182 JORNAL DE SCIENCIAS MATHEMATIGAS 



vator of lhe collections. I bequealh my General Herbarium and my Por- 

 tuguesa Herbarium at Lisbon to the Royal Academy of Sciences at Lis- 

 bon. I makc the above disposilion of my collections in the hope that ali 

 the bequests herein before made to Museiims may be considorcd as made 

 to thera by the Portuguese Government íhrough whose assistance and 

 liberality some of the collections have been made. Daíed this ÍT^ day 

 of OcL 1872. 



«Frederick Welwitsch. Signed by the said Frederick Welwitsch the 

 testator as and for his last m\\ in lhe presence of us present at the 

 same time who at his requesl in his presence and in the presence of each 

 other have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses.=George Al- 

 len, Solicitor=Ja. Leerainghis, Clerk. 



«Proved at London 2.""^ November 1872 by lhe oaihs of Frederick 

 Justen and William Garrulhers two of lhe execulors to whom adminis- 

 tralion was granted. Power reserved of making the like grant to George 

 Schweinfmih, doctor of medecine, one other of lhe execulors, William 

 Philip Hiern, the other executor named in the will, having renounced 

 lhe probate and execution thereof.» 



The Portuguese Legation at London protested immediately, as was 

 its duty, against the execution of the wiil, claiming the Angolan colle- 

 ctions as Portuguese national property, of which the testator could not 

 dispose, and the case had to be brought before lhe British Courts of Jus- 

 tice. The affair is still pursued, no decision having been as yet possi- 

 ble during tiie last three years. Wilhout doubting that justice will at last 

 be done in such a counlry as GreatBritain, and leaving aside lhe long 

 and fasíidious legal forms of proving lhe righl and wrong of the mat- 

 ter, we shall examine lhe quesíion before the tribunal of common sense. 



The first irapression produced on reading lhe will was not only 

 one of surprise, bui, for many, one of indignation. To spare Dr. 

 Welwitsch's memory we raust Ihink he fell a viclim lo some surprise 

 in his last moraents, not being completeíy conscious of what he subs- 

 cribed. There is no want of proof, even in his own writing and siguature, 

 that he never ceased lo consider the collections as belonging to the Go- 

 vernment, to whom they cerlainly did not cosi a small sum. Among lhe 

 execulors of lhe will two, Mess/' Schweinfurlh and Hiern, rejecled the 

 responsibility of the office, and mosl of lhe legatees who were asked 

 to enforce lhe execution of the will on behalf of Mess.^' Garrulhers and 

 Justen, did the same, as we are told. The Austrian Consulate, authorised 

 by Iheir Government, gave up lhe property of Dr. Welwitsch with 

 which they had been entrusled, according to superior orders received. 



