A MUNIFICENT BEQUEST.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1370, 4 May 1883, Page 2

A MUNIFICENT BEQUEST.

(NewZeahi^ We column: thevdeeease. -Sir very old- : settler, Mr Edward Costley, who died: - : yesterday, afternoon at the residence of : Mr. andMra^cWle/Ohapel-Bt: (with•:" whom he had lived seventeen years) at the ripe old :age of \ mghtyirine.:^Mr ; : ■ Costley arrived I Islands from Sydney 'about 1838.. -He' \ ' • was rather-'reticent .as to hisdpmgvbK'from by him. at various' times he left Ireland (of which country he was a native) about fifty - ago, on Jiisltay ■ ta the Australian colonies called at the Gape of Good Hope and Tasmania. In talking of the early days of Old Auckland he was wont to say hereinerabered the first burial in the Symoiids street Cemetery.: It was that [of! a soldier. He followed thefuneral ; through' ! tie fern as far as he could until he was tired out, and then he.retraced his footsteps; A few' tents:'sprinkled about the beach of Town (or-;Gpmmer-cial) Bay constituted: the City| of Auckland. Being a man; of.shrewd business capacity, 'he'invested'''the money he brought with; him judiciously in allotments in various parts...of. the city, andwith the growthof seUlement and population ; these have 'become enormously valuable. they have been built upon, and the rents re-instated .in real, estate. Mr Costley was a most peculiar habits,'and most; eccentric in some of his ways-a curious compound of penuriousness and liberality.!;; -His word was his bond, and where 'heihad made verbal engagements only respecting property, no proffered advance could induce him to decline'tofuinl his engagement with the parties 'concerned. For some,time he lived in William-st off Chanceiy : st,-,and that'for some thirteen -years- wither and Mrs.Thomas Keven,;of Shortlandst. The late Mr Thomas Keven.kept a large boot and shoe warehouse, thirty years ago, about where'er Sharland's premises now stand, .sfnd the well-known figure of Mr Costley might be seen at the door daily—lns snowy beard and bared'bosom (his shirt front being thrown open man.-pf-war's-man fashion) giving archal, appearance, For the past seventeen years he has been an inmate of the home of Mr and Mrs Alexander Mackle, and it was at their residence that he passed away. : He has not been about the town for the last two months, having become Bubjed to fnintiiig 'fits! Still he retained: his faculties; ,tfi,R wonderful degree, bpjng. able to' read the papers without spuptaoles, and com ducted his extensive business with land agents arid lawyers almost to Moh--day last. He had been a'temperate, man, and death was simply the.: result of old age and general break-up of the ' system. ' On Monday evening ,the symptoms of his approaching : 'enii w.-w so'apparent that,'at request,' . Mr Samuel Jackson, solicitor,' and Mr D. Hean, manager of the National Bank, were sent for, in order that he might finally arrange his affairs, Tho former had his confidence, as ]|is solicitor, and the latter was jntijptely acquainted with him, as he was a largo shareholder in the National Bank,'as f well as keeping considerable deposits there. Ho was at the time suffering from much pain, hut perfectly olear, jn his mental faculties, He dictated *to Mr Jackson the mode in which he desired his immense property to be disposed of, and named tho institutions to: which, afterpayment of certain legacies) it should be given ; also named Mr Jackson and Mr Hean as his executoiu ■ On Tuesday Mr. Costley was' much worse, and Dr Riohardson was called ' in, but he sank gradually, and died, as above stated,' yesterday forenoon, Much curiosity was evinced, when his death became known in the city, as. to ' the manner in which lie had disposed.' of his immense wealth, It soon transpired that the great bulk of it had been bequeathed to local institutions, and the following correspondence shows the manner in whioh the deceased carried out his intentions :—•.■, TO THE EDITOIi. ■•>. Sir,—The Mayor has received this, letter, and forwards it to be published for the information of the public who may desire to attend the funeral of one who has proved himself to be a public benefactor.—l am etc., P. A. Philips,, Town Clerk. Auckland, April 10,1883. .

Auckland, April 18,1883. To His Worship the Mayoy, Dear Sir,—As executors' of tho will of the late Edward. Costley, wjip/ died this dayj we think it right to infor|ii you that, with the exception of a few inconsiderable legacies, he has given the wholo of his large prpperty equajly between the following objects:-The Auckland Hospital, the Old Men's jpy Home, the ParneU'Orphan Home. th<Af Auckland Institute, Princess-st j thr \ Auckland free Public, Library, the Sailors' Home, the Training School at Kohimararna.—W.o.are etc,, ; ;;. Samuel JAokson. . D. Hean, The whole estate is valued at £135,000, the legacy duty on which'' will be over £10,000.. The legacies are inconsiderable, with the .exception of that to Mrs Mackle, which is £3,000 or 14,000, • and who'has attonded to him for the past seventeen years. The seven charities named above will have over £14,000 a-piece, andthißSumis likely to be'increased if the intention be earned put.tp obtain rebate of tho legacy duty of the Government, on the ground that' the legacies are public institutions. / /'{ '" It is that\'whiie residing |t Mr Seven's, deceased was: In the habii of sending home mbhey.toJwojis.teii He was also in the habit of speaking of a nephew residing in' Queensland. Of late years]' however, ,he made no reference to ihem, and/the impression ia that all his relatives are dead. ."■■•„:y •.; V >' '