WINE LEFT TO TEETOTALLER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21578, 25 February 1932, Page 7

WINE LEFT TO TEETOTALLER

FIFIT-YEAR-OLD LEGEND POPULAR BELIEF DISPELLED. A 50-yiear-old legend about some priceless b.otf les of wine has been finally “ scotched ” by Dr J. D. Rolleston, of Fulham. Hospital, says a London newspaper. When Sir Walter Trevelyan, the celebrated naturalist and antiquarian,, died in 1879, he left the contents of his wine cellar to Sir Benjamin Richards on to be devoted to scientific purpose^. Sir 'Benjamin was an eminent physiciat i and had made a scientific investigaJtj on of the alcohol problem. He was alsd a very strict teetotaller. Such a legacy was naturally most embarrassing,, and though many of Sir Benjamin's* friends offered to help in disposing tftf the bottles he was popularly supposfefl to have had the whole lot poured «lown the sink. “ This story was widely circulated,” iDr Rolieston said recently, “ for Richardson was well known as a most rigid tidtal abstainer. In actual fact, howevear,, it is quite untrue. The wine is still, .safe in the bottles, for, because he did; aot know what to do with it, he decided to do nothing at all. Most of the vriiVe seems to be of a good Burgundy Type, and probably dates from about. 1820.”

Sir, Benjamin died in 1896, but early this year the wines were still in the possession of the Richardson family. Last »ftily a large consignment was sent to Puoftessor W. E. Dixon at the Pharmacological Laboratory at Cambridge, the fete ntion being that it should be devoted 1 o those scientific purposes for which.: t was originally bequeathed.