A FAMOUS WILL.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 344, 11 March 1911, Page 7

A FAMOUS WILL.

+_._ "It Looks Decent to See an Old Maid taking Snuff. The August part of "Chambers's Journal" contains a copy of the will of Dr. William Dunlop, an Ayrshire man who, during the earlier portion of his career held a commission in the Connaught Rangers, seeing active service in the American War of 181315, and subsequently in India. In 1826 he settled down, in Western Ontario, at Gooderich, and was long the leading member of the somewhat primitive community. Among his most valued possessions was a set of twelve large decanters irreverently dubbed "The Twelve Apostles." He and his brother kept open house, and the Doctor's favourite query, "Will ye tak' a drink?" was always supplemented by "No man must go from my house either hungry or dry." The following is the will above alluded to : "Id the name of God, Amen.

"I, William Dunlop of Gairbraid (Gairbraid was the name he had his house), Western Canada, Esquire, being in sound health of body and mind, which my friends who do not natter me say is no great shakes at the best of times, do make my last Will and Testament as follows, revoking of course all former wills : I leave the property of Gairbraid and all other property I may be possessed of to my sisters Helen Boyle Story and Elizabeth Boyle Dunlop, the former because she is married to a minister, whom (may God help him !) she henpecks ; the latter because she is married to nobody, nor is she likely to be, for she is an old maid and not market-rife. And also I leave to them and their heirs my share of the stock and implements upon the farm, providing always that the enclosure round my brother's grave be reserved ; and if either of these should die. without issue the other is to inherit the whole.

"I leave to my sister-in-law Louisa Dunlop all my share of the household furniture and such traps, with the exceptions hereafter mentioned. "I leave my brother-in-law Allan my big silver snuff-box, as I am informed he is rather a decent Christian, with a swag belly and a jolly face. "I leave my silver tankard to the eldest son of old John as the representative of the family. 1 would have left it to old John himself, but he would have melted it down to make temperance medals, and that would have been a sacrilege. However, I have left him my big horn snuff-box ; he can only make temperance horn spoons out of that. "I leave my sister Jenny my Bible, the property formerly of my great-great-grandmother Betnia Hamilton of Woodhall, and when she knows as much of the spirit as she does of the letter she will be another guise Christian than she is. I leave my late brother's watch to my brother Sandy exhorting him at the same time to give up Whigging and Radicalism and all other sins that do most easily possess him. I leave my brother-in-law Allan my punch-bowl, as he is a big, 'gaussy' man and likely to do credit to it. I leave to Parson Chirussie my big silver snuff-box I got from the Simcoe -Militia, as a small token of my sister Maggie, whom no man of taste would have taken. "I leave to John Cadell a silverteapot, to the end that he may drink tea therefrom to comfort him under the affliction of a slatterly wife. I leave my books to my brother Andrew, because he has been so long a 'jungle wallah' that he may yet learn •to read with them. I leave my silver cup with the sovereign at the bottom of it to my sister Janet Graham Dunlop, because she is an old maid and pious, and therefore given to horning ; and also my grandfather's snuff-box, as it looks decent to see an old maid taking snufl. (Signed) "Willian? Dunlop."