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Les diagrammes suivants iliustrent la m^thode. 1 - > ^^ ^ o o o o w ■ s 3 Q r> on be w. iS 'P u O , S3 t. > 9 5. r OB a M u o •< K K ts I? I'- i 1? < ts PB t 1- 3-^ 5 f 5 ^(a. i B. T ^% . :^:l:;i^-* ir ? I PROVINCE OF LOWER-CANADA, > CoUVt of AppCttls, 1825. DISTRICT OF MON f lltiAL, > ■' ^^ ' NOVEMBER TERM. FRANCIS DESRIVIERES, JAMES McGILL DESRIVIERES, The Honble. WILLIAM McGIL!.IVRAY, Executor, &c. &c. f Defendants inthe Court below,) AJ*D AGAIN THE 8AIE FRANCIS DESRIVIERES, Intervening parti/, Attn The Honble. JOHN RICHARDSON, & al. (Plaintiffs in the Court below, J RBSFONDENTS ; Case on the part 0/ the Uespondents, Messrs. Ttichardson, Jleid, Strahan, Forsyth, Undsaij and McNider. FEB 20 .o^i THIS Appeal has been instituted from a final judgment ot he Conrt otKr-s^ Bench ut Montreal, endered under the following circumstances :-The late Mr. Mc(m11, cA )I'. "^"^^ . bv his will dated theSih of Janua.7, 1811, appointed the appellant, oneJame* McC.ll Des- Sesland one Charlotte Portcous his U^ulaires U^versels, r^nUr^ry iT-ees, m equal shares, but Charlotte Porteousdietl on the 4ih July, 1812, previous to the ifeaih of the tes- tator, by which means her share accrued to the two other universal legateet. '" By Z ra^^TirMr. McGrira;po,;7ed;hc hue Isaac Todd, Esquire : the Honorable Mr, Richardson ; the ap,)ellant, and Mr. McGillivray, or any two of them, h • . ' • p _.:_;_ _f. .»,„ ..noi- anA Aav and until Kicliardson ; tUe appeiiani, ana ivir. i»ii.vjmiYiajr, »/. a.,.j ... -. , nis ^cu ears menlales with cotltinuance of seizin after the year and day and untd the full execution of *" o!!,p"i.f the main devices in Mr. McGill's will, is a beq jest of the estate called <' irnside" ,oMLrluSson,Keid, Strahan, and Dun op, their heirs executo.s an(J cm aior., .a rust to convey and assure the same to the Royal Institution for the advancement of earning, constitute nrul established or to be constituted and eatablished under the I'.ov.nc.a statute, Tl Gamje lil. chap. 17, upon condition that the Royal Insiuut.on should, wuhin ten year, fromTletestalor's death erect, or cause to be erected, upon the estate of Duinsulc, an Urn- verTitY cSninlTcoliege, binder the name of McGill College, or should at ».-., -tl.... the same term erect or cause to be erected thereon, a College, under the niunc ol McGill Col- 'e-rerar^d that incase the Royal Institution shonld either refuse to accept the ogacyor neglect ;?eec7or cause to be erected, such University or College, on the estate ol BurnB.Je, w.thm he Sod of ten years from the decease of the testator, or .f the bequest HhouM F^ve void oi operative, then the eMate of Burnside should be conveyed and assured by Me»E..s Rtd - Srdson, Held, Strahan, and Dunlop, or the smvivor of them, or the,rlK.rs,exe^^ tors, to the appellant, who was in that case 10 have it to him and his hens tur ever. Tnudl.tio, to the estate of Burnside, Mr. McGill devised by h.s will, to the s.j.d Messrs. RicLidson leh Slr.han, and Dui.lop, a sum of £10,000 in trust for the Royal InslMul.on, To be ; d^o hnt bod^^^^^^^^ the lapse of three years from Mr. McGil 'a decease, w.th tuteiesc f^m end after the said period of tin' e years, when and so soon as the Royal .muut.on shou d lav^ e"ectcil or cause t. be erected an tJnivcrsuy or Collogeupon the estate ot Burnside, and to EranEr oward-^ defraying the expence incurred in erecting and e.tabh4ung the saul Un.- Sers I or Coile'e, or in'matntaininS the same after its --;-'\l"-£ ->;'-, M^-^- College should he erected in three years ahcr the testator s decease ; ^''"f^riSiw Richardson, Reid, Strahan, and Dunlop, or the survivors ot ^ ;«='"'"''»«'' JVTlVt to X mediately alier the expiration of the said term o( ten years, pay the said sura ot £10,000 to Uw appeiiani, with all the intercut then accrued thereon. Mr. McGill died on the i9ih December, 1813. < a..„„., iflK, Inuvlntr Mr James Dunlop. one of the iiduciary legatees, died on the 28lh oi August, I81.>, Icav ng thrieiecutors-Me;srs. John Forsyth, Vilhan Lindsay, and Adam Lymburner McN.der, "•'fn'r Te^,l':^'ju.:;' iS K^! M:!;;rS'Messrs. Richard.,n, Re.d a.d S.raha^ surviv-. ing fiiucii ; ; toes ul'r Mr. McGill's will .nd M.essrs. Forsyth, Ltndsay, -J^^^^^f^^^ executors of the will of Mr. Dunlop, the other fiduciary legatee, inBt.tuted an action ^^rfe - ^TrrT^ against the appellant'^^s le^atairc univcsel and ^^^^^^TI MrluGM a^i late Mr. McGill ; Jame. McGiU Dwriv irs«, the other legatotre umverscl of Mr. MiGiH and »., Mr. McGillivmy, aUo testamentary executor of the Baid Mr, McGill, to .ecoTe/inelegary ef £10,000 with interest, according to Mr. McG, i 8^vlli,and costs. To this action Francis Desrivieres pleaded three pleas :— 1st — Tlie general issue. QnA — The Defense en droit. . ■ • <■ . r r .i ^-Peremotoiv exceptions, alleging different reasons in law and ni fact far avoid in;; iV-, le.a 7sued S b/tlc pLintilT. ; and that the sa.ne has accrued to him the saul V ranc.s Desr- vmVvcs under the will of the late Mr. McGiU, ho bemg the same I It is exp eSy alled.red in the pe.i.ion in intervention, that the petitioner Francs Desriv.cre, is the saui^M'^^^^^^ in Mr.'McGiU's will, and one of the Defendants in the case. The neiiiion contains a plea of "/.*/» ;jc«rf(/nce. , ,,, i a It a'soi led" ci divers reasons w!iy the legacy sued for by the appellants should be considered null, vohl, and inoperative, and adjudged t^o the appellant Francs Desriv.&res .n execution ot **itKeJ'sfrt^i' that the appellant has in his handsthe sum of £10,000, and interest sued fo, anTi entit ed ^ l'i« o*" "i°"^y' '»"d concludes that the legacy made hy Mr McGdr wTl to the I'll nTff n trust for the U^al Institution, be declared null ah tmiio, atjd fot ebeTle clc null and void and that tl- appellant be a.^c.i^^^^^^^^^^^^ retain 'he said sum of £10,000 and interest, as Legataire parliculwr et suostttuee ot the saia Mr. McGill. . „ „„„,a;nc. The answer ot the Respondents to their petition in intervention, contains. 1 ri?e. petual exce v iLn pere>nploire en droit, alledgin^ that the Royal Institution for the adlkntl^eSfof learning wa^s in existence at the time of ttve bequest under consideration was '"That the said bequest was not null and void ab initio or become so since, but on the contrary "fllTeVe'rspitenJ'were passed on the 31st March, 1821, erectingtheCollegetobebu.lt intJ a iorporllion, with Offi'^ers, which was a complete fulfilment of the conditions attached '"Tl!«Mfrthe3d day of August, mO, the surviving fiduciary legatees of the late Mr McGill L«tilJti,^but of wS. Francis Desrivieres refused to surrender and dehver up the possess- '° Thn. in conseauence, in the Term of October, 1820, the Royal Insthution impleaded the •TKancis DesSes in an action, nu petitoire, to establish the right and title ot the Royal rln ,ion to the s^id -act of land called Burnside, and to obtain t^e possession thereof from \" lid Fmuc^^s dS vieres ; that this demand was resisted by Francis besrivieres ; that after- ''ronthTgtliOtober, 1822, judgment was rendered on the pretensions of the respective """■.•: Tnd ^he Rova Inst ution was declared to be the true and lawful proprietor of Bui nside ''";,. h;sidFVaSSvieres was adjudged wiil.in fifteen days to desist from, quit, and T"* l, „ M e said r Ki of bnd, and deliver ifp the same to the Royal Institution, as also the renTsf Usi, atld ;;ofitfby Ihe said Francis icsrivieres during his tortious and wrongful pos- "^aC; notwithstanding, the said Francis DesrivicMes hath had due notice of said judgment he u V .mI.^ and S still retain possession, and notwithstanding the said judgment hath on ^'*' ^irme^ with SesanUon and confirination of this Honorable Court, he has thought hir, appeal met Willi tliesanciin Council, where the case now remai.m fit to institute an iippeal to nis iviajesiy m ma * i"j > pending and undeicrmined. c„rvivin(T fiduciary legatees to recover the legacy That the present actiorj on behalf ^Vj" f""^ 'V-\^/oL?iSi?e fefxn.ra//o ten year, .f £10,000 wasinstitutedintheer. from ""'^f '''•''i^*"'' °f,£'bTthesaS Fru^ Desrivi6.es and iFames McCJill Des.ivii.es,^ ble proceedings had ami aken^ to retain and continue iiis wrongful possession o. u, retard the , ,lc us on of he Royal Institution, by which conduct an.l by reason of il.« I7vtc^^^i^!^^^^-^^y^-^ tL said £10,000, 'the Royal Institution have been ab«.. lately prevented fram further advancing. \ It g_ V deftn<:eaufonf!s en droit is plmJcd by the Respondents to the Intel vcnlion of Finnci» Dcsriviorcs, whicli is followed 3 Hv ii defense aiifonds en fail, conchidins; to a dismis»al of the Intervention. Issue beinjj i;iined hereupon, tlio parties by their respective Counsel, in the Court below made certain aC- niissions and a consent rule was entered into, that the evidence adduced on the issue, perfecttd on the principal demand, should be held and considered as evidence on the pciiiioii in Inter- vention. (No. 7Jof iho llecord.) On the 14ih Jun«>, 1S25, the parlies were heard as well on tlie principal demand a.i on the petition in Intervpution, and on ilieSOth followini; final Judg- lueut, was rendered, awarding to Respondents ihesuni of ;1?10,000 with interest at the rate c< :i per ccnliiin per annum, froin 'iOth December, ISlfi, until the ^lal May, I8'jy, the date of the demandr, judiei(iiteam\n\. the rate ofG per centum per annum, from 31st May, 182.5, until pii- feci pavment and costs of suit. ^ ._,••• It would appear from the grounds of exception, assl^rned by Francis Dcsriviercs and Ja Mc(fill Desrivieres, to the action as well as by Francis Deririvicres in his petition in interven ames tion ;vlCvflll I7csrivii;re3, lu iiiu iiv.iiwii i»^ T.>-ii i.t uj i .i...^io .^w. .,,.-. ^- ........ |<^....» ^. .- irnd bom the arguments urged by their Co(insel in the Court below— that they rest their de f.rnce and that the said pctiiion in intervention is fun nded on the following propositions : — 1st. That the legacy in question is null under the declaration of 1743, inasmuch as tlu teiulency of the bequest h to found a novel establishment and that it consequently falls within the scope of the inhibition contained in that law. <2^l, That at the time of the bequest tbei was no such Corporation in existence as the Royal Institution, nor hath any such been subsequently constituted and established. 3J. Thatthe condition attached to this legacy wasa condition precedent and has not been fulfilled. Under the first of the propositions stated above, viz. Thatthe legacy in question is null under the declaration of 1743, &c. The Respondents contend that this law is repealed as far as il respects the Royal llnsti- tution, bv the41 Geo. III. cap. . 2 Proposition. — That the Itoyal Institution was not in existence at the time the bequesit under consideration was made. , , , . . , i ■ • u It is not e.ssential to the validity of a legacy that the Individual in whose tavor it is be- queathed should be known, or in esse when the bequest is made, provided he can eventually be discovered ; this is a well established principle of Law. Feniere's Tramlalion of the JnsUt : Justin. Lib. II. Til. ^0,k '25 k "il. , ^ u , .,i- iir .i The RoyaJ Institution having the capacity to take a bequest by the 41 IjCO. Ill c. antl beinc in esse when the present action was instituted, the Respondents invoke the rule'ol law above cited. , , , ,_,, , m . . in*imposin"