DICKENS' WILL.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 16, Issue 829, 30 September 1870, Page 3

DICKENS' WILL.

The text of Mr Dickens' will has been published this morning. It is written in blue ink, and fills a sheet of letter paper. The personalty was sworn under «£BO,QOQ. After a number of bequests, including 41.000 to Miss Ellen Ternan, and nineteen guineas to every servant about hjs house and estate who should have been in his employment a year, and a provision for his daughter Mary, Mr Dickens bequeaths to his "dear sister-in-law, Georgina Hogarth," .£B,OOO free of legacy duty, together with all his personal jewellery not otherwise disposed of, " and all the little familiar objects from my writing-table and toy room, and she will know what to do with those things. I also give to tjje said Georgina Hogarth all my private papers whatsoever and wheresoever, and I leave her my grateful blessing, as the best and truest friend man ever had," In the latter part of the will Miss Hogarth is again referred to in these words;—*•** I solemnly enjoin my dear children always to remember how much they owe to the said Georgina Hogarth, »nd never to be wanting in a grateful and affectionate attachment to her, for they know well that she has been through all the stages of their growth and progress, their ever-useful, self-denying and devoted friend," Then follows this passage: — '• And I desire here ' simply to record the fact that my wife, since our separation by consent, has been in the receipt from me of an annual income of six hundred pounds j while all the great charges of a

numerous family have devolved wholly upon myself." His sons, Charles and Henry Fielding are constituted trustees of the sum of .£B,OOO, with instructions to pay the interest annually to Mrs Pickens during her lifetime. The gold repeater presented to Mr Dickens at Coventry is bequeathed to his ** dear and trusty friend John Forster." To Mr Forster also are bequeathed all the MSS. of Mr Dickens* published works which should be in his possession at death. Lastly, Mr Forster and Miss Hogarth are appointed trustees and executors, and guardians of his children during their minority. The will thus concludes:— " I emphatically direct that I be buried in an inexpensive, unostentatious, and strictly private manner, that no public announcement be made of the time or place of my burial, that at the utmost not more than three plain mourning coaches be employed, and that those who attend my funeral wear no scarf, cloak, black bow, long hatband, or other such revolting absurdity. I direct that my name be inscribed in plain English letters on my tomb without the addition of * Mr.' or ' Esquire/ I conjure my friends on no account to make me the subject of any monument, memorial, or testimonial whatever, I rest my claims to the remembrance of my country upon my published works, and to the remembrance of my friends upon their experience of me; in addition thereto I commit ray soul to the mercy of God through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and I exhort my dear children humbly to try to guide themselves by the teaching of the New Testament in its broad spirit and to put no faith in any man's narrow construciion of its letter here or there." —Pull Mall Gazette, July 21.