Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-02-04
Ambitious Wills.

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traordinary circumstances of that no.
bleman's inheritance. Lord Rendle-
sham is the eldest great grandson of
Mr.. Peter Thellusson, a native of &C.
neva, who settled in England, accumu-
lated a vast fortune, and seems likely
to enjoy Immortality by season of the
peculiarity..of his will. ......... NJ.
Mr.. ThellussOn, who died in 1897. is
believed to have added largely to his
means toward the close of his life
through the exigencies of distinguish
ed emigrants from France. He had q
close connection with that country in
more ways than one, his father having
been Swiss Envoy at the court of Louis
XIV, and when the troubles of the first
French Revolution burst upon the ar
istOcracy, who could only carry off
with them their jewels. Mr.. Thelusson
had splendid opportunities of purchas-
ing at low rates many of the finest col
lections of precious gems in the world.
Well known as Mr.. The1luson was in
his life time, he became far more fa-
nous at his death, by reason of his
extraordinary will. After making a
handsome provision for his family, he
bequeathed real estate worth $25, 1000 a
year, and money to the amount OF 49,
900, 900, to accumulate until his eldest
male descendent in the third gene1a-
tion-his great grandson-should be of
age, and in the event of his family be-
coming extinct, the property was to be
paid over to the Government to assist
in the extinction of the national debt.
The testatOr concluded the disposition
in the words:
GAS I have earned the fortune which
I now possess with industry and homes.
ty, [ trust and hope that the Legisla-
ture will not in any manner alter my
will, or the limitation thereby created,
but permit my property to go IN the
manner in which 1 hereby dispose Of
it."
The sons, however, were naturally
not particularly gratifed at a DISPOSE
ton of the property which cut them off
from the enjoyment of it, and were dis
posed to ask with the Irish Baronet,
"What has posterity done for us ~
Consequently, within very short time
the lawyers were hard at work to upset
the will and probably there have been
few men to whom the gentlemen of the
long robe" have had more reason to be
grateful than old Peter Thelluson.
What with immense sums spent in law,
and extravaganza and careless manage
ment on the part of the Trustees, who
contrived to get very pretty pickings
off the property, this fortune, which it
was computed, if all had gone as the
testators had hoped, would have
amounted on a moderate Calculation to
e100, 900, 600, was, when the heir, the
present Lord Rendlesham, at length
succeeded to it, scarcely worth mil
lion. ..
Although the Legislature declined
to upset Mr.. Thellusson's will, that
document gave rise to restricted legis-
lation in the matter of bequeathing
property, and the present law in Eng
land is almost Identical with the law of
Massachusetts,, and New York, viz.
Property may be set aside to accumu-
late during the lives of any number of
living persons, and for twenty-one
years after the last survivor. II Mr..
Thellusson's disposition Of his property
was specially made with view of his
being remembered by future genera
tons, he was successful, though not,
perhaps, quite in the way he wanted :;
for this Restriction act is always known
as the Thellusson act.
There is at this moment an estate in
England which has been nursed sue.
cessfully after this fashion. In 1880
there died Sir John Darlington, Wor-
cestershire Baronet the last. of a long
line in direct descent from an ancestor
included in almost the first batch of
Baronets created by the founder of that
order, James I. At the time of his
death Sir John had nephew-the son
of his sister-Mr. John Somerset Rus
sell, and this gentleman had son,
John Sidney, who was then four years
old. To Sir John Somerset Russell he
bequeathed portion of his property,
and that gentleman assumed the name
of Pakington. But the bulk of the
estate he left to the son which should
be born to John Sidney, the boy who
at his death was four years old; so that
this youth when he came of age, in
1869 found himself splendidly provided
for A desire that their property
mon in England among wealthy men,
duQ Is 10 ne dCCOuuGcu lOI NY uuS sup
position that testators think that they
will in this way the more effectually
preserve the recollection ofthemselves.
Many instances, similar to those men
toned, might be adduced, and doubt
less the Thellusson act was much
needed measu re. Occasionally, of
course, this kind of dispositions made
from the very different motive of de-
sire to pass over an unsatisfactory rel
ative. Thus Lord Westbury, the emil
nent lawyer, limited the share of his
property to be enjoyed by the present
Lord to $4,000 year, and it will
accumulate for the ne'er do wells son.
Testamentary dispositions springing
from vanity or caprice are usually, in
some way or other, signally frustrated,
as though higher power did not in
tend men to ordain what is to happen
after they have long been dust and
ashes.