FOUNDLING TO MARQUIS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12931, 29 July 1905, Page 2 (Supplement)

FOUNDLING TO MARQUIS.

ROMANTIC STORY OF A MISSING

CHILD.

By the mail steamer Orotava, which arrived at London the other day, there travelled from Fremantle, West Australia, a youth who was brought up in a. foundling hospital and who lijs established his claim to be the Marquis of Tuilliano, of Italy, and the owner of estates worth £20,000 a year.

The life-story of the youth, who had been given the name of " Ambrose" at the foundling institution, is a particularly romantic one. When a little child, he was left in the care of a lady frTend while liis parents went on a tour for the benefit of his mother's health. The guardian undertook a sudden journey on hearing of the serious illness of a distant relative, and she was killed in a carriage accident.. The child was saved, but as it could not be identified it was sent to a Government-foundling institution. The parents subsequently searched in vain for the child. About live years after the infant's disappearance the father, whe was •jheir-presumptive to the Tuilliano marquisate, was killed Avliilo hunting, and the widow died of a broken heart. Twelve months ago the Marquis of Tuilliano, and uncle of the missing child, died without issue. In the ordinary soiirse the estates and title would have inverted to his 'brother, the father of the missing child.. It was '.it this stage that a firm of solicitors in Turin, who had charge of the family estate, discovered the first clue to the missing heir. He was traced from the family who first succoured him to the authorities, and finally to the foundling home, in which he had lived until about the age of twenty, j It was through the authorities at this institution that " Ambrose," by which name lie was known, was tracked to West Australia. and finally to St. John's Hospital at Kalgoorlic, where he was employed as a handy-mail. "Ambrose" went to Australia eighteen months ago, at the instance of another youth, named Francisco, who was reared at the same institution and who had emigrated to . West Australia. The first communication received by "Ambrose" respecting his unlooked-for good fortune reached him six months ago, but wi>» only in the nature of an inquiry, and the information was too meagre to furnish' the recipient with any definite clue as to what was about to transpire. Other letters followed, and it was explained that the questions put were asked in regard to the disappearance of the boy who was the heir to the Tuilliano estates. " Ambrose," however, treated the communications lightly, as he believed that a mistake had been made, and it was onlv at the urgent solicitation of his friend Francisco, who thought "there might be some- ! thing it," that he sent all possible information (to Ttalv. Three weeks before the Orotava left Australia "Ambrose re- | ceived a communication telling him to return to Italy at once, as 'lis right to the title of tin! late marnuis had been established. Funds were placed' at his disposal. " Ambrose" decided to obey the summons, and cabled his intention of doing so.