The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-10-24
England's Wealthiest Sons.

The two wealthiest Englishmen, so far
at least as personal estate goes, who have
ever lived in England, have died within
the last decade. They were Mr.. Morri-
son and Mr.. Brassey. The personal
property of the first was sworn under
twenty million dollars; that of the sec
ond under thirty millions but it is un-
derstood that great deal of Mr.. Bras
seys estate has not yet been sworn for
duty, owing to difficulties in appraising
it, and that, in fact, it will prove to be
nearly one hundred millions when this
has been done. Both these men, like
most of those who have made the very
largest fortunes, began life poor. Mr.
Morrison entered a dry-goods ware
house, where he contrived to secure the
affections of his employers daughter
They were married, and he was taken
into the business, to which he ultimately
succeeded.
One great stroke he made was the
buying of all the Grape in England, in
anticipation Of the death of the Princess
Charlotte, of Wales. This lucky hit is
supposed to have put very large sum
of money into his pocket.
He invested large portion of his
enormous wealth in real estate, and be-
came one of the greatest landlords in
the United Kingdom. His principal
country residence was Basildon Park,
near Reading, in Berkshire. 1t is a
stately mansion, standing in a very
pleasant park, and filed with magnifi-
cent collection of works of art, of which
he was a very liberal purchaser. The
very bookcases, tables, and chairs, were
designed by men such as Sir Charles
Eastlake, r. A. In the dining-room
were two columns of rare and beautiful
marble, purchased from church in Italy
at prodigious price. These pillars were
extraordinarily heavy, and considerable
difficulty was experienced in bringing
them to their destination, the roads be-
ing, at various points, quite broken into
holes by the weight. Besides his collec-
ton at Basildon, Mr.. Morrison had a
gallery of choice pictures at his home in
London.
He was not in the least ostentatious,
nor did he ever evince the tendency, so
common to nOugeaMu riches, of toadying
people of rank, his principal associates
being eminent artists.
Toward the close of his life he became,
as so often happens in the case of very
rich men, oppressed with the idea that
he was miserably poor and should die a
pauper; and O small sum was paid to
him every week, as wage, to humor his
fancies.
Mr.. Morrison left several sons. To
the eldest he bequeathed the interest in
vol OF a1 OF h,,,,
dredand fifty thousand dollars a year
(Which that gentleman sold to a oint-
stock company, and further very extern
sive estates.
To the second he left some two hun
dred thousand dollars year. and to the
Others incomes varying from sixty to
eighty thousand dollars.
All his sons have turned out steady,
respectable men; and one is a we'll
known Liberal member of Parliament.
Mr.. Brasseys great fortune was the
result, in the first instance, of successful
railway contracts, and then of the accu-
mutations consequent upon the great
sums thus made. Like Mr.. Morrison,
he was the least ostentatious of men,
and, like him, too, was fortunate in a
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Indeed, Mr.. Brassey's expenditure, SC
far as his establishment, ETC., went, prob
ably did not exceed fifty thousand dol
lars year, when his income was two
million dollars year. Like Mr.. Morri-
son, he was fortunate in his children
He had three-all sons. They bear the
highest character, and now have divided
among them the colossal fortune which
their father and mother only seemed tc
care for in so far as it would contribute
to their children's happiness.
1t is remarkable that these two men
England's wealthiest sons-should al
their life have been Indifferent to what
most successful men in their country as.
pire to-a seat in Parliament. Mr.. Nor
rison, we believe, did occupy one for 6
brief time, but Mr.. Brassey never. Two
Of his sons are now very useful members
of Parliament.--R IVynt0rd, in apple,
TOMS Journal.