Vanderbilt's Millions

The will of the late Commodore Vanderbüt lias been pnblished. It will occasion a very general feeling of surprise that, notwithstanding his fortane amounted to over sixty millions of dollars, his wife receives by the wül, as originally drawn, $500,000, together with the family mansion and all its appointxnents, to which he adds in a codicil 2,000 shares of railway stock, equivalent to $200,000 more. This peculiar disposition of his property, however, is in accordance with a marriage settlement made in duo form before marriage with !iis second wife, by which she agreed not x claim her lawfül interest, the compact being made in view of his extreme ige at the time of the marriage, the Commodore being then over 70, and of ;he additional fact that she had nothing o do with the accumulation of his fortine. To flve of his Uving daughters ie bequeaths $8,500,000 ; to the sixth, he interest upon $400,000 in United States 10-Os, tho principal to go to her heirs ; to the seventb, the interest on $300,000 of the same olass of bonds : and to tho eighth. the est npon $500,000- the total sum to the daughters or their heirs, two or three of them being dead, being $3,700,000. To nis son, Cornelina J., who borrowed so lavishly of Horaoe Greeley and never repaid it, and who has been considerod the black sheep of the family, he leaves only the interest on $200,000 of 10-40 bonds, which is amply Buftïcient under ' the circumstances. Then f ollows a long j list of smaller bequesta, which are j pretty liberal, especially in th9 case of I grandsons by favorita ehildren. This i brings us to his favorito son, William H. Vanderbilt, who has had the responsible charge of his business for many j-ears. Iu the will, as originally written, he left to him about #50,000,000, but, in a very inconsiderate and heartless manner, he appends a codicil whick j takes away $11,500,000 of this amount and bestows it upon Wüliam H.'s four children. Such unfatherly j duet as this in reducing his favorite son to about $40,000,000, especiaUy w:hen that son has but $10,000,000 in his own fortune, and leaving him to struggle along with the vicissitudes of this rough and inhospitable world, especially in these trying times, is a sad comment upon the want of charity which has alwars characterized the Commodore. From the New York papers we íearn I that already there is talk of a contest over the will. One of the legatees is reported to have said that relatives outside j of Williani H. Vanderbilt's iamily would never let it stand a& it is in peace, unless Wïlliam H. should avoid all cause of dispute by giving his less fortúnate coclaimants a liberal sliare in the immense weaith lef t by the Commodore, of which, under the wili, he controls the great for the Oorumoüore's daügh{öfs1aivS"i05 son Cornelius Jeremiah, whose legacies j were mere putañees compared with the immense snms bequeathed to William H. Vanderbilt and his sons. The diacrepancy between the two or three score of millions left to Wi'liam H. and the comparativo trifle of a few thousands given in trust to his brother, Cornelius Jeremiahwould, a legatee said, probably be the first objective point in the tack on the will, and ths point made wou ld likely be that Ooruelius Jeremiah was epileptic, and unable to carefor himself, and that, consiequently, more adequate provisión should have been made for his support ; and, evenif theattempt to break the will failed, probably it woold be kept in the court8 for years, pulled to and fro by lawyers, and an injunction might be served on William H. Vanderbilt to prevent bim from actiiig j as President of the 'Rew York Central Riilroad. At all events, the will would I not be received submissively by some of the relatives unless the principal legatees smoothed it over by rnaking a more equifcable división. The ground of objection to the ■will has not yet been explained, bat undue influence is hiuted at. It is understood that the widow is entirely contented, or at least, for reasons satisfactory to her, will not tempt to enforce her conimon-law right l of dower, which it is claimed by some i lawyers she could do, in spite of the nnte-nuptial agreement not to do so allegeú in the will.