The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-10-06 00:00:00

IFFAIRS OF THE Mfg UF KENr.

A pamphlet Itas just appeased front the frieteds
who are intrusted with the management or the
Waits of his Royal Highness the bake or Kent,
containing a full exposition of the ceases,. Ilse na-
ture. and extent of the pecuniary embarrassments
under which his Royal lisghness has so lotig labour-
ed. and of the various efforts he has made, and the
various promises that hove been from time to time
vainly held out to him to liquidate his 'debts. Ti.,
squab* rrrrr ments of his Royal Highness appear to
have commenced with his entrance into manhood,
from the very unaccountable porsieSiony with
which the fumed for his personal espouses seems
to have beers administered. Will the was of our
private grittlemen of fortune believe that • guinea
and a half per week was deemed sufficient pocket•
money fur else son of • King, from Isis rash.
teeoth to the twente-second year, while residing
in 'hoover and Geneva I and yet such was the
flirt in the case of the Duke of Kent. For his
outfit to Gibraltar, no allow incr, as is usual on
such occasions, was ever allowed to him ; he was
iert simih.rly to provide his outfits to Caned*, the
West Indies, and other places in which he was en-
gaged on ((weigh service; and by shipwrecks. and
captures by the enemy. the dates and issrticulars
of winch are very minutely given. leis losses in
moving from place to place in the performance or
his military deities, were*, greet as they were sin..
gularly sinfortunnte. To provide for these several
losers and disbursements. the income and staff al-
lowances received by his Royal Highness are stated to
have been found altogether isiadequate, and the usual
means of raising mot.ey were resorted to, for the
purpose of defraying the necessary charges, and also
the interest of previous debts, in none of which
does there appear, according to the statement. any
extrsviigence or lavish expenditure, or any desire so
emceed the lair establishments which it was necessary
for - his Royal Highness the Duke of Kent to
maintain in the military sietiatious which he
successively occupied. Thus, at an early period
of hie life, his Royal Highness seems to have lied
the misfortune of unavoidably becoming respon-
sible for claims, witch have in a great degree an-
ticipated and absorbed the major part of his ulti-
mate income, when it became augmented by Pa►.
lament at the time the addition was made to the
incomes of the yonnger brooches of the Royal Fa-
mily. The excessive interest alone paid upon these
claims amounted to a sum of considerable mag-
nitude.

But the more serious privation and stronger
ground of complaint which is urged by the friends
of the Duke of Kent, is, that lie was 3 years of
age before lie received the Parliamentary income u
a Prince of the Blood—which his two elder bro.
Alters, the Dukes of York mod Clarence, received,
:the one at 21 and the other at 24 years of age, and
which was granted to the Duke of Cumhetland,
his younger brother by four years, on the same day
with himself. What renders this inequality the
more painful is. the fair presumption, from the
uniform and equal tenderness of his Majesty for his
children, that had the Duke of Kent been at home
to urge his own solicitation to have his income put
upon is fair footing with his brothers, he would
have been early relieved from those embarrassments
Which have in their accumulation prehsed sw hes.
vily upon him of late years—stid which he was
alone prevented from having had the opportu.
nity of effecting by being at the time engaged
abroad fur m series of years in the service of his
country, often under perilous circumstances, mod
•nearly always in itisalubrions climates. Mr.
Pitt repeatedly admitted the justice of his Royal
Higline.s's claim to be placed upon the Parka•
mentary establishmentoti.a footing of equality with
the Duke of Clarence, which would have entitled
the Duke of Kent to an wear of eight years in•
come: or that, at least. he should be placed on the
same footing with the Duke of Cumberland, which
would have ensured him an arrest. of four. Neither
of these fair and reasonable expectations held out
to his Royal Highness appears to have been at any
time realized—had they been fulfilled. as solemnly
pro Mired by Mr. Pitt, the Duke of Kent would
Ilan been fully able to have liquidated the cocain..
brances affecting him. The pamphlet then states,
in the following terms. the principal alternative
which the Duke (moat honourably to himself) was
nosier the necessity of adopting :
" tie Duke thee felt that nothing remained bid his own
personal exertions, and iumeaselrekrillces, to enable him to
overcome those difficulties, which, althungb not the result of
extravagance on his poi, were ampertbeladi equally disincl-
ine to him, while, upon the ground of Palace -to his credi-
tors, they nu less demanded an honourable settle/Rent with
them sad after many conferences with kis Meade, lire re-
solved to constitute a committee of them, to Italica over
three.foorths of his income hint their bands lentil the com-
plete liquidation of his debts was effected. giving them a
earn blanche fur ibis purpose, aad to limit hie expediters
to a sum out exceediag the remaining fourth part thereof,
with which he agreed to content himself. This plan was
matured by the mid of Jose, MI6, when the Doke parted
with tinny of his servants, sad made reduction, too Wee
extent in every part of his establishment at pod sesie..
queues of which were sotto amply remit,stor, tri, the Mem
uuuuu exertions and judicious errangeenesta at hie frimailiie
more was done in the first twelve immiths that AMentml the
general retrenchment, them was amempliehe4 in the eight •
years !preceding. The Duke hoped to have bees able to
combine the sweeties of his plea with remaining is Eng..
land; but after giving it a trial of one pour, viz. frame July,.
11115 to J sly, 1816, be found that it would beguile Inspoeslble
for him to coot Wise to live at home whitest privlitions eves
. .
beyond those •