WIDOW'S MILLIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 70, 21 March 1908, Page 13

WIDOW'S MILLIONS.

FOUNDRESS OF GREAT LIBRARY WITH NOBLE COLLECTIONS. ROMANCE OF TKADE. Charity will benefit to a great amount by tue will of Mrs. Rylands (widow of John Rylands, the millionaire Manchester merchant), who died at Torquay last month. Before her marriage Mrs. n.vlands was Miss Enriqueta Tennant, daughter of a West Indian planter. She was the third wife of John Rylands, who dealt in Mane-lis-ter goods, and. from small beginnings, built up what was undoubtedly one of the biggest businesses in the world. He commenced with one man ana a boj-. and the warehouse now standing on the site of the oiiginal premises gives employment to 1100 ppop.'e. Altogether the firm now employs over 12.000 workpeople, and has cotton-spinning mills ana various factories in Manchester, London Gorton, Wigan, Swiuton, Healer, and Chorley. There were no children of the maniage. j and when Mr. Rylands died in ISSS. be left ; the whole of his vast estate, valued at over two and a half millions, to his widow. Mrs. Ryland's benefactions to Manchester and other places were on a magnificent scale. As a memorial to her liusband she erected at great cost the John Rylands Library in Manchester. A quarry in the Lake district was almost exhausted in finding stone for the building, which is one of the finest in the country. It contains the famous Altliorp Library of. 40,000 volumes, acquired by Mrs. Rylands from Earl Spencer. It is said that before Mrs. Rylands purchased it an jffer of £300,000 was leceivod for it from America. The Rylands Library has aiso the finest j collection, nest to that in the British Musei urn, of Bibles in existence. : lv 1002. the Victoria University, Manchester, conferred on Mrs. Rylands the Degree of Doctor of Leffers. and on the opening of ! the memorial libiary she was accorded toe honorary freedom of the city, tne only woj man who has received the honour. Mrs. Rylands was a devout Congregationlalist, and gave largely to that, denomination. JAt her house in Manchester she once gave a I gnrden party to 2000 people, and on that I occasion she authoiispd the Rev. Silvester I Home to announce th;;t she would give £25.000 for institutional work on a similar |sra!e to that at Whltefleld's, in London; and i that she would give also a central site and a Congregational church hou?e. Al this re- | presented £00.000—the largest sum that has ever been given for a fonvaid movement In Congregationalism. She vras a uotu'ile helper at Whitofleld's, too. When Mr. Home was waiting for £5000 or £0000 to complete the I fund for his work there a messenger came fiom Mrs. Rylands with a cheque for £4000. j She gave a large house In the Isle of Wight for a holiday home for Congregational ; ministers, and bm-fenfl up this presentation, like that of another home for Baptist and Congregational ministers in the island, with her personal care and supeivision. In the little village of Havpnstieet. whrre she and Mr. Rylauds used to live, she built a large institute for the people, and her death will he mourned sincerely in various parts of the island.