, 1880-08-13
CLOSING OUT !!
REMNANTS. Odd LOTS.
Without Regard TO Value. ,,'.,.,,. ,..
MELLIS BROS. g. CO. .S." .s,',""@ ..
Testamentary Curicslties.

One Of the most extraordinary wills
was the one by which, about a century
ago, the Duchesse de Praslin disinherit-
ed her own children, under the unac-
countable impression that her husband
had substituted changelings for her own
offspring. In great number Of cases
the eccsntricity Of the testator wasshown
in tine curious directions he gave for the
disposal of his remains. Thus the Sieur
Benoit directed that he should be buried
Sin my large leathern trunk, instead Of
putting my executors to the expense OF
O coffin" This trunk had thrice gone
with him round the world, and he ex-
pressed himself very much attached to
it. The Comte du Chatelet,9 who died
six centuries ago, was Of a lefs humble
mind regarding his interment: He.ot.
dered one Of the pillars in the church Of
Neufchateau to be followed out for the
reception Of his remains, gin order that
the vulgar may not walk about on me-"
An instance Of cremation took place in
England in 1869, when the remains OF a
lady who had resided at George-st,,
Hanover,square, were "burned to ashes
in the new buiying ground adjoining
Tyburrrturnpike. In another part Of
the look the author tells how ga Scotch
gentleman, having two young daughters,
Ibsueathed to each her weight, not IN
jg&d, but in 81 notes." The elder, be-
ing the Simmer, Received only 95l, 200,
while tie younger got S57,344. This
story, however, is unauthenticated by
either dates or names, and we are dis
posed, therefore, to regard it as oaly-ben
,trovato. al 10 q OF .ss5, -
Some carious willis havs'been made in
favor Of pet animals A French peas
ant left the following testamentary dis
position behind him in 1881: 81 declase
that ! appoint my russet cob my uniyey
sal heir, and l desire that he may belong
to my nephew George. More than
century before that, Madame Dupuis,
famous harpist, gave the most minute
directions for the comfortable haaihten-
ance Of her two cats after her owt 'db
mise. Not less than thirty SONS b week
was to- be. Jaid oout on tbemiiiu order
"that they may live wellST They were
| to be, served daily with two meals of
meat eopp tthes same as Ne e6t G our
selves" each cot having its own plate.
iIhfo ths;Soup m6ssels, bf SbreAa L"ab9ut
the size Of nut" were to be placed, and
after this course was finished, the lucky
tabbies were to be served with "a ration
of meat, finely minced, mildly seasoned,
and carefully simmered." We fear that
those cats lived but short time after
their mistress's death, as the viii offered
no inducements to keep them alive, but
very much the contrary,
Among the bequests to wiyes---pe
haps the most amusing chapter in the
Nbook-that of John George, Of Lambeth,
who died in 1871, is conspicuous for its
bitterness. After declaring that "the
strength of Samson, the genius Of Ho-
mer, the prudence of Augustus, the skill
Of Pyrrhus, the patience of job, the phil.
osophy Of Socrates, the subtlety Of Han.
nibal, the vigilance Of Hermogenes would
not suffice to subdue the perverlity epf
her character" he bequeathed to his
wife Elizabeth the sum of one shilling
William Pym, Of Woolavington, Somer.
set, was of much more forgiving nature.
He, too, fancied he had grave cause for
complaint against his spouse, whom he
charged with having made his life mis-.
cradle Nevertheless, when he quilted
this world III 1908, he left Xantippe
"tenn pounds to buy her gret horse,
for l. could not this nanny years plesef
her with one gret enough" Governor
Blackett-what country did he govern2
left it as q personal request to his
'dear wife" that, inasmuch as "she had
been troubled with one old fool, not to
think of marrying another" From the
fact of the words "old foop being placed
between quotation marks, it may be in
ferred that Mrs. Blackett was in the
habit of SO addressing her husband.
All old lady visiting the Antiquarian