Mr. Inglis, an eccentric old gentleman, died in 1870, leaving,
among other property Turkish bonds worth £4,500 in the hands of a servant named Ann Pasco. She said he had given them her for herself and children, and intricate as her story was, Vice-Chan- cellor Wickens said she was probably telling the truth. There was, however, no corroboration for her statement, and the Vice-Chancellor therefore decided that she must give back their value to the testator. This decision, if upheld, is important, as the case is one of constant recurrence. Nine people out of ten believe that if a man near death says he intends to give them some valuable, or " means it for them," or says that it is " theirs," they are at liberty to take it away without further authorisation, or any corroborative evidence that it really was given. This judgment imposes on them the necessity of having such evidence in the shape either of a signature or a witness. Mr. Inglis could have made his gift complete in one minute by 'writing "Ann Pasco" on the back of the bonds and his signature.
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