THE TAYLOR MILLIONS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1833, 21 August 1913, Page 4

THE TAYLOR MILLIONS.

Sir,—After the lapse of some ten years the old myth of tho alleged "Unclaimed Taylor Millions" has again been revived, aiul published largely, us an item ot tact, in Butish, American, Canadian, and, in some instances, Australian newspapers, and the opportunity is too tempting not to be availed of by agents of duuioiis character, for the purpose of extracting l'eej from the public. All the Taylors in Australia and New Zealand are now receiving circular letters on the subject from alleged next of kin agents (ono of whom operates in a neighbouring State), asking a, tee of -0:>. lor information and particulars of tho Taylor unclaimed estate, amounting to .i' 5,000,000, which they affirm awaits the next of kin. A short statement of tho real facts may save your readers from paying fees and wasting their substance in pursuing a'shadow.

The legends of these millions is that one Peter Taylor, iv native ot i'alkirk, left that town iu the i-nriy part of 1800, after a bitter and violent quarrel with his . brother, and emigrated-.o Holland, whoro lie married a Dutch lady, and afterwards added the name "Van Dor Huiet" to his own. The bitterness entertained by Taylor towards his brother,- it is represented, was not softened in course of time, as the story is that he left a considerable sum of money, computed to amount with added interest to over five millions sterling (English nionoy) to a nephew named Peter Taylor, then resi<ent in Haarlem, with a proviso that in the event of tho nephew dying without issue, the fortune should be held for 100 years, and then divided amongst his next of kin, so that the brother, with whom ho had quarrelled, could not receivo any personal benefit. The nephew, it is alleged, died 90 years ago, leaving no issue, and that the millions are now, distributable among the next of kin. Owing to the huge sum.said to havebeen at stake, enormous numbers of the Taylor clan throughout tho world put in claims, more particularly those of British and American descent, and the British and United State Consulates at Amsterdam wero besieged with'.inquiries .by solicitors and others asking for information. We ourselves made inquiries at tho time, and we're assured by our agents that no such an unclaimed estate existed. In looking through our file in the matter, we note that Mr. W. A. Churchill, the British Consui-General at Amsterdam, under date November 4, 1911, in reply to a correspondent, sent him a copy of a ciroular letter, which he had printed to save time in replying to the enormous mass of correspondence he had received on tho subject, which reads: "The' British Con-' sulate ,'at Amsterdam presents his compliments, and in reply' to the inquiry concerning an .unclaimed estate in Holland, begs'to. stato that -the execution' of the Litw of Limitations, 1852,. disposed of all unolaimed estates in Holland prior to 1852, arid that it is needless to make, further inquiries iii the matter." On- November G, 1911, tho British Consul again wrote as follows:—

"I liavo your letter of . tlie 2nd inst., which was answered by a circular card in my absence, and have Teplied that there are no unclaimed estates in Holland, like the one in question... Tho-firm of Glasgow solicitors who have received from me full particulars concerning the administration of old'estates in Holland intend to publish an article in tho Scottish newspapers, in order to protect people against unscrupulous persons who trade on . their credulity." Again, on November 10, 1911, the Consul, in.' reply to' art argument that tho Law of' Limitations Act, 1852, did not apply to property held in escrow, said:— "In . reply to your post-card .and letter of the 7th inst., I beg to inform you that I know, that a Glasgow firm- of solicitors are prosecuting .inquiries on behalf of a number of "the descendants of Peter Taylor.' . Tlioy apparently believe that the Law of Limitations does not apply to property held' in escrow (a deed which does not come into existence, until,tho fulfilment of a condition), but the;Succes- : sion Laws of Holland,' -'which' .its based upon the Code Napoleon, and have been 'enforced for the last 100 years, do not allow property to be held in escrow. In other .words, estates have to bo distributed according to law, arid not, as 'with us, according to the wishes (eccentric or otherwise) of'tho testator." Warnings have been publicly given by the "authorities in Holland, cautioning persons against "the perfect folly of spending time or money" towards the collection of what are known as "old Dutch, estates." Tho United States Consul at Amsterdam somo years ago reported that for three months inquiries on the above subject woro so numerous as to almost baffle replies, and threatened to interfere .seriously , with the regular business of'his office, ancl the Bank of Holland, in which the unclaimed millions are alleged to be deposited, does not exist. If the Taylor or other unclaimed estates over had been in existence, then thoy wOukl clearly como within the provisions of the Statute of Limitations passed by the Dutch Parliament in 1852, % which all unclaimed inheritances are irrevocably escheated to tho State after' a lapse of five, years. As tho U.S. Consul at Amsterdam pithily reported regarding these unclaimed millions: "Thev -do not exist, tliey are myths and Will-o'-the-W-isp fakes."

The newspapers also appear to lie at variance Tegardin? dates in tho matter. Some of them state that the deceased Peter, Taylor emigrated from Falkirk-to Holland in 1821, whilst others state lie died'there' in 1785. In. the latter case the 100 years would have elapsed in 1885. whilst' in the former case, the period, could not possibly lapse till after 1921; so that in cither case it is clear that tho statements .that 100 years has just elapsed since the dpnth of 'Peter Taylor must bo incorrect.—We are. etc.,

LLOYD. AND CO Lloy<l«' Next of Kin Offices, Melbourne, August 11, 1913.