The daily gazette., 1879-07-18
FIRST . EDITION.
From the Press.
rHE PRINCE IMPERIALD WILL.

= AASA
From the Press.
THE PRINCE IMPERIALS WILL.
Y oung Napoleon left hslograph will,
''done at Camden Place. Chiselhl,rst, the
28th of February, 1872" not attested by 4
any witnesses, but, from the first word
to the last in his ownhandwriting. Ac--
cording 10 tie SiaNl Of Englahd Che
Wills act, Victoria, chapter 28), a
will must be executed in presence of
two witnesses, who see the testator sign
it, or at least acknowledge it, and are
both present at the time. According to
the Scotch law and practice, holograph
will (that u. wholly iwfltlan ss, well as
signed by the testatOr) does not require
witnesses 10 make It operative When
this will 10 brought up for probate In
London, near which 1t was executed, the
recording officer may declare that, not
being signed by witnesses, II is not a
legal document. In such case the EN-
press Eugene, as n<stof KIN, will prob
ably take cut letter. Of administration,
as she would hsse Hme had there BEEN
no willS P1obsbIy Zoo, ,sshe win endeav-
OF 10 carry Out, Dy eHthc hcaio IN Asci
power, the testamentary wishes Of her
deceased son. The question may arise:
"What is her pecuniary ability TO do
this ?" Il f1tE HL'EI l
The general belief is that the Empress
HEugehie, during her nine years resi-
dence in England, has not been In
condition of pecuhlafyl prosperity. Her
husband and herself neglected whilst on
the throne to make any prudential pro-
vision for the "rainy day" which gener-
ally comes to mortals once at least in
their course OF lite. They appear to
have been all UNCONSCIOUS Of any future
shadow to Ddull the brightness Of their
exalted lot. They acted as II they had
made the wheel Of fortune pause in Its
downward course.
In Martins Statesman's Yearbook
for 1S7OLtlie yearlwhen the Empire was
shattered-we find q semi-Ofiicial state
mcnt, which had regularly appeared year
after year In previous vplumes. 1t runs
thus: "Nopeleon LII. has larger civil
list than any other monarch in Europe.
Besides fixed annual revenue Of 25,-
OOO, 600 francs, or f1 ,OO0, 600 sterling, his
Imperial Majesty has the income Of the
Grown domains, amounting TO about ~
OOO, 900 francs, Of f4S0, 900, and the free
possession Of a number Of palaces, parks,
forests and mansiOns, kept at the ex-
pense of the State. The Crown do
mains include a considerable portion of
| the estates of the Orleans family,
confiscated by Imperial decree of Janua-
ry ~, 1852. 1t is calculated that the to-
| tai revenue of Napoleon iii. reaches the
| sum OF 42,0O0,0 600 francs, or f1,6oO,OOO
I a year, which income, however, has been
surpassed Of late by the annual expendi-
ture. The debts on the Imperial civil
list are stated to amount to shove 1OO,-
600, 600 francs, or f4,00O,O00.
With an income of $S,40O,OO0 year
and free occupancy of furnished palaces
and mansions, Napoleon Ill. also con-
triyed to run into debt to the amount OF
$40, 900, 600, and when he found an asy-
lum in England was understood 70 have
only the rental of his wife's Spanish es-
tates to live upon. She also had some
property m Paris, chiefly consisting OF
handsome mansions in the new boule-
Yards created by Baron Haussman in
that city, but these had TO be sold under
inevitable legal process, at the suit oi
the craving creditors who ought to have
been paid out of the civil list. Yet here
in the Prince mpxrial'sf viii, are Ilega
cies TO the aggreeate amouht> Of 900OOt
francs, in hard cash (this-is $lSO,OO0)
and also fe-pensions of $780, a yeal
to five other kgstees; Il =,
Other beauests personal souvenirs o
more Interest than -vsiue. to- near reia
tlons, friends and members Ofthe house
hold al Chiselhurst, need not be par
ticularly noticed. But, the trouble is
Il where can the Empress Eugen.e fin'
$3.50, 900 to pay her sons money bequests
Gould young Napoleon have been i'm
pressed, in any way, with the idea tha
lie had $180;O0O at his disposal withou
pi essing on the limited means Of hi
mother, whom he so dearly loved ? :,
History is constantly repeating Itself
as the proverb says. In April 1921, FEY
DAYS before his death, Napoleon l., thel
a captive in. ST. Helena, made his las
will, which was eventually lodged In tn
Ecclesiastical Court in LondoI
; subsequently given up to Napoleon LII
and is now preserved among the nations
archives of France. BY this will he b'
queatled nsny millions Of francs TO var
ods persons, stating that on ileavin
Paris in 1916 he had deposited 6,OOO,O(
francs with Latitte, the banker, who wi
to pay him five per cent. thereon, an
! that Marie Louise, his wife, owed hi
2,OOO, 900; a ike sum being due he d
ciared, from Eugene Beaahsrnais b
, step-son.
In addition, he stated that he had all
left in Paris his private domain, create
to the amount OF 200, 100000 francs, o,
. of the savings of 100000 francs p'
a annum out Of his civil list in fourtee
y years, besides other property. But,
actual money, Napoleon l. estimate
= that he was worth $42, ,0OO, 900, and mat
numerous and munificent bequests o
of that capital. When this was final
. inquired into on behalf Of the legatee
J h turned out that the entire wealth
the discrowned captive ofSt. Helena v
uudefl, 600, 900 francs, or S2OQ GOO Of Q
noneyI There need not be much 81
prise if.lthe Prince Ipperial's none
bequests should be as unsubstantiai
those of his famous granduncle.
~ Someone writes to the New York s
na-ar,,1 HoupnckSa C1aivla