The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-12-03 00:00:00

S ‘TURDAY, DECEMBER 3rd, 1881.
ROYAL MARRIAGES.

PRINCESS Helena of Waldeck is as yet unknown
to the English people ; but the fact which has
geen officially made known, that she is about to
become the wife of the Queen's youngest son,
already invests her name and title with a con-
Aiderable degree of public interest. With 1113 the
monarchy is not an institution to be uprooted
by the storms of revolution, or swept away by
the tide of invasion. When evil days come upon
the nation, we do not attribute the bad times to
the reigning sovereign, and at once preeeed to
demand the deposition of the dynasty. In one
of the battles which Prussia was accustomed
to fight, a lung time ago, and in which the
army was hopelessly rented, a rapid retreat
was necessary. The sovereign had cone-
wadded in person, and while the soldiers were
withdrawing as speedily as possible from the
scene of conflict, a cry was raised : "Let us pro-
tect our King l" The safety of the monarch in
the hour of danger was the first thought in the
mind of a loyal subject.
The Civil Liseof the Sovereign of England,
as fixed by Act of Parliament, is the smallest
allowance made to the ruler of any great Euro.
poen State. It bears not the slightest colnpari-
son with that which is enjoyed by the Emperor
of Russia, and it is not one-half of the amount
paid to the late Emperor of the French. The
actual amount is £385,000 a year, but upon this
there are permanent charges such as the main-
tenance of Royal parks and palaces. which,
although they are paid for the direct benefit of
the Sovereign, can scarcely be called personal
expenditure. The Queen's Pzivy Parse as it is
called, as being the money with which her
Majesty can do exactly as she pleases, is £60,000
a year, or somewhat over £l,OOO a week. Now,
looking at the applications which" are constantly
being made to the Sovereign for contributions
to religious and charitable objects, and at the
heavy expenses inseparable from the mainten-
%lace of a Royal position, this does not appear an
extravagant sum. There is many an English
nobleman whose income exceeds it by half-a-
dozen times over.

It is now a long time since the first Royal
marriage of the present reign—that of the Queen
herself. Nearly 42 years have passed away, and
those who now remember the event of the 10th
February, 1840, must be comparatively few.
But the Parliamentary debates which preceded
it are a matter of political history, atel.the ces-
sion of the Crown lands by the Sovereign to the
nation on the underetanding that her family was
to be provided for by Parliament, is a matter of
fact. There was a very considerable contentioa
over the allowance to he made to the Qaeen's
husband. The Whig Ministry was then in office,
and propesed thit the amount should be £50,000
a year. Sir Robert Peel, who was then the
Leader of the Conservative Party, objected to
this as being too large, and suggested £30,000.
Looking at the subject from this distance of
time, it would occur to lany of us that the two
parties might have conveniently come h a c.)m-
promise and made it £40,000 ; but tin) lowest of
the three sums was decided upon. This was
paid to the Prince Consort until his death in
December, 1861, so that it lapsed twenty years
ago. When therefore criticisms are sometimes
made upon the cost of Royalty, it is only fair to
remamber that it is infinitesimal in proportion
to the wealth and greatness of Great Britain ; to
say nothing of the vast realms in the continents
of Asia, Africa, and America which owe allegiance
to the British Crown.

Acting upon the undertaking entered into by
Parliament at the beginning of her reign, the
Queen has had occasion, from time to time, to
apply to the Legislature, not for anything for
herself, but for grants for her children. The
first of these was made in 18 7, three-and-twenty
years ago. An erroneous impression has St.)ne-
times been produced by these applications. The
original contract has not always been thought of
by those who Ive made free comments un the
grants, but that does not alter the fact that the
Sovereign surrtniered the private property of
the Crown to the nation on certain conditions.
These conditions her Majesty, on her part, has
adhored to, that is to say, she has asked for
uothim for her personal use; she merely calls
upon Perliament to fulfil a solemn covenant.
Ordin:iry mortals would do the same in similar
circurnstences. The princes and princesses Of
the reignieg House must be provided for by the
State, which has taken from the Sovereign both
the contra! and the revenue of the Crown lauds,
that could otherwise be devoted to that purpos.?,.
Had the Prieca Consort live I during the past
twenty years, in3tead of hiving been the silent
occupant of liit4 tuasoleum, 11,•; would II'AVO drawn
600,001, which the nation has not now been
called upon to pay. The X 6,000 annuity to the
Princess Alice also lapsed on her lamented death.
Facts like these might well ha borne in mind by
any who are inclined to czitioise unkindly the
provision which Parlieenent is occitsbnaily ciaA
upon to make for members of the Royal family .