80 SMITHSONIAN BEQUEST. 



Paid for oaths of Messrs. Clarke, Fynniore, and Fladgate to three copies of 



bill delivered to Mr. Rush IS 6 



April 29. Attending Mr. Batut for upwards of two hours, when he 

 appeared desirous of making terms as to the information he could give 

 relative to the death of Mr. Hungerford without children, which he 

 assured us we could not obtain elsewhere; and informing him we could 

 communicate with plaintiff thereon, and requesting him to put any legal 

 claims he might have into the hands of his solicitors, and we promised to 

 represent to Mr. Rush his statement 1 1 



Writing to Mr. Rush on the above subject, and requesting appointment to 

 meet him 5 



May 1. Attending Mr. Gardner in long conference as to the claims of 

 Madame Batut, which we thought were much larger than would be 

 allowed her on proof before the master; and we postponed a final deter- 

 mination until we had again looked through the papers 13 4 



May 2. Attending at Mr. Rush's in long conference as to the application 

 of Mr. Batut, when it was decided that we could not offer any pledge 

 that attention would be paid to his application, but that we must pro- 

 cure from him such information as he could give, and, if it appeared that 

 he had any just claim, we would offer no technical or unnecessary delay 

 to it 13 4 



May 4- Attending Mr. Gardner, conferring very fully again hereon; when 

 he stated that Mr. .Smithson possessed himself of the property of the late 

 Mr. Dickinson, and never rendered an account; and that he (Mr. Gard- 

 ner) considered that a bill should now be filed against the defendant 

 (Drummond), as executor of the testator in this cause, for such account; 

 and that it was expected a larger sum would be found to have been 

 received; but that at all events a claim would be established to a life inter- 

 est in a sum equal to that stated in the will to be the nephew's property, 

 viz, 260 per annum, which, in point of fact, had been the amount of 

 allowances made to Mrs. Batut by the testator, as she could prove; and 

 we urged that filing a bill would be useless, as it was impossible to 

 furnish an account, but would search through all the documents in the 

 plaintiff's custody or power, and give them every facility to settle the 

 matter in the master's office 13 4 



May 5. Attending Mons. Batut for upward of two hours, when we told 

 him the only chance for his obtaining any remuneration from the plaintiff 

 was to furnish him with every information in his power relative to the 

 death of Mr. Hungerford, which he seemed very unwilling to do, without 

 a pledge that something should be done, and we assured him that no 

 party here could give such pledge, and that if he was really disposed to sell 

 his information, he must put his terms into writing, when he stated that 

 he would consider the course to adopt, and advising him to give us the 

 information, and informing him if he did not we should resist Madame 

 Batut's claim in every possible way 1 1 



May 6. Attending at Mr. Deacon's; going through and perusing the docu- 

 ments deposited in the boxes, etc.; to answer Mr. Gardner's inquiry, but 

 could find nothing; engaged several hours 1 i 



May 11. Attending Mr. Gardner as to Mr. Batut's claim, when he required 

 to be furnished with an account of the payments made by Mr. Smithson 

 in his lifetime to Madame de la Batut, which we promised to procure, as 

 evidence of the fund she might claim under the will of Dickinson 13 4 



Attending Mr. Deacon, making inquiry as to the foreign papers, when he 

 handed us several French ones, and promised to write for the Italian 6 8 



