Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-04-27
A MISSING WILL. An instance Of the re-

A MISSING WILL An instance of the re
newal in sleep Of an impression Of memory call
ing up an ,apparition to enforce tit is the
impression which causes the appartion, not the
apparition which conveys the impression-oc-
Cured near Bath half q century ago Sir John
Miller, very wealthy gentleman, died, leaving
no children His widow had always understood
that she was to have the use Of his house for
life, with a very large jointure, but no will
making such provision could be found after
his death. The her-at- law, distant connec-
ton, naturally claimed his rights, but kindly
allowed Lady Miller to remain for six months
in the house to complete her search for the
missing papers.
The six months drew at last to close, and
the poor widow had spent fruitless days and
weeks in examining every possible place Of de-
post tor the lost document till at last she came
to the conclusion that her memory must have
deceived her, and that her husband could have
made no such promise as she supposed, or had
neglected to fulfil it had he made one. The
very last day Of her tenure Of the house had
just dawned. when in the gray OF the
morning, Lady Miller drove UP to the door
of her man of business in Bath, and rushed ex-
ctedly to his bedroom door, calling out,
Come to me have seen Sir John!
There is will = The lawyer FASTENED to ac-
company her back to her house. All that she
could tell him was that her deceased husband
had appeared to her in the night, standing by
her bedside, and had said solemnly, There is Il
will - Where it was remained as uncertain rs
before.
Once more the house was searched in vain
from cellar to loft, till finally, wearied and in
despair, the lady and her friend found them
selves in garret at the top Of the house. 1T
is all over Lady Miller said II give it up;
my husband deceived me, and am ruined 'At
that moment helooked at the table over which
she was leaning weeping. ''This table was in
his study once Let us examine it. " They look
ed, and the missing will, duly signed and seal
cd, was within it, and the widow was rich to
the end Of her days 1t needs no conjuror to
Sir John Millers appartion, and made him say
precisely what he had once before really said
to her, but of which the memory had waxed
faint.
RICHMOND IN THE LAST CENTURY. In the
American Gazetteer, published at London,
1852. during the French and English war, and
which is protusey illustrated with maps
there appears no mention Of Richmond what
ever which was founded twenty years before:
Henrico is described in one and half line Of
duodecimo. The james is called the Pow ha-
tan. Manchester is spelled Chester. Burnaby,
writing of the site of Richmond l759-6O, says,
Colonel Byrd has small place called Belyi-
dere, (now Oregon Hill, upon hill at the
lower end Of these falls, (James RIVER, as ro-
mantle and elegant rs anything | have ever
seen. 1t is situated very high, and commands
fine prospect Of the river, which is halt a
mile broad, forming cataracts in the manner
above described There are several little IS
lands scattered carelessly about, very rocky,
and covered with trees, and two or three vii.
lagos in view, at a small distance. Over all
these you discover prodigious extent OF viii
derness, and the river winding majestlcally
along through the midst of it,
About 1850, Richmond, began to be known
because of the removal Of the government
thither 1t was invaded by the traitor Arnold, ,
in 1881, who sent the famous Simcoe ahead OF
him. Simcoe describes Richmond as compos-
ed Of the upper and lower town-the lower be-
ing, we presume, Rockets, and the upper Bird
in Hand. t'o
Morse's Geography, according to Howe,
gives the first interesting account OF the city III
I7Sg Then it was said to contain three hun
dred houses. 1.-THE new houses are well built
A large and elegant State house or Capitol
has lately been erected on the hill. The lower
part of the town is divided by creek, over
which there is a bridge, which, for Virginia,
is elegant. A handsome and expensive bridge
between three and four hundred yards in length
has lately been thrown across James River, at
the foot of the falls, by Colonel John Mayo
l. Go. Il