A MILLIONAIRES HOBBIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11686, 22 June 1901, Page 2 (Supplement)

A MILLIONAIRES HOBBIES.

HOW SIR WILLIAM BROOKS SPENT HIS LIFE OX SCOTCH ESTATES. Prqbvmvi no more interesting personality has been brought before the public for many rears than that of the late Sir Willi; Ctm-

lin'e Brooks, against whose estate of some ' £3.000,000 claims are being made to the ; extent of £800.000. As will be remembered. I the case is now being tried in Edinburgh, i by which the claimants are endeavouring ! to prove that his chief residence was Glen j Tana, near Aberdeen. | In 1874 Sir William Brooks was called to 1 the Bar. At the death of his grandfather, I however, lie relinquished his practice, and became a partner in the great banking firm which bears' the family name. In 1379 the celebrated Glen Tana estates first came into prominence, and it would seem that many of his later eccentricities showed promise zi their future appearance soon after he acquired the petty. I.l'iT.l.'T.N'o A CHEAT RESIDENTS. When Sir Wihiam first rented the property from Lord Iluntly the house was merely a small fishing-bos. So he immediately set to work and practically rebuilt it, pulling down a great deal or small property to make loom for the new manor. From that time to the date of his death 200 workmen were constant'-.- employed in turning the onetime wilderness into a magnificent place of residence. According to Sir William's own estimate, lie spent riTgukulv £20,000 a year upon the property: arid this exclusive of I toe £150.000 which is slated as having been the initial price of the purchase. In nine or the cottages which he destroyed others, replete with every modern convenience, had t.i be erected; the course of the river was deflected to form miniature lakes and cascades; trees were planted, and in one case £10. vi- - paid by the ecce .trie millionaire tor the " wood" of a forest, so that i.e.- their becoming hi* property the trustees would be unable to sell them to timber merchants to be cut down.

in shirt, the whole of the neighbouring countryside Ins undergone a complete transformation at his hands. Even the deer forest lias not escaped "improvement." Within quite a short time of his occupation Sir William encircled its vast limits with a wire fen ire. seven feet in height, which was constructed in such a way as to allow deer to enter but not to leave it.

Among his tenants he was exceedingly popular. To their trifling troubles he seems to have lent a sympathetic ear. lie even went so far as to keep himself fully informed as to their condition when either in London or upon the Continent. To enable him to do this he established a system of secret espionage, paying gillies and keepers weekly wages for this purpose. .Stilus thus expended he invariably termed ill his cheque-book "spectacle money.'' An. instance of this has come to light during the recent litigation, in which the man reierrcd to acted as "piper, carpenter, clerk of the works, and general manager combined." I.i addition to his salary of nearly £3 a week, he was given £20 a year as "birthday money,"' £15 for acting as organist in the private chapel, and £10 as " spectacle money." .SOME QUAINT YARN'S. He was never so happy as when stalking in the deer forests, accompanied by his favourite keeper, Donald Mackintosh. And of these two men several amusing anecdotes are told. One of them relates how Mackintosh found a big rock in the Tana waters, and said to Sir William that he would very much like to have it placed upon his grave v. hen he died. As the same idea had already occuried to Sir William, he announced that "Masters should come first and servants afterwards." The keeper, with the customary license of old retainers,- promptly disputed the point, and after a lengthy argument induced his master to agree that the first one to die should have the stone. Poor "Mac' died first and the rock now forms the headstone of his grave.

As .further illustrating the relations which existed between these two, the story is record' ! of an incident which happened while they were travelling in the Far East. Upon the quay where they had landed Sir William suddenly stopped short, and asked Donald whether he had any money in his pockets. '• : r.f ■: ■■■;■: yes," replied the unsuspecting gillie, pulling out a handful of gold and silver from his pocket. " Here's as muckle as'll rice for a day or twa." Whereupon Sir William, without a word of warning, Hung out his hand and scattered the coins oyer the quayside, to the evident consternation of his canny companion. Nor did he lose the opportunity of reading him a long lesson on the foolishness of thus wantonly exposing one's wealth to the gaze of possible criminal eyes.