QUEEN VICTORIA AS A MILLIONAIRE.

Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 197, 14 August 1873, Page 2

QUEEN VICTORIA AS A MILLIONAIRE.

Ov the 30th of August, 1852, there died a gentleman", aged" »'Vi*nt j-two) of the name of John Caindon Neild^ He wa» son of u Mr James Neild', who acquired a large fortune ns a gold and silversmith. Mr James Noild was born at Sir Hrnrv Holland's birthplace, Knutsforcl, a. market town in Cheshire, in 1711. Ho came to London when a boy, in 1760, the fir-t 3 ear ot George lll.'s reign, and was placed with one of the king's jewellers, Mr Hemming. Gradually working his way up. ho started on his own account in. St James's* street, <* very fashionable thoroughfare, and made a large fortune. In 1792 ho retired. Ho ap])cars to have been a man of rare benevolence and some literary ability. Ho devoted himself to remedying the condition of prisons, more especially those- in which persons wore confined for debt ; indeed, his efforts in this direction would seem to have rivalled thosa of Howard, ior m the course of forty years Mr Neild visited most of the prisons in Groat Britain, and was for many years treasurer, as well as one of the founders, of tho society for the relief of persons imprisoned for small debts. Me described his prison experience m ft series of papers in tho Gentleman's Magazine, which was subsequently republished, and highly praised by th,o Edinburgh Revieio. Mr Neild had threo children, but only one, John Camden Neild, survived him. This gentleman succeeded to his lather's very large property in ISI fc. Mr James Neild had ax-quired considerable landed estate, and was sheriff of Buckinghamshire, in 1804. His son received every advantage in the way of education, graduated M. A. at Trinity College, Cambridge, and was subsequently called to tho bar. klo proved, however, the verj reverse of Ins benevolent father. Ho was a miser born, and hid all his talents in a napkin, making no use of Ins wealth beyond allowing it to accumulate. From the daBe of the di-.ith of his father, who left him £250,000, besides real estate, lie had spent but a small portion of his income, and allowed himself scarcely the necessaries of life. He usually dressed in a blue coat witli metal buttons. This he did not allow to bo brushed, inasmuch as that process would have worn the nap. He was never known to wear an overcoat. He gladly accepted invitatioßS from his tena«bry r and would reuminon long visits, because he thus saved board. There is a story of how a benevolent gentleman once proffered assistance, through a chemist in tho Strand, in whoso shop he snw what he supposed bo be nr broken-down old gentleman, and received for reply " God blew your soul sir ! that's Mr Coatts the banker, who could buy up you and ico fifty times over." So with Mr Neild, his appearance often made him an object of chanty and comtnisseralion, nor would it appear that he was at all averse to be so regarded. Just before railwny travelling began' he had been on a visit to some oi his estates, and was returning to London. Tlw coach having stopped to illow of the pawengers getting 1 refreshment, all entered the hotel except old Neild. Observing the absence of the pinched, poverty-stricken old gentleman, some good-natured passenger sent llinr out a bumper of brandy-nnd-water, which the old niggard eagrrly oecep'.pd. A few day* before his death lie toUtone of Ins executors that he h.id made a most singular will, but that he had a right to do what he liked with his own. When the document was opened! it was- found that, with the exception of a few stmill le»aru>3, he had left all " to Her Most Gracious Majesty Quee l Victoria, begging her Majesty's most gracious acceptance of the same, for her sole use and benefit, and that of her heirs " Probably vanity dictated this bequest. To a poor old housekeeper who served him twenty-six years, he had left nothing ; to each of Ins executors, £100. But the Queen made a hr.iidsome provision for the former, and presented £1,000 to each of the latter ; and she further raised a memorial to the miser's memory. The property bequeathed 1o her amounted to upwards of £500, UO f > ; so that, supposing her Majesty to have spent every penny of her public and duchy of Lmeaster incomes, and to liave only laid by this legacy and tho interest on it, she would fronr tins source alone now bo woith at least £1,000,000 Ec this us it may, even that portion of the public winch survives her will probably never know the amount of ho- wealth, for the wills of kings and queens are not proved; so that there will be no enlightenment on this head vn th« pages of the I'lhtstrateit London iSdos. Both Osborne House in the L-lobf Wight, and- Balmoral, were bought prior to Mr Neild's bequest. Tlieic palnces are the personal property of her Majesty, and \uluable : probnbly the two 1 may, with their contents, be valued at «CuOO,OOO at the lowest. Thr building and repairs at these palaces aiv paid for l>y blie Queen, herself, but those of all fclip palaces ol tho Crown aro at the expense of the country, and about a million has been expended on Buckingham Piiliicu and Windsor Cnstle dii Ting the present reign. The claims made on the Qneen for charity are exceedingly numerous. They are all most carefully examined by tlie keeper of her privy purie, and help is invariably extended to proper objects. — L 'jtjtlncolVs Maaazine.