The Portland daily press., 1880-02-27
THE HYDE ESTATE.
A Settler for the Claimants.

Ever since the PRESS published statement
taken from Digby, N. S., paper, in reference
to the so-called Hyde Estate letters have
poured in from all parts of the country, from
presumed heirs, asking questions which would
have required the services Of special secre-
tary to answer. A Portland gentleman sets
the question of large property awaiting the
heirs in the bank of England at rest by the
following letter:
PARIS, France, Feb. 9th.
Many of the readers of the PRESS will re-
member having seen, from time to time in
different papers OF the country, statements
concerning large sum of money said to have
been deposited, long ago. in the Bank of Eng
land, by one Hyde, an officer in the British
army, who, on account of some misdemeanor,
was forced to leave the country, and coming
to America settled somewhere in the Provinces
where he soon after died. The money is sup
posed to have have remained in perfect se-
curity, accumulating interest until sufficient
interest was awakened in the mind of some
one to discover that the talents so deposited
had gained other talents until the sum amount
ed to many millions of pounds-or dollars,
forget which. The question now incidentally
arose-to whom does the money belong? Who
are the heirs or legal claimants?
Being in London recently and furnished
with proper credentials, easily obtained, l
street," sought an interview with the chief
cashier, which was obtained with equal ease,
and made known my errand. The cashier
seemed to be 'a nice man." and I could hardly
fail to notice that, although the more conspicu-
GUS portions of his linen were of immaculate
whiteness, they didn't appear to be starched to
undue stiffness, nor were the heels of his boots
of greater altitude than was consistent with
the prevailing fashion This statement is
made in controversion of notion which has
in Of, &c Oh,
class in callow days, 1 was one-that public
functionaries particularly in the mother coun-
try, are possessed of SO great an excess of dig
nifty as to render them we'll nigh unapproach-
able.
A knowledge of the nature of the business
which brought us together seemed to put the
cashier in infinite good humor And without
to let down with too great jolt the anticipa-
tions OF those who may have indulged the hope
of being of the Hyde heirs, and of some day
having their finances augmented by an influx
OF British gold or pile of notes of the Bank of
England, may as well state abruptly that the
gentleman to whom 1 have alluded answered
me that he knew of no money remaining in
the Bank awaiting the claim or claims of any
one, unknown to the officers of the Bank, nor
did he know of any circumstance from which
the statements relating to such money could
have sprung. Presuming that in common
with the 1889 other persons said to be employed
in this greatest monied institution in the
world, his time might be more or less valuable,
and after the customary formality of leave-tak-
ing and an expression of desire to look over
the premises we left the room, preceded by
'funky" in claw-hammer coat, of chocolate
color and with brass buttons, who after we
had been conducted into the presence of other
officials and had signed sundry papers and
divers books, conducted us through the vari-
GUS apartments usually shown to visitors and
in which, so far as we could judge, everything
done "decently and in order" We do not
state it as a fact from any positive knowledge
of our own, but we have no doubt that the
finances of the institution are in healthy con-
dition.
Anyway we shall continue to consider as an
undoubted compliment the comparative saying
"good as the Bank of England" j. c.. c.