates"

OuI EetdltN.
1t is stated that meeting of the heirs o
the Ingraham estate, located at Leeds, Eng
land, was held at New York last week Il
adopt measures to secure possession Of The
property. 1t was stated that the will Of the
last living owner of the estate had been
found IN England, but that it was refused tc
be delivered up except on payment of S2O,-
900. The property Is reported to be worth
500. COO, goo, covering part of the city OF
Leeds.
Every little while appears such para
graph now it is the Joneses, now the
Smiths. now the Jenkinses, now the Browns
and lastly the Ingrahams, who have found a
mint Of money in the shape Of unclaimed es-
tatcs IN England. Some people appear
seized as with a mania for making them
selves out heirs 20 great estates, Of course
wronsfully and forcefully KEEP; from their
possession; whereby they become some
00GIes' at least in their own eyes. There
are never wanting shrewd men to work upon
this hallucination, prove by Indubitable
gencalogies, musty documents and land
tides. to the claimants satisfaction at any
rate, his uile To the said great estates, ami
pocket a round fee for said proof But
somehow the claims never get established in
law, nor do the American heirs ever really
get hold Of the property. If they should,
there's such a host Of them, in most cases,
that the largest property would be but
small sum apiece, supposing it could be d.
Yided up.
Hawthorne speaks OF this species of mania
as " diseased American appetite for Eng
lish soil" When he was Consul at Liver
pool, many instances Of American fortune
ck.ug in England came under his observa-
uln. He says, " \ mere coincidence Of
names, Gle Yankee one, Terhap=, having
been assumed by legislative pormission,) a
-uITosidtiJus pedigree, silver mug on
winch an ancicntly engraved clat-oi-arms
has been half-scrubbed out. a seal with an
uncertain crest. and an Old yellow letter or
document in faded INK. the more seantily
lc-illc Jhc bct,cr,-rubbish Of this kind.
found in a neglected drawer, has been po-
tent enough to turn the BRAN Of many an
honest Republican, especially If assisted by
an advertisement for lost heirs, cut out Of
British newspaper. There Is no estimating
or believing, till We come INTO a position TO
know it, what io5lery turks latent in the
breasts of very sensible people" One old
woman waited on him, with a great bundle
of documents, at the very first glimpse Of
which he apFrehended something terrible.
" Nor" he llntinues, " was mistaken.
The bundle contained evidences Of her in
dubitable claim to the site on which Castle
street, the Town Hail. the EIcha nge, and
al the business part of Liverpool, ave !oug
been situated and with considerable per-
emptorincss. the good lady signihed her ex-
p.ctatian that | should take charge Of her
suIt, and prosecute 1t to judgment; not,
however, on the equitable condition Of ro-
cciying half the value Of the property re-
covered, (Which, in case Of complete success,
would have made both Of US ten or twenty
fli millionaire, but without recompense
OF reimbursement of legal expenses, solely
as an incident Of my official duty. Another
time came two ladies, bearing letter Of
emphatic introduction from his Excelency
the Governor Of their native State, who tes-
tilted in most satisfactory terms to their So
cI4l respectabihty, They were claimants OF
a great estate IN Cheshire. and announced
themselves as blood-relatiyes Of Queen Vic
toria, "a point, however, which they deem
Cd it cxpedieut to keep in the background
until their territorial rights should be estab-
lishod apprehending that the Lord High
Chancellor might otherwise be less likely TO
come to a fair decision in respect to them,
from a probable disinclination to admit new
members into the royal kin. Upon my hon
or, imagine that they had an eye to the
possibility Of the eventual succession Of one
OF both of them TO the crown Of Great Brl-
tain through superiority Of title over the
Brunswick line; although, being maiden
ladies, ike their predecessor Elizabeth, they
could hardly have nopcd to establish last
ing dynasty upon the throne. 1t proves, l
trust, "a certain Observation-Disclosures on my part,
that, enccuntering them thus IN the dawn Of
their fortunes forbore to put in a plea for
a future duksdom.'